For a hotelier, direct bookings are one of the most lucrative channels as there is no commission to pay, higher chances of the guest completing the booking, stronger brand recall, and so on.
However, the thing that makes direct bookings lucrative is the hotel owner’s ability to be in touch with the expectations of the potential guests. Unfortunately, good insights aren’t available easily which makes the job of the hotelier rather difficult when it comes to growing direct bookings as a channel.
In that light, here are six expectations that a potential guest would have when going through the direct booking route:
Six potential guest expectations when booking directly
User-friendly interface
According to a 2023 Statista report, 53% of travelers cited the speed of booking as the reason for booking their travels online rather than with a travel agency. A seamless UI thus becomes quintessential to providing the high speed at which the guests expect their booking to be made.
Mobile compatibility
In 2023, nearly a third (32%) of travel bookings in the U.S. and Canada were done on mobile websites as mentioned in a report by Expedia. Year by year the gap between mobile and desktop booking is narrowing which means maintaining a mobile presence and delivering a seamless mobile experience is extremely important.
Secure and multiple payment options
With the ever-increasing modes of payments, having a one-stop-shop payment gateway at the end of a booking journey has become an unspoken expectation rather than a stand-out feature. Hotel owners will be better off ensuring that they have multiple global and regional payment methods integrated for a superior user experience.
Rate comparison
Rate comparisonAn average user who is making an online hotel booking is invariably bound to make a comparison in terms of rates offered by different platforms. This is an important insight for a hotel owner to make their direct booking channel stand out by providing a rate comparison feature, one that compiles rates offered by different platforms, on their hotel booking engine.
Social proof – testimonials, reviews, etc.
A study by Tripadvisor cited that 93% of users consider online reviews before booking a hotel. Providing high-quality, legitimate reviews helps hotel owners to nudge their potential guests. A hotel owner would be better off equipped with reputation management tools that cater to fostering good relationships with their guests.
Personalization
An important and often overlooked feature of online hotel booking engines is personalization. Online users are more likely to complete their booking of a hotel when they are provided customized hotel packages, value add-ons, flexible cancellation policies, etc. based on their needs. A booking engine that provides such customization will help a hotel manager have the foresight built into their systems to serve their guests’ needs.
All-in-one solution: booking engines
Understanding the needs of the guests can be done in one of two ways:
- First is the trial-and-error method where the hotelier will have to try a bunch of things based on half-baked insights and ‘intuitions’
- The other way is to do a booking engine integration with their direct channel to reap the benefits of the aforementioned insights
The second approach is more likely to bring you success as a hotel owner by being more structured, methodical, and current to your guests’ needs.
State-of-the-art booking engines for hotels can equip your arsenal with the insights and foresight you need to ensure that your offerings are in line with the expectations of the potential guests.
