How to boost business utilising hotel booking sources

The goal of hotel sales is to drive bookings by selling the right room, at the right rate, to the right guest, at the right time. Here are some tips to utilise hotel booking sources better and meet guests, planners, and clients where they are in real time.

Diversify hotel booking sources
Identify high-performing booking sources, and establish which channels your hotel should target to increase market share. Diversify marketing strategies, and invest your advertising dollars in the most promising hotel booking sources. In addition, determine which regions provide the most business. For example, if your hotel receives a high number of corporate travellers from Southeast Asia, consider connecting with travel agents and corporations in the region to drive more business.

Leverage venue directories
Curated directories are popular booking sources amongst event and travel planners seeking a variety of vendor accommodations, including hotels, event venues, and other vendor services (e.g., catering and entertainment). Multiple venue directories available in the MICE market such as the Cvent Supplier Network offers a seamless process of sourcing venues using unique filters. This Cvent solution provides travel and event planners access to more than 290,000 event venues across the globe.

Update all hotel listings and profiles
Update hotel photos, features, and amenity lists to reflect the current status of hotel facilities. Leverage geolocation services, so your hotel appears in location-based consumer searches, like “hotels near me.” Ensure hotel information is up-to-date and accurate across all platforms, which can improve the property’s search engine optimisation (SEO) ranking. SEO content affects how high your hotel’s listing ranks in search results. The more optimised your content, the higher your hotel’s listing will rank, making it easier for potential guests and clients to encounter your product.

Enhance the booking experience for event planners
Make it easier for planners to book events by leveraging tools such as Cvent Instant book software that make contracting simple meetings a breeze for hotels and busy planners. Integrated booking tools allow planners to see real-time meeting availability, view simple meeting packages, select an event layout, and move through the entire contracting process in minutes. Link instant booking tools on the hotel’s listing pages, promote them on social media, and inform current clients of the new service via email.

For more complicated events, utilise tools like Cvent event diagramming software, to collaborate with event planners in real time. Such tools enable planners to visualise every aspect of their layout in captivating 3D, showcasing why your hotel is the perfect choice for their event.

Streamline group booking processes
Enhance the booking experience for groups and travel planners with solutions like Cvent Passkey, which puts planners in control of their rooming lists. Promote easy-to-use rooming list tools to advertise the organised and flexible group management experience the hotel can offer clients. Free up the sales team to focus on bigger business while streamlining the small meeting booking process for planners.

Read and respond to guest reviews
Regularly review hotel listing pages, the website, and social media pages to view and respond to guest reviews. Use a consistent voice across all platforms when engaging with guests. When viewing feedback, thank generous reviewers for their kind remarks, identify past guest issues, answer questions, and respond to concerns. Increase the number of guest reviews your property receives by providing superior customer service, following up with guests after checkout, and encouraging patrons to provide feedback.

Retarget interested guests
Turn resilience into growth using retargeted advertisements. Ad retargeting is a strategy many businesses use to reach out to consumers who showed interest in their products or services but didn’t follow through with a purchase or booking. Follow-up with potential guests who viewed a room online but didn’t make a booking by sending a retargeted email. Include a discount offer or highlight particular amenities to move the website visitor closer to a conversion. Reconnect with interested planners who viewed meeting space on your venue website but didn’t follow through with a booking by inviting them to take a virtual hotel tour.

Stay proactive and leverage the right sources effectively. By implementing these tips, you can make the most of hotel booking sources and drive more business to your property.