Every hotelier is bound to be aware of the Hotel industry’s eternal battle: direct bookings versus OTA! While it doesn’t take a genius to gather that direct bookings are hands down the better of the two, OTAs do give hotels the advantage of being more visible than they can ever be on their own! So, finding the right balance between the two will work wonders to ensure full occupancy at your hotel.
But what if there was a way to encourage direct bookings without completely doing away with OTAs? That is exactly what you’re going to find out in this blog post where we’ll be discussing easy ways by which you can increase hotel direct bookings, the importance of driving a hotel’s direct bookings as well as how you can turn OTA bookings into direct bookings! Let’s get straight to it!
The importance of driving more hotel direct bookings:
You should already know that if you are depending heavily on OTAs for bookings, you will end up spending a massive chunk of your earnings on OTA commissions. These commissions are anywhere between 15%-25%, which is by no means a small amount! But is that all? Are there any other major disadvantages for hotels with OTAs?
Unfortunately, yes. The other major disadvantage that comes with heavy dependency on OTAs is that most popular OTAs don’t share guests’ details with hotels. Guest data is crucial, in this day and age, for hotels to nurture loyalty and build reputation.
By designing a holistic strategy to increase hotel direct booking, hotels can overcome both these major OTA-related roadblocks. With direct bookings, not only will you save on the exorbitant OTA commissions, but you will also have full access to all your guest data! But these are just two of the main points in the “direct bookings versus OTA” debate. There is no denying that the more the direct booking for a hotel, the higher the profit margin. Which brings us to the most important point…
HOW CAN YOU INCREASE HOTEL DIRECT BOOKINGS?
1. Make your website your most powerful weapon
In today’s digital world, a well-optimized website is half the battle won. There are several features that need to come together for a website to become “optimized”, like:
· It should be engaging, easy to navigate and user-friendly
· It should be search engine optimized to bring in online traffic
· It should take a little loading time as possible
2. Integrate a web booking engine into your website
This one is as obvious as it is self-explanatory. What better place for potential guests to make a booking than at the very place where they are getting a virtual fee of your property- your website. Certain robust cloud PMSs, like Hotelogix, allow you the website-web booking engine integration from within the scope of the PMS. This ensures that the website visitors have real-time information of your inventory, room rates, etc. This is one of the easiest tips to increase hotel direct bookings.
3. Have a “Book now” button on your Facebook page
Social media is not a buzz word or a fad. It is real! Businesses across the globe have transformed the way they operate. Thanks to social media, hospitality industry is no exception. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and the likes are all great platforms for potential guests to discover you and learn about you. By integrating a booking engine into your brand’s Facebook page, you can really make hay while the proverbial sun shines! The magic of social media platforms is that people have access to photographs, comments, opinions, experiences, etc. on your very page. And if they like what they see, they should have the option to book right away before they change their mind!
4. Improve your hotel’s reputation
Guest experience is sooner or later going to become your priority #1. We say this because the stats are all pointing in that direction. Consider this, 98% of travelers read hotel reviews and of them 80% consider them extremely important before making the reservation. (Source). A property with a good online reputation stands a better chance at getting more hotel direct bookings.
A good way to improve your hotels reputation is to sign up with a review site that allows you to integrate it into your website, like TripAdvisor. This way, every time a guest leaves you a positive review on your website, it will appear on your TripAdvisor page and vice versa! This apart, you must also put in the effort to respond to reviews, no matter good or bad. This communicates a sense of responsibility and builds trust in potential guest. Own up to your mistakes, in case of a negative review, and incentivize them to come back to you so you can undo that experience and make them happy! All these things speak volumes to the potential guest.
5. Everybody likes a discount, an offer or some perks
The best part about direct bookings is that you have complete control over it, unlike with OTAs. Give your website visitors an offer that will force them to make a hotel direct booking. Whether you choose to give your direct bookers a free spa coupon upon booking with you, or a 15% on their F&B bill, or even a 50% on their next stay with you- the options are plenty and the choice is entirely yours! Whatever works best for you, for the season, with your target audience, is in your budget- throw in that offer. Publicize this offer so that more and more people come to check you out. It’s a win-win for everybody.
Direct booking is a boon for hotels across the globe and regardless of how big or small the hotel, everybody wants to cut down on OTA commissions! If you too are looking for the best way to reduce dependency on OTAs and increase hotel direct bookings, watch out! We are coming out with an all-encompassing ebook to guide you through just that.
Write to us at sales@hotelogix.com if you wish to receive your own copy of the ebook before we release it on our website,
Looking to increase hotel direct booking and cut down on OTA commissions? We have the best solution. TRY HOTELOGIX NOW!
Author Bio:
Divya Bhat is a content strategist and writer with over a decade’s experience in journalism and marketing. Apart from working with some of India’s leading media houses, she has also worked as a French language translator. An avid Customer Experience enthusiast, she is also passionate about the Travel & Hospitality industry. You can reach out to her at divya.bhat@hotelogix.com
