Increase Hotel Electronic Sales

Experts are estimating that 70% of all travelers will use the internet to find and research about hotels and other accommodations before booking their reservations. The question in the minds of most hotel revenue managers is how they can take advantage of this to increase their hotel electronic sales. There are several factors involved in launching a successful web campaign. The primary three considerations include improving the internet hotel channel management, web marketing, and third-party partnerships.

Internet Hotel Channel Management

Hotel web design has advanced tremendously over the last several years. It is no longer enough to have a website created by an office tech junkie, a random company found on the yellow pages, or even an ad agency. Right now, it is important to have the hotel website to be designed by hotel marketing experts who know the ins and outs of the industry.

Web Marketing

Strategies such as search engine optimization, search engine marketing, and website promotions should be understood and implemented. These concepts need to be integrated not only in the website’s graphic designs but only in the text content. However, it isn’t right to rely completely on a search engine optimization company to increase hotel electronic sales; the hotel website should also be fully optimized for best results.

This is because even if the hired company becomes successful in driving a lot of traffic to your website, it may not generate hotel demand because the visitors are “turned-off” by the website itself. Before undertaking any comprehensive online marketing campaign, it is critical for hotel revenue managers to ensure that they have the appropriate booking technologies that will make their website appealing to their target audience.

Third Party Partnerships

If you’ve tried partnering with travel portals a few years ago, you might have had a bad experience. Fortunately, the industry has improved drastically since then. Third party partnerships can give you exposure to world-wide audiences, increase electronic distribution channels exposure, and increase hotel revenue. These benefits are difficult to get on your own.

If you decide to try this method, it is essential to choose a reliable third-party aggregator that has a good reputation. In addition, certain parties offer special programs that are specifically suited to the individual needs of their hotel partners. By effective management of both the inventory and rates, these travel marketers enables hotel revenue managers to leverage on their competitive advantage and increase RevPAR.