<p>Reducing friction in the booking process can happen one of two ways. Either you remove the roadblocks and make the booking process more streamlined, or you apply forward pressure through the funnel by using psychology tactics that persuade people to do what you need them to do. That’s what we’ll be discussing in today’s episode. Simple things you can apply to your website and <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/booking-engine/">booking engine</a> that will have a dramatic impact on conversion rate and the number of direct bookings.</p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong><br />
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/357401294&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Let’s talk a little marketing psychology.</p>
<p><b>Goal:</b> To understand what drives consumers’ decisions and then optimize your hotel website to speak to key decision making factors.</p>
<p>Today, we are going to cover <b><i>5 simple concepts</i></b> that you can employ throughout your hotel’s booking process to help <b>positively influence the sale</b>.</p>
<h2>1. Social Proof</h2>
<p>Concept = people view behavior as correct if they see other people doing it.</p>
<ul>
<li>Laugh track on your favorite sitcom</li>
<li>Lines outside of nightclubs</li>
</ul>
<p>Hotel Messaging:</p>
<ul>
<li>How many people are currently viewing a page</li>
<li>How many people have booked a room in a given period of time</li>
<li>Guest reviews / testimonials</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>2. Scarcity</h2>
<p>Concept = the more rare or scarce a resource is, the more valuable it is.</p>
<p>There are some interesting studies behind the power of scarcity, including the “11,000 club” experiment. This “exclusive” club offered 11,000 people the opportunity to join the club for one  exceptional benefit: the chance to be a member of the club. No information was given &#8211; people signed up just to join and be a part of the club.</p>
<p>Hotels can take advantage of people’s FOMO with strategic messaging:</p>
<ul>
<li>Limited inventory → “only 3 rooms left”</li>
<li>Limited time offer → “12 hours left for reduced rates”</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>3. Urgency</h2>
<p>Concept = suspend deliberate thought and cut through cognitive friction by establishing urgency → Closely related to scarcity.</p>
<p>Think about what the retail industry has done with Black Friday &amp; Cyber Monday…</p>
<p>Hotel Messaging to convey urgency:</p>
<ul>
<li>Countdown timers</li>
<li>Popular travel dates → “Popular travel dates &#8211; book soon!”</li>
<li>Sold out warnings → “These dates sold out last year!”</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>4. Anchoring</h2>
<p>Concept = people rely too heavily (or anchor) on one piece of information they see → In this case, your pricing.</p>
<p>Related not only to how you price your rooms &amp; packages, but also how you present them.</p>
<p>“The Economist” experiment is one of the most notable demonstrations of this concept. The publisher wanted to push their “print and web” subscription package, which was priced at $125, compared to only $59 for the “web only” package. When presented with only 2 options, 68% opted for the cheaper subscription. However, once The Economist employed a “decoy” price → “web only” = $59; “print only” = $125; “web and print” = $125 → 85% opted for the most expensive but “better deal” subscription. All of this to say &#8211; <b>pricing and presentation matter</b>.</p>
<p>Hotels can better showcase their value by offering packages (ex: free breakfast), showcasing a “standard” rate as your “decoy” and anchor, and using strikethroughs and colors to demonstrate discounts.</p>
<p><b>Simplicity &amp; The Paradox Of Choice</b></p>
<p>Note: <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice#t-1158434">Really interesting TED Talk on this entire concept</a>.</p>
<p>General point &#8211; People become less satisfied if they have too many choices.</p>
<p>Choices are good → Too many choices are bad</p>
<p>“Analysis Paralysis</p>
<p>Do not make the mistake of offering too many rates, packages, e</p>
<p>KISS → Keep It Simple, Stupid</p>
<h2>5. Assurance &amp; Risk Mitigation</h2>
<p>“People want to trust your brand, trust that they are making the right choice, and trust that they are getting the best deal possible.”</p>
<p>Incorporate messaging strategically throughout your booking experience to eliminate any doubts a shopper might have about booking with your hotel.</p>
<p>Hotel Messaging:</p>
<ul>
<li>Free cancellation</li>
<li>No deposit required</li>
<li>Free refunds</li>
<li>Secure booking</li>
<li>Upsell opportunity → Travel insurance / vacation protection</li>
</ul>
<h2><b>Your competitors are already doing this! → Take a look at Hilton, Marriott, and Booking.com </b></h2>
<p><b>Go through your hotel’s booking process on multiple devices. Go look at your competitors’ booking processes. How could yours be improved? </b></p>
<p><b>QUESTION: Amber Hoffman via Facebook </b><b>“</b>What are some best practices for creating engaging FB ads that ensure a high ROI?”</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Use general ad best practices: </b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>high-quality images (very little to no text &#8211; FB doesn’t like text on images)</li>
<li>Clever / engaging ad copy → You can use marketing psychology here too!</li>
<li>Match your message with your CTA → What do you want people to do?</li>
<li>LOTS of documentation via Facebook, case studies for specific verticals, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Establish realistic goals &amp; relevant KPIs → Revenue is not always the answer. </b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>RELEVANT new page likes &#8211; how much is this worth for you?</li>
<li>Driving traffic to your website &#8211; how much is this worth for you?</li>
<li>Generating new leads (email addresses) → how much is this worth for you?</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Match your goals to your targeting → How broad or narrow your audience is will match the goal you have in mind. </b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Broad audience &#8212; travel shoppers &#8212; page likes</li>
<li>Targeted audience &#8212; consideration &#8212; lead generation</li>
<li>Highly targeted audience &#8212; booking &#8212; website click / promo post</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Use The Facebook Pixel for smart retargeting &amp; custom audiences. </b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>A LOT of options here → Tons of online resources, guides, case studies, etc.</li>
<li>Be mindful of your metrics → FB reports ALL conversions, use campaign tracking as well</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Track everything! </b></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The Newa</p>
<p><b>AirBnB Buys “AirBnB for Disabled People” startup, Accomable.com<br />
</b><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/16/airbnb-buys-accomable-a-specialist-in-travel-listings-for-disabled-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/16/airbnb-buys-accomable-a-specialist-in-travel-listings-for-disabled-people/</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio<br />
@pforiska</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 69 – 5 Simple Marketing Psychology Hacks To Increase Direct Bookings

<p>				&nbsp;</p>
<p>In this week’s episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down Booking.com’s top 8 travel predictions for 2018.</p>
<p>Looking for inspiration for your 2018 travel? Facilitating reservations for more than 1,500,000 room nights each day, the experts at Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, have combined customer insights from over 128 million real guest reviews with research from 19,000 travelers across 26 countries around the world to reveal the biggest travel predictions for 2018.</p>
<p>Here’s the original article:<br />
<a href="https://news.booking.com/eight-travel-predictions-for-2018-as-revealed-by-bookingdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://news.booking.com/eight-travel-predictions-for-2018-as-revealed-by-bookingdotcom</a></p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/351475378&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<h2>1. “New Tech Frontiers”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Immersive Experiences</li>
<li>AI → Help sell destinations and hotels</li>
<li>29% of people = comfortable letting a computer plan their trip based on previous travel history</li>
<li>64% of travelers say they would like to “try before they buy” with virtual reality</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2>2. “From Dream To Reality”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Experiences &gt; Material Things</li>
<li>45% of travelers have a travel bucket list</li>
<li>82% of  those plan to travel in 2018</li>
</ul>
<p>Fuel podcast reference: <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-62-5-unbelievable-hotel-marketing-facts-need-know-act-upon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-62-5-unbelievable-hotel-marketing-facts-need-know-act-upon/</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>3. “Retro Reboot”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Revisiting childhood memories → nostalgia</li>
<li>34% of travelers plan to visit childhood destinations; Higher for millennials &#8211; 44%</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2>4. “Pop Culture Pilgrimage”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Entertainment as a travel destination</li>
<li>22% tempted to travel for major sporting event</li>
<li>Top TV Show Travel Spots → 29% Croatia, Spain, Iceland (Game of Thrones), 21% London (Sherlock &amp; The Crown), 13% New York / Manhattan (Billions)</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2>5. “Walk Your Way To Wellness”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Amount of people planning to take a “health and wellness” trip almost doubled from 2017 to 2018 (~10% → ~ 20%).</li>
<li>Walking / hiking trips topped the list → 56%</li>
<li>Other trends = spa / beauty treatments (33%), cycling (24%), &amp; water activities (22%)</li>
</ul>
<p>Fuel blog post: (<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/wellness-tourism-fueling-hotels-bottom-lines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/wellness-tourism-fueling-hotels-bottom-lines/</a>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>6. “Economic Intuition”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Travelers are becoming more financially savvy → Looking for the best overall value</li>
<li>Things to consider = currency exchange rates, economic climate of destination</li>
<li>Using apps &amp; technology to piece together trips to create unique, valuable experiences → 44% of travelers will use travel apps in 2018</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2>7. “The Great Mate Escape”</h2>
<ul>
<li>Group travel is one the rise → Y/Y increase went from 21% to 25% of travelers taking group trips</li>
<li>Not just about the destination &#8211; but who you experience it with</li>
<li>Financial decision &#8211; 42% said it will allow them to travel to places they otherwise could not afford</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2>8. “Live Like A Local, Not With One”</h2>
<ul>
<li>33% of travelers say they’d prefer to stay in a holiday rental (home or apt) versus a hotel</li>
<li>21% of owners are considering listing their home on a travel accommodation site</li>
<li>25% of travelers say it is important for their hosts to have a strong local expertise</li>
<li>Travelers want flexibility in interactions with host</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2><b>Webinar &#8211; Tuesday, November 14th @ 11 Eastern </b></h2>
<h2>Fuel + TrustYou + Rain Maker<br />
<i>“Optimize The Booking Journey For Hotel Revenue Success” </i><br />
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/webinar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/webinar/</a></h2>
<p>========================</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The Newa</p>
<p>Adwords Can Spend Double Your Daily Budget:<br />
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-adwords-twice-daily-budget-spend-283897" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://searchengineland.com/google-adwords-twice-daily-budget-spend-283897</a></p>
<p>Direct Booking Movement Actually Working<br />
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/11/01/hotel-direct-booking-pushes-really-worked-and-owners-were-big-winners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/11/01/hotel-direct-booking-pushes-really-worked-and-owners-were-big-winners/</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio<br />
@pforiska</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.		</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 68 – Top 8 Travel Trend Predictions For 2018

<p>				&nbsp;</p>
<p>What’s worse than bad analytics data? Not knowing you have bad analytics data! Today we are going to cover some common horrifying pitfalls that wreak havoc in your analytics data, making it a bloody mess.</p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/349259938&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Get the original article on how to fix cross domain tracking here:</p>
<p>https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/</p>
<h2><b>1: </b><b>No analytics on your booking engine</b></h2>
<p>No explanation needed. Fix this.</p>
<h2><b>2: No revenue recorded</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose the cause:</p>
<ol>
<li>Determine whether there is tracking on the confirmation page</li>
<li>Check to see if all of the eCommerce tracking code is being passed &#8211; this is not the default GA script</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>If you find that the eCommerce tracking code is on the page, but not working, you might need to work with your booking engine company to make sure that their eCommerce variables are what is passing in the right places to Google.</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>3: Extra revenue/traffic recorded</b></h2>
<p>Causes:</p>
<ol>
<li>Call center bookings</li>
<li>Internal test bookings</li>
<li>Property wi-fi login traffic</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>Filter out IP address going forward</li>
<li>If possible, create a segment that excludes this traffic, based on something unique to the traffic
<ol>
<li>Geo location</li>
<li>Network domain</li>
<li>Specific landing page</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>4: Not every page of content on your site is tagged</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose:</p>
<ol>
<li>More than likely you will find this out because you just sent a slew of traffic to a page, and then don’t see it in your content reports</li>
<li>Use auditing tools such as Screaming Frog, Observe Point, WASP, etc. to audit the entire site.</li>
<li>Use debugger tools when viewing page to confirm that analytics code is present (or missing, in this case).</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>Work with developer/agency to ensure all parts of the site will get tagged automatically going forward</li>
<li>If automatic tagging of some sections of the site is not possible, make sure that going forward that analytics code is added BEFORE a page is made live</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>5: Duplicate analytics code/inappropriately triggered code</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose:</p>
<ol>
<li>Look for a suspiciously low bounce rate
<ol>
<li>If you see a 3% bounce rate, something is definitely askew</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>Debugger tools like Omnibug, Google Tag Assistant, Google Analytics Debugger, ObservePoint TagDebugger, etc. will show you how many analytics calls are being triggered</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>Determine how duplicate code is getting triggered (hard-coded somewhere specifically or Tag Manager incorrectly executed)</li>
<li>Determine if a non-pageview event is artificially lowering the bounce rate, such as a popup being served</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>6: Cross-domain tracking doesn’t work/not implemented at all</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the acquisition channel report, do you see your domain as a referral of traffic?</li>
<li>Do you see most/all revenue attributed to either your domain or “direct” traffic?</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the admin console, ensure your domain is listed in the referral exclusion list</li>
<li>Add special “linker” code to the core GA script throughout the site</li>
<li>Click all the links to the booking engine and look for the linker parameter in the URL</li>
<li>Proof like crazy</li>
<li>Actually make a test booking to verify that it’s working</li>
<li>Check out the blog post: https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/</li>
</ol>
<p><b>Takeaways</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Always look at your analytics data with a critical eye. Chances are that if something looks too good (or bad) to be true, there’s probably something not tracking correctly.</li>
<li>Use the tools out there</li>
<li>Ask for help</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Links:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Screaming Frog: <a href="https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/</a></li>
<li>ObservePoint: <a href="https://www.observepoint.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.observepoint.com/</a></li>
<li>Omnibug: <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/omnibug/bknpehncffejahipecakbfkomebjmokl?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/omnibug/bknpehncffejahipecakbfkomebjmokl?hl=en</a></li>
<li>Tag Assistant: <a href="https://get.google.com/tagassistant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://get.google.com/tagassistant/</a></li>
<li>Google Analytics Debugger: <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-analytics-debugger/jnkmfdileelhofjcijamephohjechhna?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-analytics-debugger/jnkmfdileelhofjcijamephohjechhna?hl=en</a></li>
<li>Melissa’s article &#8211; <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The Newa</p>
<p><b>Delta will start automatically checking you in for flights<br />
</b><a href="https://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/delta-just-announced-its-doing-away-with-a-painful-part-of-flying-but-will-it-work.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/delta-just-announced-its-doing-away-with-a-painful-part-of-flying-but-will-it-work.html</a></p>
<p><b>Hopper expands its airfare-prediction smarts to hotels<br />
</b><a href="https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/25/hopper-takes-its-airfare-prediction-smarts-to-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/25/hopper-takes-its-airfare-prediction-smarts-to-hotels/</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio<br />
@pforiska</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.		</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 67 – 6 Common Analytics Mistakes You May be Making

<p>				&nbsp;</p>
<p>What’s worse than bad analytics data? Not knowing you have bad analytics data! Today we are going to cover some common horrifying pitfalls that wreak havoc in your analytics data, making it a bloody mess.</p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/349259938&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Get the original article on how to fix cross domain tracking here:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="v2fu725l3J"><p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/">3 Steps to Ensure Your Booking Engine Tracks Correctly in Google Analytics</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="&#8220;3 Steps to Ensure Your Booking Engine Tracks Correctly in Google Analytics&#8221; &#8212; TravelBoom" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/embed/#?secret=fLnklrQG0Y#?secret=v2fu725l3J" data-secret="v2fu725l3J" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<h2><b>1: </b><b>No analytics on your booking engine</b></h2>
<p>No explanation needed. Fix this.</p>
<h2><b>2: No revenue recorded</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose the cause:</p>
<ol>
<li>Determine whether there is tracking on the confirmation page</li>
<li>Check to see if all of the eCommerce tracking code is being passed &#8211; this is not the default GA script</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>If you find that the eCommerce tracking code is on the page, but not working, you might need to work with your booking engine company to make sure that their eCommerce variables are what is passing in the right places to Google.</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>3: Extra revenue/traffic recorded</b></h2>
<p>Causes:</p>
<ol>
<li>Call center bookings</li>
<li>Internal test bookings</li>
<li>Property wi-fi login traffic</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>Filter out IP address going forward</li>
<li>If possible, create a segment that excludes this traffic, based on something unique to the traffic
<ol>
<li>Geo location</li>
<li>Network domain</li>
<li>Specific landing page</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>4: Not every page of content on your site is tagged</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose:</p>
<ol>
<li>More than likely you will find this out because you just sent a slew of traffic to a page, and then don’t see it in your content reports</li>
<li>Use auditing tools such as Screaming Frog, Observe Point, WASP, etc. to audit the entire site.</li>
<li>Use debugger tools when viewing page to confirm that analytics code is present (or missing, in this case).</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>Work with developer/agency to ensure all parts of the site will get tagged automatically going forward</li>
<li>If automatic tagging of some sections of the site is not possible, make sure that going forward that analytics code is added BEFORE a page is made live</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>5: Duplicate analytics code/inappropriately triggered code</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose:</p>
<ol>
<li>Look for a suspiciously low bounce rate
<ol>
<li>If you see a 3% bounce rate, something is definitely askew</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>Debugger tools like Omnibug, Google Tag Assistant, Google Analytics Debugger, ObservePoint TagDebugger, etc. will show you how many analytics calls are being triggered</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>Determine how duplicate code is getting triggered (hard-coded somewhere specifically or Tag Manager incorrectly executed)</li>
<li>Determine if a non-pageview event is artificially lowering the bounce rate, such as a popup being served</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>6: Cross-domain tracking doesn’t work/not implemented at all</b></h2>
<p>How to diagnose:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the acquisition channel report, do you see your domain as a referral of traffic?</li>
<li>Do you see most/all revenue attributed to either your domain or “direct” traffic?</li>
</ol>
<p>How to fix:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the admin console, ensure your domain is listed in the referral exclusion list</li>
<li>Add special “linker” code to the core GA script throughout the site</li>
<li>Click all the links to the booking engine and look for the linker parameter in the URL</li>
<li>Proof like crazy</li>
<li>Actually make a test booking to verify that it’s working</li>
<li>Check out the blog post: https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/</li>
</ol>
<p><b>Takeaways</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Always look at your analytics data with a critical eye. Chances are that if something looks too good (or bad) to be true, there’s probably something not tracking correctly.</li>
<li>Use the tools out there</li>
<li>Ask for help</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Links:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Screaming Frog: <a href="https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/</a></li>
<li>ObservePoint: <a href="https://www.observepoint.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.observepoint.com/</a></li>
<li>Omnibug: <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/omnibug/bknpehncffejahipecakbfkomebjmokl?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/omnibug/bknpehncffejahipecakbfkomebjmokl?hl=en</a></li>
<li>Tag Assistant: <a href="https://get.google.com/tagassistant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://get.google.com/tagassistant/</a></li>
<li>Google Analytics Debugger: <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-analytics-debugger/jnkmfdileelhofjcijamephohjechhna?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-analytics-debugger/jnkmfdileelhofjcijamephohjechhna?hl=en</a></li>
<li>Melissa’s article &#8211; <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The Newa</p>
<p><b>Delta will start automatically checking you in for flights<br />
</b><a href="https://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/delta-just-announced-its-doing-away-with-a-painful-part-of-flying-but-will-it-work.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/delta-just-announced-its-doing-away-with-a-painful-part-of-flying-but-will-it-work.html</a></p>
<p><b>Hopper expands its airfare-prediction smarts to hotels<br />
</b><a href="https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/25/hopper-takes-its-airfare-prediction-smarts-to-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/25/hopper-takes-its-airfare-prediction-smarts-to-hotels/</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio<br />
@pforiska</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.		</p>


<p>Does your hotel website and the online shopping experience accurately reflect the on-property experience? Or, are you a cotton headed ninny muggins who tricks unsuspecting guests into staying with you, only to disaapoint them and have them never return to your property? Hopefully you are the former rather than the later.</p>
<p>In this Elf-inspired episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down some of the biggest mistakes that hotels make by not accurately representing their product and we talk about the consequences that follow.</p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/348187137&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Get the original article here:<br />
<a title="Permalink to Does Your Hotel’s Marketing Sit On A Throne Of Lies?" href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/tips-for-consistent-online-offline-hotel-experience/" rel="bookmark">Does Your Hotel’s Marketing Sit On A Throne Of Lies? </a></p>
<h3>Why This Is Important</h3>
<ul>
<li>Overselling and under-delivering</li>
<li>Unhappy guests = negative online reviews; refunds / guests leave</li>
<li>Negative online reviews = empty beds &amp; lower ARD over time</li>
<li>Your word of mouth marketing will also tank</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tips For Ensuring A Consistent Online &amp; Offline Hotel Experience</h3>
<h4>Consistent NAP</h4>
<ul>
<li>Start with the basics</li>
<li>Are your property name, address, and phone # up to date and accurate?</li>
<li>Are they consistent?</li>
<li>Do your local listings reflect this?</li>
<li>Software can help automate</li>
</ul>
<h4>Hotel Information</h4>
<ul>
<li>Are your hours, check-in times, etc. up to date?</li>
<li>What about hours for amenities, dining, etc.?</li>
<li>Are any third-party references accurate and up to date? (ex: restaurant TripAdvisor page)</li>
</ul>
<h4>Hotel Descriptions</h4>
<ul>
<li>Fine line between creative copywriting and blatant lying… but it does exist</li>
<li>DO NOT exaggerate hotel offerings or details</li>
</ul>
<h4>Hotel Photography</h4>
<ul>
<li>A hotel’s most valuable yet most neglected asset</li>
<li>Images are what sell your hotel &#8211; you do NOT want to set yourself up for failure</li>
<li>Minimal editing is to be expected, but to not go overboard (ex: changing beach water color)</li>
<li>Also keep your additional room props to a minimum</li>
</ul>
<h4>Reviews</h4>
<ul>
<li>Having genuine guest reviews and testimonials on your website can be a huge selling point</li>
<li>Do NOT falsify, manipulate, or alter reviews</li>
<li>Showcase genuine reviews and consider showing responses</li>
</ul>
<h4>Staff Interactions</h4>
<ul>
<li>Does your website boast being family-friendly?</li>
<li>Do you tout exceptional service?</li>
<li>Does the on-property experience actually live up to the hype?</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Bottom Line &#8211; If there are things you are not comfortable sharing about your property &#8211; FIX IT. </b></p>
<p>========================</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The News</p>
<p><b>Soft Brands Take Aim At Independents<br />
</b><a href="http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/247323/What-the-growth-of-soft-brands-means-for-indie-hotels" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/247323/What-the-growth-of-soft-brands-means-for-indie-hotels</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio<br />
@pforiska</p>
<hr />
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 66 – Does Your Hotel’s Marketing Sit On A Throne Of Lies?

<p>All hotels and resorts are striving to make the most out of their marketing dollars. Hotels will spend countless dollars and hours finding the right audience, the right marketing channels and setting the perfect bait to bring in a new guest. Many are great at setting the bait, but fail to make sure the trap will work.</p>
<p>That’s what we’re going to discuss on episode 65 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. We are going to dive in and determine if you are using the right PMS and right <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/booking-engine/">booking engine</a> that will allow your hotel to make the most of your precious marketing dollars.</p>
<p>To be honest, switching your booking engine and/or PMS can be a pain in the nether regions. But today we’re going to show you why that pain may be worth it and the phrase “no pain no gain” is very applicable here.</p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/347144478&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Get the original article here:<br />
<a title="Permalink to Great Hotel Marketing Starts At The End: Choosing the Right Booking Engine" href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/great-hotel-marketing-starts-end-choosing-right-booking-engine/" rel="bookmark">Great Hotel Marketing Starts At The End: Choosing the Right Booking Engine </a></p>
<p><b>Question #1: Can Your Booking Engine Work With, And Add Value To,  The Top Performing Marketing Channels?</b></p>
<p>Is your PMS and booking technology adding to the value of your most effective marketing efforts, or is it costing you money?  Specifically, let’s look at the most common top marketing channels and see how a great booking system will boost performance:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Email Marketing: Are you able to target and personalize your communications to past and potential guests?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/hotel-ppc/">Paid Search</a>: The most effective paid search campaigns drive the visitor to the most relevant landing page as far down the conversion funnel as possible.  This means if you can drive your potential guests directly to the appropriate special or room you’ve got a much better chance of closing the deal.  This is just one of the many reasons you want your booking engine actually on your site, such as YourSite.com/Bookings instead of yourhotel.bookingsystem.com/.  Many times, depending on our account and campaign setup, you can’t run ads to a booking engine on a separate domain.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>TripAdvisor: Can you easily distribute the best book-direct rate possible to TripAdvisor? Can you share the best rate for the lowest cost possible?  We are typically seeing ROAS figures between 300-500% and if you’re not seeing that level of performance (or can’t get connected at all) you need to think about making a switch.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Google’s GHA: Like TripAdvisor, Google’s GHA has been a goldmine as of late. We’ve talked extensively how in 2016 GHA (at the time HPA) was a marketing dog, but all throughout 2017 we have seen record returns, several clients seeing 1000+% returns! If your PMS/booking engine is preventing you from sharing rates and participating in GHA, here’s your wake up call… You have GOT to be on GHA, guests are booking and if you’re not there you are giving the OTAs an easy shot at your guests.</li>
<li><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/hotel-social-media/">Social Marketing</a>: Social marketing, primarily Facebook, has been performing very well and consistently turns out solid return numbers that often rival email marketing. Yes, regardless of your PMS or booking engine, you can take advantage of social. However the best systems will allow you to fully integrate your booking engine experience within Facebook and work well to allow your booking guests to share their reservation with all their friends.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Question #2: Does Your Booking Engine Offer An Amazing Mobile Experience?</b></p>
<p>The mobile tipping point took place a long time ago were mobile devices became the primary driver of traffic.  But did you know we are reaching the second tipping point of mobile bookings.  If your property is NOT nearing this threshold there’s a good chance your booking engine is not keeping up wit the times.</p>
<p>Fuel has recently released a series of <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/your-booking-engine-may-be-losing-you-millions-in-mobile-revenue-part-2/">case studies on mobile booking revenue</a> and found that when a property switches to a mobile-centric booking engine revenues soar. In just one example a property saw an increase of 370 additional bookings and $300,000 in additional revenue after upgrading their booking engine technology over just three months.</p>
<p><b>Question #3: Can Your Booking Engine Stack Up Against The Best Online Retailers?</b></p>
<p>Web habits change over time, and what may have worked in the past may be woefully inadequate for today’s hotel guests. This is one of the most common grievances we have found with clients who are not happy with their booking engine performance. We would suggest you review your engine and compare it to both your competitors but also the web’s top retail outlets.</p>
<p>If you find that your booking engine can’t to the following then it’s time to seriously consider making a change to your technology.</p>
<ul>
<li>Intuitive shopping and filtering process.</li>
<li>Ability to save carts, remember settings and proactively lead guests through the process</li>
<li>Ability to offer additional services and upgrades to drive your incremental revenue.</li>
<li>Creates a checkout process that is easy, clutter-free, and trusted.</li>
<li>Stacks up against the best of the best online retailers.</li>
</ul>
<p>Yes, changing a PMS or booking engine can be a daunting concept.  Manual content, posting rates, endless screens of configuration, and updating your staff processes can be a giant pain… but it can be worth it and reward you with a massive return.  Don’t let a little short term trouble stop your hotel from being all it can be.</p>
<p><b>Listener Feedback:<br />
</b>Name: Alex Tsuk  Title: Boss<br />
Just want to thank you for being an inspiration! i listen religiously to your podcast and with a group of friends, experts in sustainability we are going to start a podcast on sustainability in the hospitality industry, following your format which i find interactive and entertaining so thanks for that.</p>
<p><strong>Surprise and delight story:</strong><br />
Stuart told the story of surprise and delight during his trip to Vermont. The restaurant was the <a href="https://idletymebrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Idletyme Brewing Company</a>. Thanks to Jason for the Chilli Cheese Fries!</p>
<p>========================</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The News</p>
<p><b>OTA Impact Flattens<br />
</b><a href="http://hotelanalyst.co.uk/2017/10/10/ota-impact-flattens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://hotelanalyst.co.uk/2017/10/10/ota-impact-flattens/</a></p>
<p><b>4 Things Small Hotels Can Do To Make A Big Impact<br />
</b><a href="https://www.sojern.com/blog/4-ways-small-hotels-can-big-marketing-impact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.sojern.com/blog/4-ways-small-hotels-can-big-marketing-impact/</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 65 – Does Your Hotel Have The Right Booking Engine?

<p>Google has defined <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/micro-moments/micro-moments-travel-customer-journey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4 stages of travel</a>, which encompasses everything from the initial spark in which someone decided they might want to take a trip all the way through the process of a guest sharing their vacation photos and experiences online with friends and family.</p>
<ul>
<li>“I want to get away moments” &#8211; dreaming moments</li>
<li>“Time to make a plan moments” &#8211; planning moments</li>
<li>“Let’s book it moments” &#8211; booking moments</li>
<li>“Can’t wait to explore moments” &#8211; experiencing moments</li>
</ul>
<p>In our new guide (available at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/advertising/</a>), we combine Google’s travel micro-moments with the traditional sales funnel to help hotel marketers better align advertising platforms and ad offerings with each stage of the travel shopping process.</p>
<p>In today’s episode, we’ll discuss the TL;DR version of this whitepaper. (Thought you should still totally download the full version!)</p>
<p>NOTE: SORRY ABOUT THE SOUND QUALITY IN THIS EPISODE. WE MESSED UP DURING THE RECORDING PROCESS. THE CONTENT IS STILL GREAT. ENJOY!</p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/346076881%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-JuM1V&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<h2>1. Upper Funnel &#8211; Inspiration &#8211; Dreaming Of A Vacation Phase</h2>
<p>A traveler has a defined travel intent but has not gotten down to the nuts and bolts of planning a vacation.  A leisure traveler could be weeks or even months away from actually booking a hotel, but the spark is there. They have caught the travel bug and are itching to quench their adventure thirst. This is the perfect opportunity for your hotel or resort to plant a seed in that consumer’s head about your property.</p>
<p><b>Note</b>: While this phase is generally best tackled by a local travel portal or destination marketing organization, awareness marketing can be very successful for properties with a unique offering and a budget to accommodate demand generation.</p>
<p><b>Challenge</b> &#8211; Are you visible?<br />
<b>Goal </b>&#8211; Inspire travel; generate awareness</p>
<p><b><i>At the inspiration stage of the funnel, your ads should focus on selling the unique experience of your hotel or your destination to spark a desire to travel. </i></b></p>
<h2>Top Travel Inspiration Advertising Channels For Hotels</h2>
<p><b>YouTube TrueView</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Opt-in viewing platform; advertisers are only charged when 30-seconds of video is viewed</li>
<li>No time restriction on how long your video ad can run &#8211; creative flexibility</li>
<li>Viewers can choose to watch or skip</li>
<li>2 Placement Options:
<ul>
<li>“In stream” ads → Play before a YouTube clip; people are subjected to 5 seconds, can then choose to skip or watch.</li>
<li>“Video discovery” ads → Appear throughout YouTube next to other videos, on search pages, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Google Display Network</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Allows advertisers to reach consumers across other sites via the Google Display Network (GDN)</li>
<li>Extensive targeting options → demographic, interest-based, geographic, behavior, re-targeting, etc.</li>
<li>CPC or CPM based bidding models</li>
<li>Various ad size options</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Campaign Example</b>: You are a boutique hotel in the heart of wine country, California. High-quality static image of attractive young couple enjoying a glass of wine overlooking the vineyard with text overlay “Sip. Savor. See” at the top and “Come For The Wine, Stay For The Experience. See Why Guests Prefer {name of property}” CTA. Target women + ages 30 &#8211; 40 + income $75,000+ + interests in food &amp; wine, travel, etc. &#8211; essentially building a guest persona and applying that to display targeting. Direct users to the homepage of your website.</p>
<p><b>Facebook Video View Ads</b></p>
<h2>2. Mid Funnel &#8211; Interest &amp; Consideration &#8211; Ready To Plan</h2>
<p>A traveler in the interest and consideration phase of planning a leisure vacation already has a destination in mind &#8211; and that’s as far as they’ve gotten. They simply have a well-defined travel intent and are in the weeds of researching lodging options, planning travel activities, reading online reviews, and more. At this portion of the travel shopping funnel, your hotel or resort should focus on remaining present and providing shoppers with everything they could possibly need to make the right decision &#8211; which is to stay at your hotel, obviously. Advertising at this point in the funnel should persuade, if not convince, travel shoppers to strongly consider your property for their travel adventure.</p>
<p><b>Challenge</b> &#8211; are you generating leads?<br />
<b>Goal</b> &#8211; Remain in the guest consideration set, generate “leads” &#8211; email addresse</p>
<h2>Top Consideration Advertising Channels For Hotels</h2>
<p><b>Google AdWords &#8211; Non-Brand</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Refers to bidding on any keyword that is NOT affiliated with your brand</li>
<li>Consider CPC (higher), CTR (lower), &amp; ROAS (lower) versus branded campaigns</li>
<li>Start with highly relevant search queries and then branch out
<ul>
<li>Proximity or location based queries</li>
<li>Amenity queries</li>
<li>Room type queries</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Facebook &#8211; Lead Generation Ads</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Native form collection &#8211; auto-fills with Facebook profile information</li>
<li>Forms are flexible and easy to create</li>
<li>Emails can feed into certain email systems or can easily be exported</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Campaign Example</b>: You are a budget-conscious Las Vegas hotel seeking leads for bachelorette parties. Use high-quality static image of attractive group of young girls “cheers-ing” with colorful cocktails. Target key geographic markets + women ages 25 &#8211; 35 + recently engaged + interested in pages related to “las vegas” + income $30,000 &#8211; $75,000. After collecting data, the form should divert traffic to a page on the website dedicated to bachelorette parties and packages.</p>
<p><b>Google Hotel Ads</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Display in the “local packs” as well as individual “local” hotel business pages</li>
<li>Opportunity to bid for placement → OTAs are very present in this space!</li>
<li>Feed inventory &amp; rates directly to Google → Searcher is sent directly to your hotel’s booking engine</li>
<li>Several bidding strategies &#8211; Map CPC, Budget optimizer, Target ROAS, Commission (beta)</li>
<li>Must work with Google verified partner (aka, Fuel)</li>
</ul>
<h2>3.) Bottom Funnel &#8211; Decision &amp; Purchase &#8211; Ready To Book</h2>
<p>Congratulations! Your hotel website has remained in the consideration set of the travel consumer and the shopper is getting ready to book. Are they easily able to do this? Are your rates consistent across your distribution channels? Does your website effectively solicit and capture email addresses? Is your hotel website easy to find and navigate?</p>
<p><b>Challenge</b> &#8211; are you converting leads?<br />
<b>Goal</b> &#8211; Bookings</p>
<p>Advertising during the decision and purchase phase has one job and one job only &#8211; to convert shoppers into bookers. Ads will target your most highly qualified leads through brand-related campaigns and strategic retargeting techniques. Furthermore, ads will be focused on getting travel shoppers to move forward with the booking process.</p>
<p><b><i>At the decision and purchase stage of the funnel, your ads should focus on persuading the travel shopper that your hotel best meets all of their needs and to book their stay directly on your hotel website. </i></b></p>
<h2>Top Direct Booking Advertising Channels For Hotels</h2>
<p><b>Google AdWords &amp; BingAds &#8211; Brand PPC</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Refers to bidding on your hotel’s actual brand search terms</li>
<li>OTAs are very present in this space → You need to be here!</li>
<li>Reinforce your brand and capture prime SERP real estate</li>
<li>Follow PPC best practices!</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Facebook &#8211; Dynamic Ads For Travel</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Newer ad format &#8211; advanced set-up is required</li>
<li>Your booking engine feeds Facebook your live inventory &amp; rates</li>
<li>Hotels need Facebook pixel, hotel catalogue, Facebook page, Facebook ad account</li>
<li>Set up catalog, implement pixel, create ad template</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Campaign Example: </b>You are an independent ski resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Integrate your hotel’s inventory with the Facebook API to retarget travel shoppers who have completed a room search and viewed a specific room within your booking engine but did not complete a booking. Test different strategies, like a simple retargeting campaign to remind the shopper of their shopping experience paired with a sense of urgency, or even offering a slight discount or an incentive to book now. Use high-quality room and amenity images to help the shopper imagine themselves at your property and relevant CTAs to entice engagement and clicks.</p>
<h3><b>TripAdvisor / Meta Search / Online Travel Agents / Google Hotel Ads</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>YES, you want travelers to book direct.</li>
<li>YES, you should give travelers every opportunity to book on your website.</li>
<li>YES, you should offer the best or at least the same rates that are available on third party sites on your website.</li>
<li>YES, you should offer incentive to book directly with your hotel.</li>
<li>HOWEVER, this is not always how the world works.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are some people who are going to be lured in by a <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/services/hotel-meta-search/">hotel metasearch</a> site that is bidding for placement on your brand. Or, some people are simply very loyal to a particular OTA brand, like Expedia. You still want to be there for travelers however and wherever they are looking to book. Therefore, we always recommend still having a presence on these third-party booking sites. Of course, we advocate educating travel shoppers on the value of booking direct and working diligently to convert OTA bookers into in-house bookers for their next visit, but when a shopper is looking to stay at your hotel and they aren’t able to via their favorite website, you’re going to have a problem.</p>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh">DOWNLOAD THE FULL HOTEL ADVERTISING WHITEPAPER FROM <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/advertising/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWW.FUELTRAVEL.COM/ADVERTISING/ </a></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The News</p>
<p><b>20% of Hilton’s Bookings Come From Mobile App<br />
</b><a href="https://digiday.com/marketing/hilton-gets-20-percent-bookings-mobile-app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://digiday.com/marketing/hilton-gets-20-percent-bookings-mobile-app/</a></p>
<p><b>Is TripAdvisor for Sale? Could Amazon Be Interested?<br />
</b><a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4110580-tripadvisor-expect-either-new-buyback-plan-sale-company" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://seekingalpha.com/article/4110580-tripadvisor-expect-either-new-buyback-plan-sale-company</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio</p>
<hr />
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 64 – Secrets To Becoming A Hotel Advertising Pro

<p>				<b>Why do hotels need a website? Essentially, your website’s job is to close the uncertainty gap, which results in the casual shopper becoming  a customer. In order to close the uncertainty gap, your website must anticipate and answer questions that the shopper is likely to have during the research and purchase process.</b></p>
<p><b>So, why do the vast majority of shoppers not convert to bookers? Conversion rate on a leisure hotel’s website can be 1-5%. Meaning between 95-99% of website visitors are not booking online during that session.</b></p>
<p><b>If you answer the shoppers&#8217; questions effectively, you will likely see your conversion rate increase and the number of phone calls you receive decrease. The people who come to your site are obviously interested in your offering.  It’s your website’s job to nurture those shoppers into bookers.</b></p>
<p><b>In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at the questions that your hotel website should be answering in order to help your website visitors become loyal guests.</b></p>
<p><strong>CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.</strong></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/343948853&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a></p>
<p>If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><b>The 5 key goals of a great hotel website:</b></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Create a great first impression and make the shopper feel welcome</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Persuade the shopper that they would be comfortable and secure at your property</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Show the shopper the benefits of staying at your property and that you offer everything they need</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Remove any doubt or fear that the shopper may have and reassure them that they are making a good decision</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Make it easy for the guest to navigate the site and book (on any device)</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>The best way to accomplish these goals is to have a modern responsive site that is kept up to date and that anticipates and answers every potential question that may occur during the research process. Here are some of the key types of questions that your website should be addressing:</b></p>
<h1>1. Is it the right location for me?</h1>
<ul>
<li><b>What city and state is your hotel located in?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the relative location to specific landmarks (beach, shopping, attraction, etc)?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the immediate vicinity like and what’s nearby?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How do I get to the property?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How far is it from the airport?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What are my public transportation options?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the property offer shuttle service?</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h1>2. Is it the right property for me?</h1>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Are the rooms clean?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Are the public spaces clean?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is the staff friendly?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Who are typical guests of this property?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Did other guests have a good experience at the property?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What do other guests like about the property?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What are the water features like?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the gym like?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the business center like?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the spa like?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What dining options does the property offer (especially breakfast)?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the property offer room service?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Where’s the nearest coffee shop?</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h1>3. What room should I pick?</h1>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><b>What are the room layout options?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What do the rooms look like?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How big are the rooms?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How many people can sleep in the room?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the bed configuration for the room?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How many bathrooms are in the room?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is there a shower or a tub?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How up to date is the furniture?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the view from the room?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What amenities are in the room?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room have an iron and ironing board?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room have a fridge/freezer?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room have a microwave?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room have a coffee machine?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room have a hair dryer?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room have internet connectivity?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the room has a safe?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What technology is in the room? (USB ports, bluetooth, etc)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is the wi-fi free?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is the room handicap accessible?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is the room smoke-free?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is the room pet-friendly?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How comfortable are the beds?</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h1>4. Are these the right dates for me and is now the right time to book?</h1>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><b>What’s going on during my specific dates on property?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s going on in the nearby area during specific dates?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What can I get to eat/drink on property during specific dates?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What time do things open on property?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the weather like this time of year?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will the room I want be sold out if I wait too long?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the price change if I don’t book today?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the price change if i change my dates?</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h1>5. What’s this going to cost me and am I getting the best value?</h1>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><b>How much does it cost?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Do I get my money’s worth?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Are there special discounts for seniors/military/teachers/government/AAA/&#8230;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What is included in the cost?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What isn’t included and how much will that cost?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How is the price compared to other properties?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Can I find the same property cheaper somewhere else?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the benefit of booking on this website vs. somewhere else?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How much is due at booking?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>When is the balance due?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What’s the cancellation policy?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is parking free?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is there a loyalty program?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What are the payment options?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will the rates go up after I book?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What did other people pay for the same room?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>What is the ______ (resort, city, etc) fee?</li>
<li></li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h1>6. I booked, but do I regret my decision?</h1>
<p><b>Once they’ve booked, you should still anticipate their questions and answer them. This will cut down on phone calls and also set expectations with your guest, which leads to a lower cancellation rate and higher satisfaction scores. </b></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><b>What time is check-in/out?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Where do I park?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is parking free?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Where do I check in?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Does the property offer mobile check-in?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Who do I contact if I have a question?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is there valet parking?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Where are the luggage carts?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Can I use the amenities before check-in?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Is there somewhere I can leave my luggage?</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>Each property and location will likely have it’s own set of unique questions. Talk to your reservation staff, talk to your guests, talk to your house keepers. Make a list of the questions that are asked and ensure that your website is answering all of them.</b></p>
<h1>Action Items</h1>
<ol>
<li>Ask existing guests why they decided to stay with you and leverage that knowledge to entice new guests</li>
<li>Address the main questions on every major landing page throughout the site</li>
<li>Build an FAQ page on your site</li>
<li>Use Social Proof, FOMO and other psychological tactics to persuade your guest</li>
<li>Ensure that your site is easy to use and mobile friendly</li>
</ol>
<div id="lp-pom-text-16" class="lp-element lp-pom-text nlh"></div>
<p>========================<br />
In The News</p>
<p><b>Google Travel Worth $100 Billion &#8211; Freebie<br />
</b><a href="https://skift.com/2017/09/18/google-travel-is-worth-100-billion-even-more-than-priceline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/09/18/google-travel-is-worth-100-billion-even-more-than-priceline/</a></p>
<p><b>My 420 Tours has high expectations for the future of cannabis tourism in the US<br />
</b><a href="https://www.tnooz.com/article/my-420-tours-has-high-expectations-for-the-future-of-cannabis-tourism-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.tnooz.com/article/my-420-tours-has-high-expectations-for-the-future-of-cannabis-tourism-in-the-u-s/</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Follow Us on Twitter:</p>
<p>@_travelboom<br />
@stuartbutler<br />
@marketingmeisha<br />
@makavanagh<br />
@pdimaio</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div></div>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.		</p>


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