Internet

Back in January, before we knew the devastating impact coronavirus would have, I touched on the rise of Google as an online travel agency (OTA) but without the service and now, as we look to the ‘new normal’ it’s likely Google’s dominance will step up a gear.

Google's seemingly unstoppable rise to domination of the online travel ecosystem in the last decade or so has not only profoundly shaped the travel industry, but it also has been routinely used by many industry players to justify – rightly or not – a string of negative financial results.

Setting your hotel brand apart is crucial to establishing a firm customer base. This is true of small, independently owned hotels, as well as national chains. But your hotel lobby isn’t the only place style matters. Your website is likely to be your guests’ first encounter with your brand. As more of our world becomes digital, travel and hospitality brands feel an even stronger need to shift their marketing strategies in a way that smartly targets guests where they are spending most of their time.

Plummeting organic traffic to your website does not mean SEO is redundant. On the contrary it is more important now than ever before to focus on organic search.

An essential part of any hotel/motel is how it makes its revenue and the different distribution channels that contribute to this pot of revenue.

I am certainly not the first person to remind you what happened after the September 11, 2001, attacks led to an economic downturn with particularly devastating effects on travel and hospitality. When I note that hotels, desperate to fill rooms at almost any rate, turned over inventory to new online partners that promised (and delivered) head in beds, it’s not meant to be a cautionary tale. The fact of the matter is hoteliers are going to find themselves in the exact same situation again as we exit the current COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s not much any of us can do about it.

To become an influencer in your industry, you need to answer a lot of questions your consumers have. And, you need to make direct connections.

Responding to reviews should be a breeze now, after getting through the simple guides on properly replying to positive and negative reviews. If the thought of addressing guest feedback still keeps you up at night, why not get some inspiration from some of the best?

The focus of both projects center on best practices in design, guest engagement, conversion and storytelling. In the ultra-competitive hotel wesbite design and development space it is critical that a website communicate a clear guest experience to capture the most shoppers at the highest possible ROI.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) today officially launched its first flagship store on Chinese OTA (Online Travel Agent) platform, as part of the partnership with Ctrip, part of Trip.com Group. Both companies will also cooperate in their membership systems.