Just when you thought you could catch your breath after the heady rush of Christmas and New Year, there’s yet another holiday knocking at your door: Valentine’s Day. Since 17% of adults on average plan to celebrate the holiday with a romantic getaway, that means it’s time to roll up your sleeves (again) and start marketing your property for the sweetest holiday of the year. Here are our top tips to help you get the ball rolling. Love is in the air To make it easier for travelers to engage with content that’s tailored to them, the personalization of your…

Travelers everywhere expect their online experiences to be as frictionless on mobile as they are on desktop. However, the online travel and hospitality industries stand out for often failing to meet that expectation. That’s pretty shocking when you consider approximately 6.6 billion of us in the world own a smartphone. How can you ensure your property is optimized for today’s mobile-connected travelers at every stage of their online booking journey? We take a step-by-step look and offer practical tips on how to optimize your property’s website, booking process, and guest experience for the ultimate mobile customer journey. Have a mobile-friendly website for the search stage A study…

A hotel loyalty program can boost the number of nights booked by almost 50%—if it’s a good one.

The majority of independent properties are losing out on a lot of business for one very simple reason: their hotel websites are poorly designed. They’re not optimized. They’re not converting interested travelers into confirmed guests. From small bed and breakfasts to swanky boutique chains, few seem to have really mastered the art of the hotel website — which is a shame, since it’s the most important part of their direct conversion funnel. There are some hotels, however, that have found the secret to designing beautiful hotel websites that drive direct bookings. So that you can improve the look and function…

With online distribution continuing to grow, now is the time to ensure your business is ready for the future and able to drive bookings online. However, large hotels and small independent properties alike are facing the same challenge: Without a serious online presence, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fill your property and earn a healthy income. But not all is doom and gloom. By following a few simple rules for building a strong online presence, even small independent properties can create a brand that resonates with their audience, wins them bookings, and helps secure their future success. Rule #1: Identify…

“How can I get more visibility for my property on trivago?” It’s a common question we hear from hoteliers and rightly so. According to our own research, 75% of registered hoteliers who regularly use trivago Business Studio indicated that trivago is a relevant marketing channel for their property. So, of course, the desire to catch the eye of potential guests worldwide is top of mind. To put this topic into perspective, here are four steps you can take to proactively influence your property’s visibility on trivago as well as travelers’ interest in you. Make the best first impression Fact: The…

Every hotel that wants to hold on to and grow its direct bookings is going to need a booking engine. A booking engine enables a hotel to accept direct bookings online through its official website. And as travelers increasingly book their hotels online, having a booking engine will make all the difference between staying competitive and giving up a growing amount of direct business. Not just any old booking engine will do, however. A main reason why OTAs have been so successful at capturing online bookings is that their booking pages are optimized for converting users. To compete with the OTAs,…

The hotel industry is growing at an exponential rate. Today, there are millions of travelers who have access to disposable income and want to explore the world. In fact, demand is still growing, and the peak is yet to come. With growing demand comes growing supply, which leads to fierce competition in the hotel industry. So, what does this boil down to? It means attracting customers is a great and critical challenge for hoteliers – especially the individual hoteliers. But being a one-person hotel brand shouldn’t stop you from competing with major hotel brands online. As an individual hotelier, you’ve…