Technology development affected many industries. The internet has become the primary way of communicating, which changed our approach to shopping, paying, and even making reservations. Since we already have so many benefits related to all aspects of businesses, why not to take advantage of them?
Using advanced features of Saas based hotel solution and hotel industry trends, every hotelier can improve its business and increase direct bookings. Let’s find out how to use these modern tools and what to change to increase direct bookings.
1. Mobile-Friendly Hotel Web Booking Engine
People use their smartphones to take photos, check the weather, watch YouTube clips, shop, and even to book accommodations in hotels. If you want to get closer to your customers and improve the user experience, you should create a mobile-friendly website. Allowing fast loading, a full content overview, and a chatbots option over a mobile-friendly website will lead to increased sales.
The implementation of such software can help hotels in all areas of business, including:
Booking engine
Hotel Booking Software can help you monitor all bookings and deal with many issues related to booking processes. Software for booking management will provide you with a booking engine on your website, a plugin, supported booking on your social media pages, options to capture reviews, offering special prices to members, and much more.
Besides, such software will alert you of all new bookings and reviews. Furthermore, you should consider translating your website into various languages following hotel industry trends.
Communication with guests
Customers experience is vital for success in this business. Hotel Booking Software provides us with customized emails, SMS templates, automated messages related to check-ins and check-outs, and many more automated communication options.
Additionally, a mobile-friendly website should include a chat platform. By using a mobile-friendly website with an integrated chat platform, you’ll allow live chat and requests and questions, which will improve the user experience. Potential guests will be able to get all the information they need by using their smartphones.
2. Use Social Media
Today, social media websites have integrated algorithms for marketing, allowing you to reach a wider audience. Besides, you can collect users’ information and see insights, which also can lead to increased direct bookings.
These sites also have integrated chat platforms, and users feel more comfortable if they can contact you over social media. Since most people have social media profiles, and they use these platforms every single day, this kind of online communication is more natural than communication over email or website.
3. Simple Booking Process
The most important thing in this business is the user experience. Since your goal is to get more direct bookings, you should put more effort into this aspect of your business.
A simple booking process means more customers. If you allow your potential guests to book accommodations using various platforms, you will be able to reach a wider audience. You should enable direct bookings over a mobile-friendly website and through social media.
Booking over social media should be connected to your website or hotel booking software. By allowing direct bookings both over social media and your site directly from a smartphone, you will provide users with an excellent experience. The booking process shouldn’t cause any stress to your potential customers, allow guest to make a booking in less number of clicks so try and look for solution that is simple to use.
Hotel Revenue Management Software
After you improve your booking options, it’s time for revenue management. Hotel Revenue Management Software will improve your revenue per available room, and help you increase ARR. Today many tools come integrated with rate shopping so you can snoop on your competition and device a price strategy that best suits your brand.
Payment processing
Hotel Management Software will provide you with an option to accept secure payments and a safe experience to your guests while accessing web booking engine, and you and your employees will be able to manage all payments and invoices more easily. For more direct bookings, you should provide your customers an option to make secure payments online using payment gateways.
Besides, you’ll be able to take payments or authorize cards for bookings coming through a third party. Make sure solution that you choose is PCI certified and offers connectivity to multiple payment gateways.
About The Author
Deepak Chauhan
Deepak Chauhan is responsible for marketing and positioning of “mycloud” platform and is a veteran in the hotel software industry with over 25 years’ experience giving him a strong understanding of the product requirements in the industry. He has very rare mix of working in operations of various hotels and chains for over 10 years and then co-founding a software product and service company, servicing 5 star hotels and chains for 14 years.
Deepak has led the development and marketing of cloud based hospitality systems to meet the specific, business objectives of small and mid-size properties across the globe and has worked closely with a diverse group of hoteliers and hotel technology vendors.
