Your hotel gets tons of guests on weekends and holidays. Most come from lovely guests referring your hotel to friends.
While you’re grateful for the positive reviews, there’s something missing about how your guests book their stay. You’ve got an online system, but it sits around and collects digital dust. Most guests prefer to book over the phone or by email. What gives?
Don’t give up on online booking just yet! There are some simple changes that you can quickly set in motion.
In this article, we’ll show you some easy strategies for increasing your online bookings.
Strategy 1: Make Online Bookings a Part of Your Online Presence
If you’ve got an online booking system, it’s possible that lots of guests don’t know it even exists. It’s time to channel your inner Don King and promote your booking system like it was Mike Tyson in his prime.
Promote Bookings On Social Media
We know you’re an active social media user. Every day, you post a few unique things about your hotel. But if you want to get more online bookings, promote your online booking system by posting about it daily.
Provide a few screenshots and a video demo of your booking system in some posts. Highlighting the nuts and bolts of your booking system should attract more people to your booking system.
For a period of time, feature your “Instagram Worthy” rooms on social media. You know, the rooms that have the breathtaking sunset view, the jacuzzi on the balcony, or the tranquil garden patio. Let your followers know that these rooms are only available for booking through your online system.
This will get the ball rolling, as people who want those in-demand rooms will have to use your online booking system. Take this idea one step further and run limited-time discounts for those who book using your system. When people learn they can get a better deal by booking a room using your system, they’ll most likely jump at the offer.
Strategy 2: Build Your Very Own Booking App
By custom-building your very own booking app, people can book rooms by pressing a few buttons. Don’t worry; it’s 2024, and you don’t need to have any coding or technical knowledge to custom-make your very own app.
How is it possible for hoteliers with zero coding skills to build their own apps? By using Adalo, a no-code app builder.
Adalo features a super simple, drag-and-drop interface that makes building a professional app as easy as clicking a mouse.
Find a template that matches your tastes from Adalo’s template library, select a color configuration, and start adding on features. Not only can your attention-grabbing take hotel bookings, but it can also include the following features:
- Your very own messaging system. As soon as guests book a room, send an automated confirmation message. Instead of fumbling through WhatsApp and text messages, your hotel’s messages can be in one convenient place. Guests will love the convenience, and you’ll love the organization.
If you need to communicate important information to guests, your messaging system is the perfect place. Guests can also send questions and get replies quickly, everyone’s happy!
- Create a loyalty program for repeat guests like business travelers. When a guest makes a certain number of bookings, show your appreciation by offering a discount or a gift. Everyone loves to be appreciated – and when you make your guests feel special, they’ll most likely keep coming back.
- Include a page that suggests nearby attractions and restaurants. You’ll be able to update this page whenever you want, so when that new fusion restaurant down the street opens up, people using your app will be some of the first to know.
- Allow guests to write reviews about your hotel on your app. Doing this will show them that you value their opinion and will also provide insights to other guests.
- Adalo comes integrated with major payment platforms like Stripe, Square, and PayPal. These integrations will let you receive deposit money directly from your app, making the payment process simple for you and your guests.
- You can publish your app on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or your very own website. This makes downloading your app to phones and tablets super simple, making your guests’ lives a lot easier.
When you create your app with Adalo, you get a great deal of design freedom to craft your app to mirror your brand. Your customers will most likely be impressed with your app’s professional appearance, and you’ll enjoy using an app designed to your exact specifications and taste.
Strategy 3: Launch a Google Ads Campaign that Features Your Booking App
A way to get your app in front of lots of people in a very short time is to run a Google Ads campaign. Running a Google Ad campaign is super simple. Get started by following these steps:
- Sign up for a Google Ads account.
- Set up the locations where you want your ads to appear. Maybe it’s common for people from a region to vacation in your area. If this is so, set the location to that region.
- Choose keywords that relate to your hotel. Keywords are words or phrases that people search for on Google. You’ll pay for your ad campaign by the keyword – popular keywords are more expensive, but seldom-used keywords are cheap.
- Launch your campaign!
When people search for the keyword you selected, a link to your booking app will appear at the top of the search engine results page. This will give your booking app priority over other websites that use the same keyword.
A Google Ads campaign appeals to all budgets. If you’re on a shoestring, you can run a Google Ads campaign every other month for around $500. But if you’ve got endless cash, feel free to run several Google Ad campaigns at once and whenever you want.
No matter your budget, running a Google Ad campaign is an excellent way to let people know that they can use your booking app to reserve a room at your hotel. Over time, many of these people might become regular guests, showing up at your doors every couple of seasons.
Next Steps
It’s important to continually promote your booking system on socials and run Google Ads. Your goal is to get everyone who sees your hotel to think of “online booking.” By taking most of your reservations with an online booking system, you’ll free up time, and your clients will love the ease of booking with the simple click of a button.
