Words are powerful tools. They attract or turn off. They bore or intrigue, and they trigger a wide range of emotions. Words can help you sell your hotel – and make you stand out. This is especially in an industry where too many hotel websites are still full of platitudes and catchphrases.
Look at this one, for example:
“We want you to feel home away from home.” Seriously? Then why book a hotel and pay for a hotel room? You could just as well stay where you are….
Ok, I might go a little overboard here, but let me explain.
We use “Feel-like-at-home” to express warm hospitality and pleasant hosts, and it is something everybody would want to experience, or so we think. The problem is that “one fits all (or most)” statements rarely work.
What if your typical guest is out to experience something different, or doesn’t think it’s that nice at home and therefore happy to get out?
- “Look forward to our attentive service”
- “Relax in our lovely SPA and unwind”
- Enjoy our exclusive 3-course menu.”
What do you feel reading these lines? Did they get your attention? Are you sitting up a little straighter? Are you curious?
Or are you suppressing a yawn, because you’ve seen these bland and uninspiring descriptions time and again?
A well-designed website and grand images are important, but it’s the power of your words that will persuade guests to act.
Scientists around the world have been studying the influence of words and language for years. Did you know that words can even manipulate your taste buds?
An experiment in neuroscience showed that, if you read “homemade” on a menu or “Enjoy “Granny Victoria’s famous apple pie”, it’ll entice your mind and modify your taste.
Intrigued?
Read Carmen Simon’s book “Impossible to Ignore” and her groundbreaking approach on how to create memorable messages.
Or look at one of the classics: Robert Cialdini’s “The Psychology of Persuasion” is still, thirty-six years after its first publication, a bestseller with marketers.
WHAT you say on your hotel website and HOW you say it is important.
It can make all the difference. If you do it well, it’ll help you attract site visitors and connect you with your ideal guests. Your hotel will become memorable and you’ll leave a lasting impression. Potential guests will share their online experience with others. You plant the image of a special hotel brand in the minds of your guests.
So, before you write your first sentence, make sure you know who your ideal guests are and what you want to share with them.
