During the old days, hotels created websites that presented a “brochure-like” feel to web visitors. These sites were one-dimensional; it mainly just provided a destination for your hotel name on the internet. But these brochure-websites did not fully utilize the potential of the World Wide Web, it cannot provide up-to-date pricing, reserve bookings, or cancel reservations. This mistake was soon corrected when the next generation websites became popular; it increased hotel electronic sales.
In today’s competitive environment though, even providing a full-blooded system of reservations and bookings is not enough. It is now important to build relationships with web visitors. The interactive pages that most hotels utilize today are perfect examples of it. Using the Web 2.0 concept, continuously-evolving websites are now offering guest review sections, customized searches, and other related services to potential guests. The industry has been able to derive great benefits and grow hotel revenue.
Brand Loyalty
The nature of creating a web presence online is no longer about making reservations easier, it is about creating a user-experience that is friendly, accessible, and convenient. Web 2.0 also allows hotel revenue managers and other people involved in the hospitality industry to customize their services. For example, certain software enables them to identify whether the booking was for business or leisure. These features will make them understand customer needs better.
While on the subject of brand loyalty, it is also important to touch on the element of user-generated content. Postings that are written by actual guests have a big impact on the community. It is the art of word-of-mouth marketing on a global scale. It is also one of the best ways to differentiate against the competition and establish brand loyalty.
Both family-run hospitality enterprises and 5-star hotels can use Web 2.0 for their benefit. The key is to create a community around the brand. It is among the best and most effective aspects of consumer marketing. In asking for guest reviews though, it is also essential to be aware that the risk of getting bad reviews is there. Nevertheless, the nature of the web community enables the hotel revenue managers to respond to these comments head-on and balance the view immediately.
Getting Started
If you’re convinced that joining the Web 2.0 community is the way to go, the next question is, how can you start? The first thing you need to do is to go back to the value proposition of your brand and translate it online. Then imagine a simulation of the type of website you want to provide the consumers. From there, building the exact applications enables you to deliver on your brand promise becomes critical. RevPAR Guru has a host of capabilities that will let you do just that.
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