Sales and Marketing

For many brands, the inclination to go global or multilingual goes hand-in-hand with using Online Travel Agents (OTA). The ease of use is high, and this has become a common first step for brands looking to appeal to global audiences in local languages. Many hoteliers, for example, prefer OTAs as many OTAs already have a global online presence. Brands, however, should push for direct bookings on their website in local languages instead of relying on OTAs.

As the influence of electronic word of mouth increases, how your guests review you online has a very real impact on bookings.

Attracting users to your website and converting them into paying guests is no easy task, especially when they are bombarded daily with an overwhelming amount of options. How do you set your hotel apart from others and show yours is the best choice? It can be difficult to break through all the noise but a surefire way of doing so is by using inbound marketing techniques.

With Cyber Monday and 2021 around the corner, it’s important to keep a pulse on the evolving digital landscape to elevate your digital strategy and maximize revenue. This month, Microsoft Ads makes promotion extensions available in time for the holidays, leverage CRM to drive ancillary revenue, and Facebook adds new shopping audiences.

Now that 2020 is winding down and the preliminary vaccine results are favorable, it is time for hotel sales people to recommit to put on their orange vests and embrace their role as sales hunters.

Although they are generally outperforming other lodging segments, most if not all focused and selective service hotels are looking to build occupancy and rate. Indeed, hoteliers can and should continue to focus on digital marketing opportunities to the full extent. However, let us not forget some old-school 'analog' ways to generate revenue. Here are a few ideas for training and development.

For hoteliers and accommodation providers this means changing their marketing strategy to attract local guests. Domestic tourism and staycation are the talks of the town. But how do you get this in-demand – sometimes even elusive audience – through the door?

The headwinds remain strong across hospitality. Yet, momentum is building – especially when it comes to digital marketing. At Cendyn, we’re seeing digital spend rebound to about 50% of the levels that it was towards the end of 2019, when spending was at the highest level we’ve seen. The outlook looks more positive into 2021, where larger brands are setting aggressive budgets in a bid to combat OTAs and maintain the profitability of direct bookings.

Every hotelier knows about the conversion funnel: potential guests enter your site, shop for a room, and make a booking. BAM! That guest just made it through your conversion funnel and you’re a great marketer who deserves a pat on the back. That thought process is flawed and in this article I am going to prove to you that if that’s your perspective of the conversion funnel, you are losing guests and revenue every single day. I am also going to show you how to optimize the rest of your conversion funnel and how to better communicate to your marketing team your true conversion rate.

Having a successful Cyber Monday/Black Friday campaign is a critical component of many hotels’ marketing strategy. It can give you a booking boost for the upcoming year and also help you fill in the soft periods. Given the current state of the industry and the pent up demand we are optimistic that this year’s Cyber deals can be more effective than ever. This episode discusses the opportunities and provides some guidelines on putting together your own campaign.