Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 162 – The 3 Unsaid Things That Are Costing Your Hotel Money

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Thanks to our latest consumer sentiment survey results we’ve identified the topics people want to hear from hotels right now. Staying in touch with guests on the topics they care about now will keep your hotel top-of-mind, as well as improve your hotel’s chances of more bookings now and in the future.

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SHOW NOTES:

With that said, the third most important topic people want to hear from hotels right now is:

 

3. How The Coronavirus Is Affecting The Local Area

It’s no surprise people want to know what’s open in your area and how local businesses are adapting to new ordinances before they book at your hotel. You can help quell doubts by providing valuable content that ticks all the boxes.

Actionable Items For Hotels:

  1. Keep guests informed about local attractions, restaurants, shops, and essential businesses that are open, and local mask ordinances by creating a page on your website that’s easy to find.
  2. Revisit your content calendar.
    • Be mindful when writing about attractions, restaurants, and events.
      • Are restaurants open for outdoor dining only? What restaurants offer curbside pickup? Have attractions limited their capacity? Have popular events been canceled?
      • Identify the features that are going to be more appealing to travelers now.
    • The same is true for promoting your hotel’s amenities.
    • Travelers have expressed higher interest in visiting places where social distancing is easier (small towns, nature, beaches). Consider reevaluating your content to highlight things to do near your hotel that are social-distancing friendly.
  1. If you have a dedicated area guide page, update business information to reflect features that may be more appealing to travelers now.

 

2. Packages And Specials For Future Stays

Appeal to travelers that are more likely to be interested in hearing about packages and specials now. Using the right CRM will be crucial to your success here.

Actionable Items For Hotels:

  1. Identify people that booked but canceled due to the pandemic. Create a personalized email that includes a compelling offer to re-book.
  2. Reconnect with guests that stayed in the past year or the same time last year. Create a personalized email highlighting their past stay that includes an offer.
  3. People are still more likely to travel only within 1-3 hours from home in the near future. Promote staycation offers and weekend road trip deals that offer a short, budget-friendly trip.
  4. Partner with open businesses that provide a safe experience. This not only makes it more enticing to book with you but it also raises awareness of open attractions in your area.
  5. Promote value-added services that will make staying at your hotel more enticing to price-sensitive travelers.
  6. Relay messaging about guest safety when promoting packages and specials.

 

1. What The Property Is Doing To Protect Guests

Travelers have made it clear that their safety is the highest priority regarding hotel outreach. As the hotelier, it’s your job to reduce the fears a guest may have about traveling now.

Actionable Items For Hotels:

  1. Message your email database with information regarding guest safety.
  2. Build a dedicated page on your website that details hotel safety, cleaning procedures, and updated booking policies and make the page easy to find on your website.
  3. Place callouts and messaging in your booking engine and other pages of your website about new safety procedures and booking policies.
  4. Update your ad copy in Google Ads and Microsoft Ads to reflect new booking and safety policies. Point guests to your hotel health and safety page through sitelinks and promote new protocols through callouts.
  5. Pin guest safety and health guidelines to the top of your Facebook page.
  6. Respond to guest questions in your Google My Business listing.
    • You can also feed any relevant questions that pertain to your safety and cleaning guidelines and booking/cancellation policies into the Questions and Answers section of your listing.
  1. Create a safety measures checklist and create a long-form response that travelers can find on your Tripadvisor listing.
  2. Use a hotel mobile app to ensure guests have as contactless an experience as possible.

 

What Is The One Thing Hoteliers DON’T Want to Hear?

ROAS is an acronym for Return On Ad Spend.  It is stated as R.O.A.S.  Hoteliers don’t want to hear it stated as ROW AS.  This is just wrong and more controversial than the 2020 election.

 

LISTENER FEEDBACK

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From John from the UK

Oh, Everything!!!! But this is not a request. It’s a thank you! I am not a hotelier, but I am a hotel and resort photographer and videographer. I just wanted to say how much your podcast has helped me to grow my business. You’ve given me unique insights into the world of the hotelier and highlighted challenges that they have that I never would’ve thought of! I’ve used these (that I learned through your podcast) to find my little niche.

So thank you. I’m currently on episode 154 (I started at 1 about 9 months ago), so I’m almost up to date!

Thanks for the podcast and downloads and all you guys do. I love listening to you all while I’m traveling across the UK for work.

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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom or info@travelboommarketing.com.

IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE

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