How hotels should respond to negative online reviews

Social media now provides hotels with the opportunity to respond to negative reviews easily and effectively. Below are some ideas on how you can respond to negative reviews to preserve your good online reputation and let potential and past customers know that you're listening and you care.

DO

1. Make sure senior management is involved in the process
2. Be timely - try to respond to the negative review within 24 hours
3. Thank the reviewer for their feedback to show that you are listening
4. Apologize that the stay did not go as planned
5. Be transparent
6. Point out that this is a rarity when compared with your regular service
7. Explain how you will be reacting to their feedback or action you will take. Eg you will follow up with the department involved, fix the problem, give them your personal email or phone number to call etc
8. Highlight any positive aspects that the reviewer left
9. Offer a direct line of communication (e-mail, phone line, etc.)
10. Fix the problem if there is one

You can also write a press release about any significant changes made due to the review.

DON’T

1. Ignore the negative review and think it will go away - if you don't respond, people will think it's true or you don't care
2. Write a response back when you're angry
3. Question the reviewer’s legitimacy
4. Reply with a discount which could only encourage negative reviews
5. Respond insincerely or automatically
6. Remove negative reviews (most sites do not allow this anyway)
7. Forget to respond to positive reviews (only responding to negative ones can make you look defensive)
8. Write fake reviews (you will be found out!)

 For more information about responding to negative reviews, or about social media management, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today.

10 Tips For Marketing Your Hotel on Google Places

Is your hotel making the most of Google Places? If so, how does your page rank among local competitors?

Place pages are more important than ever. A recent Google study found that 20% of all searches on Google are used to find location specific answers.

Place pages - individual Web pages for businesses and points of interest - often dominate search results for location specific queries (e.g. “Sunshine Coast Hotels”), along with a Google Map feature with red markers identifying locations. Google often blends Websites with their accompanying Place pages, as one search result, and even includes links to hotels’ reviews. As you can tell, Google Places is a vital channel for your property.

Below are 10 tips to optimize your page…

1. Add as much detailed information as possible. Google Places listings are ranked by relevance to search terms entered, as well as location, among other factors. Make sure you completely fill out all of the fields in the 'edit page' area. These includes latitude and longitude, your property’s hours of operation, amenities and payment types accepted.
2. Fill out the additional, yet optional, information fields. These are broken up into two categories: “Label” and “Value.” Do not put full sentences into your label. Use specific words. For example, add “Services: concierge, tour booking service, free wireless Internet” not “The services we offer are concierge and free wireless Internet.”
3. Take advantage of Google Tags. These tags allow your hotel to have a direct link to different locations such as your booking page, apartments page or photo gallery. The links are displayed as yellow highlighted icons. Google tags should not be mistaken for a sponsored listing. They will not affect the ranking of Google Places listings.
4. Optimize your description. Write a description that will be helpful to your guests first, then Google - not the other way around. When describing your hotel, using relevant search terms are important, as these are the keywords that people will also to search. For example, “Our Gold Coast holiday accommodation features spacious, self-contained 2 bedroom apartments, a great range of facilities, including a swimming pool, tennis courts and sauna and an unbeatable location - right next to the beaches and close to entertainment and popular Gold Coast attractions.”
5. Select category listings carefully. Google allows you to select up to five categories. These offer your potential guests, and Google, a more detailed description of your accommodation. You should only select categories that directly apply to your property. Creating a lot of “custom categories” doesn’t necessarily help; in some cases doing this can hurt your ranking.
6. Keep your title simple. The title must be your property’s name. Don’t attempt to embed keywords into your title, as that is almost a certain way to ensure your property listing is never seen.
7. Use the “share an update” feature. These updates will be listed on your Google Places page for 30 days, unless you remove the event prior. This is another feature to reach out to potential guests, and add more information about your property, eg special events, conferences etc.
8. Include pictures and videos. Take full advantage of this! Google allows you to upload up to 10 pictures and five videos. When you upload pictures and videos, it provides Google and your potential guests more information about your property. It also displays the photos next to your Google Places listing, which will naturally draw a potential guests’ attention to your listing first.
9. Take advantage of the coupon feature. This is a good way to help drive traffic to your site. However, there are many guidelines for using coupons; the main rule is that the promotion should not be available without the coupon. Therefore, you would need to use a promo code or have them print the page to bring to the property when checking in.
10. Encourage online interaction with your guests. Ask that satisfied guests leave positive reviews on your Google Places page. If you do get a poor review, respond quickly and calmly. Positive reviews that are left on other reputable travel sites (such as TripAdvisor) may also increase your Google ranking.

With four million businesses and growing currently listed on Google Places, the competition for page ranking, especially for hotel related searches, is constantly growing. If you do not currently have a Place page or your page is not appearing near the top of Google results, your property is missing a huge opportunity to reach travel shoppers and direct bookings.

For more information about marketing, website design or if you need help setting up a Google Places page, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3590 or email@tafastrack.com.au. 

How Would Your Customers Rate Your Service?

Rendering exceptional customer service is both a responsibility and a smart business decision; unfortunately, far too many salespeople view customer service as an administrative burden that takes them away from making a sale.


The truth is, providing quality customer service presents tremendous opportunities for cross-selling, up selling and generating additional referrals. Dick Cavett once said, "It's a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want to hear." If your clients were given a customer satisfaction survey, how would they rate the level of service they are receiving from you?

Customer feedback consistently points to the fact that the little things make a big difference. Quality customer service is typically defined in terms of attention to detail and responsiveness. Not surprisingly, the top two customer complaints with regards to customer expectations are unreturned phone calls and a failure to keep promises and commitments.

Successful salespeople place great value on developing lifetime relationships with their customers and always "go the extra mile" when providing service. In today's competitive marketplace, they are aware that their customers are aggressively prospected and their loyalty cannot be taken for granted.


Could you use a few more referrals? "Go the extra mile" when providing service and turn the customers you serve into advocates to help you promote your business. Your referrals and follow on business are in direct proportion to the quality and quantity of service you render on a daily basis.


When a customer begins a relationship with you, he or she brings to the table specific expectations. These expectations are primarily based on their past experiences as well as their perceptions of you, your product, and your company. It's critically important to take the time to ask open-ended questions and clarify what your customer expects. If they have false or unrealistic expectations, be clear with them upfront on the process and work with them to manage outcomes and set reasonable timelines.


How can you be sure that you customers are satisfied with your service? Just ask them. When it comes to customer service, perception is reality. Service is not defined by what you think it is, but rather how your customers perceive its value. Knowing more about your customer's needs and expectations will allow you to customize the service you provide. If you don't already have a customer service feedback system in place, establish one to monitor how your customers perceive the service you provide.


When it comes to impressing your customers, it's the personal touch that really makes the difference. Stay in contact and keep good records. Take the time to jot down notes from meetings and phone calls making certain to record all relevant information. Maintain a written record of service.


This is especially helpful when clients are reassigned. It's a good idea to setup a suspense system to track important contact dates such as client review calls and birthdays. Consider sending a personal note or an article of interest every six months.


Relationship building and follow on service are critical components for promoting both customer retention and revenue growth. Salespeople that fail to implement an effective customer service program actually do a disservice to their customers and unknowingly, leave the back door open to their competitors.


If you do it right, sales and service blend seamlessly and you will exceed your customers' expectations!

Why the Design of Your Hotel Web Site Matters

It’s more than just Personal Taste - with so many hotels relying on the Internet to help fill their rooms- it amazes me that there are still so many hotel web sites that are not designed to produce room reservations. After-all isn’t that the primary reason why hotel sites are published to the Internet to begin with? It’s also shocking that so many web site designers don’t have a clue about search engines, how they work, nor how and why people select a hotel in which to stay.


So much of the planning and designing of a productive hotel web site starts with the intent of the designer, when the site is being designed. Does the designer understand the purpose of a hotel site? Stephen Covey, in his best seller “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, teaches us to “Begin with the end in mind”.

With hotel web sites, the “end” to keep in mind is that a hotel web site must be designed to “sell” reservations; not simply to be an online brochure. Many people have asked me why I feel so strongly that it takes knowledge of hotel marketing to design a productive hotel web site. It’s because an effective hotel web site must incorporate the basic hotel marketing principles of location, facilities, and attractions (both business and leisure); and, most importantly, the site must include dominant well-written sales text.

While a hotel brochure is designed to describe facilities and services, it is not relied upon to “close” sales. The purpose of a web site is far more complex. It must be designed to create search engine popularity, so the site can be found using many different search terms; it must create interest in the hotel’s location, facilities, and services; and, most importantly, its text must be written to convert “lookers into bookers”.

It’s Location, Location, and Location…

With few exceptions, people visit an area but stay at a hotel because of its location, nearby attractions and facilities. Knowing this, it makes pure common-sense to highlight your hotel’s location. It is always amazing to me to see so many hotel web sites which give no clue where the hotel is located; some even without a posted address.

Your location is a very special place. Your location has its own special attributes which attract visitors from all over the World. Your web site should prominently highlight your location’s special attributes and provide a reason to visit that location. Simply listing your hotel’s address is not enough; generating new visitors to your hotel’s location is most important; sell destination first, your hotel second.


Having a Web Presence

In the beginning of the Internet’s popularity, only ten or so years ago, many hotels had the foresight to take advantage of the opportunity to have a presence on this radically new marketing medium. But the Internet has changed a lot since then; we learned that merely having a presence on the Internet does not necessarily generate reservations.

Many of these early sites were designed by pure technicians, or in some cases the owner’s nephew, with a flair for design and some techno-knowledge of how to publish a web site on the Internet. Some sites were good; many were terrible, but in those days, few hoteliers knew how much the Internet would impact our industry and they knew even less about how to design a hotel web site to sell reservations.

During its maturation process, the number of web sites on the Internet has grown exponentially and search engines (the heart of the Internet) have been refined and improved; and are constantly being improved today. If a site cannot be found easily, it’s useless.

The Internet’s explosive growth has been unprecedented in our lifetime. Google, one of the Internet’s most popular search engines indexes more than 6.8 billion web sites. World population is 6.6 billion people; that’s more than one site for each and every one of us! Without search engines, navigating the net would be nearly impossible.

At this point you may be wondering what web site design has to do with search engines; the answer is everything. Search engine requirements must be built into the site’s design. Keep in mind that search engines, at the present time, read text; images and graphics are, for the most part, invisible to them. Search engines seek-out sites which contain the words contained in the search term.

Many web site designers do an excellent job of making web sites look attractive, but fail miserably to comply with search engine and hotel sales and marketing needs. It’s what your site “says” and “how it says it” that creates popularity with search engines and converts visitors into reservations.

Some Web Site Common-Sense

Hotel site designers, even those with hotel marketing experience, tend to be very right-brained creative types. Don’t assume that they always know all those key factors which make your hotel’s location unique and popular. When you select a designer for your site, either new or replacement site, make a list of sales features and keep them in priority order.


A good designer knows the prime web site real estate to occupy those most important details of your location and hotel. Remember, it’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it. Begin with the end in mind; the “end” is to generate reservations not just increase the number of visitors to your site.

I know it’s tempting to let your designer create a work of art; after-all you have all those beautiful images of your hotel, but it’s often their lack of hotel sales knowledge which will doom your site to obscurity and mediocre performance.

Good simple navigation of your site is also essential. Basic rule; don’t make users learn how to navigate your web site. Understanding how and why people choose a hotel is the first ingredient in designing a hotel web site. It is not a matter of simply describing all your hotel’s attributes; it is how they are presented that really counts.

Take an Objective Look at Your Site

If your site is not producing a good volume of reservations, it’s probably time to have a marketing analysis done of your site. A site analysis can reveal why your site is performing poorly; often some minor adjustments can make a substantial difference in your sales results. It can also reveal a need to scrap your current site in favor of a new, properly designed, one.


Are you measuring your site’s conversion rate? If not, why not? Don’t be fooled by simply measuring the number of visitors to your site. Most hotel web sites only convert less than four percent of visitors into reservations; increasing that ratio is the ultimate goal. Properly written and placed sales text can make a huge difference.


A web site is a living breathing sales tool which needs to be adjusted constantly to keep up with changes in your market, your hotel, and the ever-changing search engine parameters. Your web site is generating data and statistics, which you can use to improve your web site and its performance. Ask your web master to produce and evaluate this data. Sometimes there may be a small additional fee, but it is very worthwhile.


Your web site is capable of producing 30% to 70% of your total reservations; get it to work for you.

If you would like any further information on our budget and premium hotel website design click here to contact us or call us on 07 3040 3588.

Upselling: There’s Money to be Made at the Front Desk

The importance of upselling at the front desk has increased over recent years due in large part to the changing methods of booking rooms.

The popularity of reserving rooms online from a third-party travel site, the property’s website or packaged with a flight and/or rental car means that the front desk agent’s reception is often the first person-to-person interaction that guests experience. This trend gives the front desk agent the opportunity to become a member of the sales department by selling upgrades (upselling) to guests upon arrival.

Upselling allows a property to maximise revenue from its occupancy and increase the average daily rate.
The act of selling upgrades can benefit the property, the front desk agent and the guest if there is a quality system in place. The benefits for the property include higher guest satisfaction and higher revenue/ADR.

Proactively upselling can make a big impression on the bottom line, no matter the size of the property. For example, not too long ago, a smaller, high-end, boutique property with less than 150 rooms implemented a new upselling program in 2007 and its upsell revenue jumped from $20,000 in 2006 to $120,000 in 2007. The following years’ upselling revenue increased significantly as well: to $145,000 in 2008, $190,000 in 2009, and more than $200,000 in 2010.

The hotel paid for training and provided agents with upselling incentives; and even with such expenditures accounted for, the property increased profits by $168,000 over the previous year.

The front desk agent has the opportunity to profit from an upselling program through a commission-based incentive program. For example, an effective incentive program that has been implemented at a number of properties (ranging from full-service luxury resorts to boutique and urban corporate properties) offers 5% of the upgrade amount; and thus the difference between the rate booked and the new (upsold) amount is added as a bonus to the agent’s paycheck after the guest has checked out. For example, if a guest makes a three-night reservation at $115/night and the front desk agent sells an upgrade to the guest increasing the rate to $145/night, the front desk agent’s commission would be $4.50 (5% of $90) and the hotel would gain $85.50 from the increase in rate.

Team and individual selling goals are also opportunities for a property to motivate front desk agents to upsell proactively. If the team, for example, achieves its monthly goal for upsells, the incentive percentage can be increased to 10% and paid retroactively. In 2010, at the small hotel referenced above, an agent had an annual upsell total just short of $45,000 because her team made the monthly goals each quarter and so achieved the 10% bonus bracket, the agent earned an additional $4500 for the year. This kind of financial reward can be extremely motivating for staff. In this instance, the hotel realised an additional $40,000. It should also be noted that guest satisfaction surveys were higher that year than in previous years – an all-around win!

Recognition-based rewards are also great tools to incorporate into an upselling program.
Honouring staff for the most upsells, highest dollar average of upsells and highest monetary amount of upsells can be recognised with cash bonuses, plaques, prime parking spaces, gift cards or even lunch with the general manager.

An incentive for converting a “walk-in” reservation is also an opportunity to consider. This type of selling may warrant a slightly larger commission percentage because there is a different level of skill and effort needed from the front desk agent. In these situations, an 8% to 10% “commission” may very well be appropriate.

As you can see, upselling is a win/win/win scenario for the property, front desk agent, and guest - if done correctly.
How can your hotel upsell properly?

One of the most common mistakes the front office staff can make when implementing an upsell program is to establish “higher revenues” as the ultimate goal. That’s when a guest’s experience is almost always diminished. Instead, the focus must be placed on the guest and his/her comfort. When the agent is trained and incentivised to enhance the guest’s experience, the upsell progresses naturally.

Again, as the front desk staff is quite often the guest’s first contact with the hotel, it’s critical that the front desk agent “consult” the guest about the hotel – topics such as comfortable accommodations, appropriate packages, or guest room types, etc. Most frequent travelers report that front desk agents rarely make an effort to recommend any accommodation other than the one booked. On the rare occasion that an agent does make a recommendation, quite often the effort is a transparent attempt to “get more money” from the guest.

There is no connection to the recommendation and the guest’s needs. This approach can be very off-putting. The first step to successful upselling is a shift in focus and presentation; a keen awareness of the guest and sincerity regarding what that guest may require for comfort and satisfaction need to be the primary concern.

Agents must learn to recognise and anticipate the needs of the guests as well as have the proper product knowledge to make an educated suggestion of a more comfortable room option. For example, if someone is travelling with children and has booked a standard room, the agent could point out that the guest may be more comfortable being in a room type with a separate area, so that the parents aren’t required to have an 8:30 bed time. Or perhaps someone staying for an extended amount of time would find value in a room that has more space. Oftentimes, guests don’t fully understand the full range of room-type options that are available, and the situation should be approached in an informative and helpful manner, and never with a disparaging tone or remark about the currently reserved room. Again, the goal is to maximize the guest’s experience.

Once an upselling program is implemented, it is critical to also commit to a tracking system that measures the results and impact and provides an accurate incentive payout. The tracking systems will vary among properties due to the different PMS in place but there are aspects that should be universal. The system should be smooth and easy to process by the front desk agent. Incentives should be paid out after the guest has checked out and his/her payment has been received. The number of upsells, the average amount of upsells and the total amount of upsells should be tracked on an individual and team basis.

A full-service resort on the west coast of Florida tracks its upsells in this manner:
A well-managed upselling program can benefit all parties involved if done correctly. To stay competitive, it is necessary that a property be able to adapt to the changes in the hospitality industry. There is a delicate balance between good customer service and quality sales that, if done properly, could amount to great success for an upselling program.
Proper training and an energised front desk team will create the right atmosphere for a productive upselling program with a great return on investment.

10 Ways to Improve your Hotel's Social Media Visibility

By Adrian Caruso - TA Fastrack's CEO
Many hotels and destinations have recently approached TA Fastrack and asked about improving their social media visibility. While there is no firm method of optimizing your Web 2.0 content, there are best practices that can improve your performance. Below, you’ll find ten of our favorite best practices that can easily be implemented to increase your followers as well as your web traffic.


1. Keep the CONVERSATION going

Like its name suggests, social media is, by nature, well – social. Think of websites like Facebook and Twitter as extensions of your network of friends. Unlike, say, strangers at the grocery store, it’s perfectly okay to reach out to someone you’re connected with on a social networking and say “hey, how are you doing?” – so long as you do it effectively. Instead of just talking, try to ask questions of your fans and followers. Encourage them to post content on your Facebook page. Check your @ replies on Twitter and your Direct Messages (DMs) often – if someone has a question, be proactive in your response. Even if the comments and feedback on these sites are negative, you can turn the experience into a positive one with a fast and timely response.



2. Create engaging CONTENT

Unlike your Brand.com website or standalone page, your social media presence is a great way to push the content envelope. Use a conversational copy tone – you may even want to solicit a younger member of your staff to manage your Facebook or Twitter accounts full time. Find someone to manage your pages who is passionate about the brand – their enthusiasm will reflect that in the copy. Use images, video and links wherever possible. A huge part of SEO is the power of the inbound link – and social media is a great way to generate that buzz!



3. Drive your readers to ACTION

Don’t be content to just tell your readers about a renovation – encourage them to talk about it, send in a photo, book a reservation, or secure a special promotion. Offer a special coupon to your 1,000th fan or follower. Give away a free drink in your hotel lounge or at a local restaurant to someone who mentions Twitter when they order a cocktail. Ask for opinions about a new renovation or local attraction. Online readers aren’t passive – they’re constantly scanning – so make sure your content is encouraging them to stop and participate!



4. Images are your FRIEND

Is your hotel beautiful? Did you have a great recent event, wedding, or photo shoot of your new menu? Did your destination just host a major event? Upload those gems to Facebook, twitpic or Flickr! Send a snapshot of the beautiful sunrise over your hotel, or of visitors enjoying the local culture, to your Twitter followers, and encourage them to snap photos of their own time at your hotel, resort or destination. Create a Facebook album of a recent event within the hotel or destination and tag people who attended – chances are a little vanity will go a long way, compelling them to return to your page again and again to see their photo, while encouraging their friends to do the same.



5. Create BUZZ – Aim to get your material to “GO VIRAL”

Have you ever seen the trending topics on Twitter? Utilize these hashtags or aim to create your own! Some of our favorites for the travel industry are #TravelTuesday (relevant travel related industry info) and #FollowFriday –which enables you to thank your new followers each week. Don’t forget the power of the retweet or RT, either. Retweet (or re-publish) people who are talking about your hotel or great things people are saying about your market. This can also apply to YouTube. Have you created a great or funny video? Upload it and share it across social media platforms. Create a great contest on Facebook and post it all over! The options are only as limited as your imagination.



6. Practice effective LINKING and NAMING

While you can’t directly optimize your content, you can practice effective linking strategies. Instead of saying “click here,” choose appropriate anchor text. If you’re really talking about your new menu, say “Enjoy the Trellis Restaurant Dinner Menu” – search engines recognize these types of links as more valid. This also applies to page naming – be sure to name your Facebook Fan page (use your full property name, unless it’s very long) and your Twitter page to make them as easily searchable as possible. Avoid funny characters like underscores when you can help it. People often forget to type these in!



7. Stay on top of the latest TRENDS

Social Media is a continually evolving industry – new applications are launched every day! Some of our new favorites include Foursquare and Gowalla – applications that let users on other social networking sites know where you are located by “checking in” to certain businesses and locations. You can even offer special promotions to people who participate in these programs by checking in at your hotel or visiting local businesses a given number of times.



8. Know your NEIGHBOURS

Encourage cross promotion with local businesses, important bloggers and local media outlets. They can be your biggest fans! Host an in-person networking event, and issue your invitations via Facebook or Twitter. Encourage local social networking groups to host “Tweetups,” or in-person meetings of Twitter friends, at your hotel or local hotspots within your destination. Offer a special discount as an incentive!



9. Keep sites SEPERATE

People who follow you on Twitter are often your fans on Facebook and vice versa, so don’t update the exact same thing in both places! It’s fine to cross promote, sparingly – a post on Twitter saying you created a great new Facebook album with a link, or a note on Facebook talking about an exclusive Twitter promo (great ways to get followers on both sites!). But if you continually update both pages with the same information, they begin to lose relevance. So despite seeing the option to stream your Twitter updates to Facebook and vice versa – it’s generally a ‘no-no.’



10. Don’t get DISCOURAGED

Your growth won’t be overnight, and follow/fan/friend rates will vary from day to day. You may see explosive growth or bookings as a result of a particular contest that won’t work again the next week. Don’t get discouraged – your continued efforts will pay off over time. Social media is a continually evolving discussion and new techniques are emerging daily!



If you need help improving your hotel's social media visibility, please call TA Fastrack on +61 7 3040 3588. TA Fastrack's social media's team has the tracking tools to monitor your brand across the digital landscape. We can tell you what people are saying. We can then manage your brand online and influence the influencers to spread the word and ultimately book with you. We understand the travel, tourism and hospitality industry so we know how to create a presence for your brand in niche markets.

Best practices for hotel website design

Does your accommodation website read like an online brochure or does it still offer dead, stale content and outdated visual images? 

Today’s hotel and accommodation websites now carry the burden and responsibility of generating the bulk of bookings for your property. Across the industry, in 2010, Direct Online Channel sales (via the hotel website) will exceed 62% of total online hotel bookings.

According to research, in the first quarter of 2010, 71.7% of online bookings for the top 30 hotel brands were direct via the brand websites. The Direct Online Channel is by far the most cost-effective distribution channel and provides accommodation businesses with excellent ROIs, immediate results, and long-term competitive advantages.

The property website has become the backbone of the hotel marketing mix and is the main digital asset of any hotel. In this age of multi-channel marketing, any type of hotel marketing initiative (from search engine optimisation (SEO), Google Adwords, email marketing and social marketing) ultimately should drive your customers to your website.

Approximately 83% of all travellers plan and research travel online. There is no doubt the hotel website has become the “first point of contact” for the majority of customers. Unfortunately, on many occasions a visit to the website turns out to be the “last point of contact.”

Accommodation businesses must realize that the hotel website has become not only the main revenue driver for their property, but also the main influencer for making travel purchase decisions. Therefore, enhancing and optimizing the hotel website to meet and optimizing it to meet and exceed industry best practices and customer expectations should be a top priority.

Here are some important things to take into consideration:

If your hotel website is over 2 years old:

• So many things have changed over the past 24 months that hoteliers no longer have a choice of whether to re-design their website or stick with their old and tired site. This is a matter of “life and death” for any hotelier!
• The new website should reflect 2010-2011 industry’s best practices for an optimum revenue generating website. It should be user-friendly, search engine friendly, have an easy to use booking system and it should also be Web 2.0 friendly

If the site is over 12 months old:

• Ensure you hire a reputable company that only specialises in Search engine optimization (SEO. Get your website ranking now for specific keywords and phrases
• Web 2.0 optimization is now due to improve customer engagement on the site.
• Ensure your website is targeted towrads your key customer markets. Eg. content, images or menu tabs that cater to meeting and group lanners, corporate or leisure travelers, families, weddings etc

Best Practices for Today’s Hotel Website Design
When re-designing your accommodation website, you need to understand that website design is not an art and it is certainly not rocket science - it is a creative solution to a business problem. If your hotel website’s bookings are down, that's a business problem. If your visitors can't find your website, that’s a business problem. Your website is hard to navigate and functionality does not work? That's a business problem.

Obviously the new website design needs to also take into consideration other criteria, such as industry best practices, site usability and booker-friendliness.

Your site needs to “meet and exceed” user objectives and not provide any obstacles to achieving these objectives. If the hotel site has a solid, professional design layout that is supported by easy-to understand navigation, helpful functionality and relevant content and visual images, users will stay longer and will explore the site deeper—ultimately resulting in bookings.

Today’s hotel website should reflect 2010/2011 industry’s best practices and should be:

• User-friendly - The website should be easy to navigate and have the necessary information/core products laid out in an easy to read format.
• Search engine-friendly - The search-engine friendliness of the hotel website is important not only for organic search. Good SEO on a website improves the Quality Index for paid search as well. The Google Quality Index determines how much you pay per click (PPC) and the ranking of your PPC listing, and is based on keyword relevancy, quality of the marketing message and relevancy of the landing page (i.e. the website and its SEO). With a lower Quality Index you pay more per click and your ad is ranked lower.
• Booker-friendly - the booking engine is easy to use and lets them book quickly and without hassle. Users should also feel safe that the booking system is secure.
• Web 2.0-friendly (customer engagement-friendly) - The Web 2.0-friendliness of the hotel website is dependent on how well the website can intrigue users and enable them to provide comments, share information, upload content, and interact with various features and functionality. Eg customer reviews on the website, blog on the site to share the latest news, photos, a newsletter that they can view or sign up for, social media share bar, and Facebook 'I like' buttons and links on your site so they can share your webpage with their friends
• Mobile-ready - Travelers are already using their mobile devices to plan and book travel and hotels. Features of a mobile-ready hotel website include - fast download speeds, efficient and simple navigation, short and concise textual content, scaled-down visual content, a one-click map and directions to the hotel

Conclusion
The hotel website is not only the main revenue generator for the property, but also the main influencer for making travel purchase decisions and enhancing, optimizing and re-designing the hotel website to meet and exceed industry best practices and customer expectations should be a top priority for any hotelier. If the website is visually appealing, provides the customer with all the necessary information, they will be more likely to book directly on the site.

Before you start redesigning your website, choose your website design company very carefully, as this is the most important decision you will have to make. With 45% of all hotel bookings in being made online in 2010, the capability of your hotel website in generating bookings will determine the overall success of your property.

Work with a website design company that understands best practices in hotel website design, uses state-of-the art technology, has proven results in the form of prestigious designs and have transformed clients’ hotel websites into their most cost-efficient revenue generator for their property.

If you would like more information about our website design capabilities, to view our portfolio and get an obligation free quote on a new website design, speak to one of the marketing consultants on 07 3040 3588 or email us directly on email@tafastrack.com.au.

E-mail Marketing: Is your property capitalizing?

Does your property have an effective and comprehensive email marketing stragey in place? Do you send consistent email messages that match your brand and build relationships with customers and drive revenue? 

Email marketing has evolved from simple confirmation messages to being an important component of your online marketing strategy.  If your property doesn’t have a plan or the right messaging, you could be missing the boat on additional bookings and repeat guests.

According to a survey conducted by HSMAI and VIZERGY, email marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) are the two most effective online marketing channels. Approximately 74% of hotels use some form of email marketing.

Below are some tips on how you can get started with email marketing and what you should do when sending out your email messages:
 
Your database 
It starts with your property’s database. Compile past, current and future guests, along with other contacts you’ve gained, to form your email database.  You can build this database via your website by including a contact form and newsletter sign up form. You can also use the contact forms to gain specific stats from your visitors - ask them their location, travel intentions, etc. This will allow you to target and cater messaging to specific groups.

Sell the benefits of your property
Emphasize the amenities, local attractions and convenience of your property via emails.  Professional photos and copy, information on local demand generators, guest testimonials, and special promotions will help.  Partnering with local attractions or businesses such as restaurants, spa/massage or events can help you add discounted packages to your emails… and upsell to guests.

Should you do it in house or outsource?  
Once you’ve reviewed your database, consider whether to tackle email marketing in house or outsource to professionals.  Having a comprehensive program can be fairly time consuming, but the bigger issue is expertise.  Can you afford to have an employee trained on the nuances of email marketing - from design, to copy, to tracking, to SPAM laws?  It may even be less expensive to outsource to an experienced hotel Internet marketing company.  If you elect to send out e-newsletters and edms in house, be sure that your staff is properly trained.  If you do decide to outsource, make sure the company you hire has the experience, expertise and have a plan in place for your business.

Subject lines are important
An over the top or a subject line that is too long is equally ineffective as an uninspiring one.  Keep it short and sweet (preferably 8 words or less), and it's easy to read. 

State the benefit or offer first, and entice them to read more.  The “from” address should identify your property (eg. “A Hotel [specials@ahotel.com.au]”), so it’s not necessary to repeat your name in the subject line. 

Below are some examples for subject lines:

• Too over the top, too long and no true benefits - “Stay at our breathtaking hotel in June and be enchanted with our lovely room views”
• Uninspiring - “Stay with us this summer”
• Just right - “20% off your long awaited romantic getaway…”

Content 
Email content should be brief, easy to read, state the offer or news early, provide links to your website and have bold calls to action for what you’re promoting.  With the huge number of emails that people receive, they will most likely scan your email message quickly and not read word for word.  If an offer appeals to a reader, it should be simple for them to take action or contact you straight away.

All messages should be professional, proofread by at least two people and tested in both HTML and text formats, to ensure the content displays properly. Send a test email to your Outlook, hotmail and gmail account to ensure that the email displays properly.

Experiment with “personalizing” the e-mail too, for an added touch.  Most services allow you to insert the name of the person (“Dear Sarah,”), assuming you have their first names.  And remember that you must abide by the CAN-SPAM act, which essentially requires that all recipients are “opted in” to your e-mails, and that there must be a clear “opt out” option in the email design (usually at the bottom).  Study up on this act, or make sure that your provider has it covered.

Design
Design is subjective of course, but let’s look at three objective elements that all email designs should include.

• Branding - Every message should be branded to fit your property’s website.  It doesn’t have to be identical, but it should at least include the logo and your corporate colors.  This will make it easier for recipients to remember your branding in the future and makes it more consistent
• Imagery - E-mails should have photos that connect with readers.  Amateur photos look second rate, and don’t convey professionalism.  Corporate photos of an empty hotel look high quality, but don’t cultivate a sense of comfort or inviting.  Use professional photos with real guests or stand ins to show that people visit and enjoy your property.
• Layout - Keep it clean, simple and scannable.  Again, recipients want to scan over the excessive amount of messaging they’re exposed to.  Use a header with links to your site, a main content area and a footer with your property’s contact information.

Build relationships with your guests and generate Revenue. Email marketing is a vital component for hotels, resorts, bed and breakfasts and any other type of business in the accommodation industry.  It enhances your website, SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising by reinforcing your property with past and future guests. 

Besides a great guest experience, email marketing is the best way to increase repeat bookings and generate additional revenue.  You must encompass every aspect mentioned above if you want to fully realize its potential. 

If you would like help with email marketing, speak to the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today. Call 07 3040 3588 or email us on email@tafastrack.com.au.