In today’s episode of the podcast, the last episode of the year, we are diving into the world of <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/services/email-crm/">email marketing for hotels</a> and looking at the top 5 email marketing trends for 2023.  You can follow along with the full article at the link below.



<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/email-marketing-trends/">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/email-marketing-trends/</a>



Merry Christmas and remember, the best holiday album of all time is A Twisted Christmas by Twisted Sister.&nbsp; Don’t let the new year pass without enjoying a little of Dee Snider’s epic vocals. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoQNgiPcDqc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoQNgiPcDqc</a>



========================



In The News:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



How travellers will be planning their trips in 2023



<a href="https://partner.booking.com/en-gb/click-magazine/trends-insights/how-travellers-will-be-planning-their-trips-2023">https://partner.booking.com/en-gb/click-magazine/trends-insights/how-travellers-will-be-planning-their-trips-2023</a>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Travelers want more for their buck</li><li>Travelers are looking outside the big destinations for lesser-known destinations</li><li>Booking.com spelled this “travellers” with a double dose of L’s for lushly long leisure vacations.</li><li>========================</li></ul>



TravelBoom OUT



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 229 – 5 Trends For Your Hotel’s Email Marketing in 2023 

Good Day fellow hoteliers and welcome to episode 228 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast!&nbsp; I’m Pete DiMaio and I have a dire warning for all hoteliers out there!&nbsp; Watch out for the ADA Ambulance Chasers! Our industry, and us specifically, have seen an uptick in hoteliers getting served civil suits for their website not being accessible.&nbsp; This can be very costly and very time-consuming, not to mention really hurt your feelings.&nbsp; Today on the podcast I am going to walk you through what we have seen, what you can do, and how you can ensure you stay accessible to all.



First and foremost: You want your hotel website to be accommodating to everyone, regardless of ability.&nbsp; Not because it is the law, but because it is the right thing to do.&nbsp; As hoteliers, we are charged with being welcoming and hospitable to all travelers.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Enjoy the full podcast above and reference the links and tools discussed below:



ADA and WCAG background



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>A brief history of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990">Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990</a></li><li>The ADA wasn’t ever intended to cover the web (unless you’re in the 9th Circuit)</li><li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</a> (WCAG) were first published in 1999 by the W3C, with the latest edition 2.1 being published in 2018</li></ul>



Tools to check your website&#8217;s accessibility:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Lighthouse: Chrome browser tool</li><li>Wave: <a href="https://wave.webaim.org/">https://wave.webaim.org/</a>&nbsp;</li><li>AccessibilityChecker.org: <a href="https://www.accessibilitychecker.org/">https://www.accessibilitychecker.org/</a>&nbsp;</li><li>Avoid PowerMapper&nbsp;</li></ul>



Remember, WCAG 2.1 adherence is a snapshot in time, not a once-and-done thing. Continually recheck your site to ensure you are staying accessible to all as well as staying within the current regulations. 







TravelBoom OUT



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 228 – Watch Out For the ADA Ambulance Chasers! ￼

2023 is basically here and at the time of recording, we only have about 6 working weeks until we ring in the new year.  For a lot of hoteliers out there, 2022 was a pretty good year.  Occupancy was strong, ARD was up, and RevPAR was positive. 



Not everything was great though and increasing costs, labor shortages, and the remnants of the pandemic all took their toll on travel.  2022 was largely a good year, but it could have been so much better.  



This brings us into the present day and looking forward to 2023.  Depending on who you ask, it could be a great year.  Others might say it’s going to be a long, hard, uphill battle.  The truth is somewhere in between and your marketing strategies will define your hotel’s reality.  



One thing is certain though, your analytics will be the map that guides you along the way.&nbsp; The question is will you be ready for the big changes coming to tracking and reporting in 2023?&nbsp;&nbsp;



To set the stage, you must absolutely demand accuracy and a forward-thinking approach to your hotel analytics.  There are absolutely zero excuses for having poor data.  There ar zero excuses for not being able to answer the question, “where is my revenue coming from?” There are zero excuses for not being able to quickly identify the holes in your marketing ship.



Today on this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast Short Fuze I’m going share exactly what you will need to do to make sure the data you’re using to make decisions is correct and can be trusted.



Demand #1: Google Analytics 4 (GA4)



Demand to your partners is to get GA4 implemented now.  Do not wait any more, do not assume it will be easy, and definitely do not assume it will all take care of itself.  



Everyone already knows about Google’s migration from Universal Analytics (GA3) over to GA4.  Google is stating that as of July 1, 2023, they will no longer write data to Universal Analytics.  Meaning if you haven’t made the switch to the new reporting system your reporting will end.  Furthermore, if you haven’t already switched there’s a good chance you won’t have good year-over-year comparisons to aid in your decision-making.



I’ll make a bold prediction.&nbsp; Google is going to extend this deadline.



As marketers, we have already had two full years to work on the transition from UA to GA4.  However, our experience is very few marketers are ready.  In fact, we are struggling with a lot of 3rd party systems and booking engines that are not set up yet for GA4.  This is also not just in the hotel industry, it’s throughout the web.  I don’t see how Google is going to be able to stand its ground and shut off UA when so many users are not ready yet.  



As a web developer, I can’t fully implement GA4 without everyone downstream implementing first.&nbsp; I can’t fully test my implementation until their implementations are complete.&nbsp; I certainly can’t have accurate YOY reporting if only a portion of my tracking is complete.&nbsp;



Furthermore, GA4 requires a different mindset, and the names, reports, and data are going to be different.  I’ve found it takes significant time to get your mind out of UA and into GA4.



Demand #2: Get to Know Data Studio



Demand you and your team have access to simple (or complex) data studio reports.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Data Studio has been a revolutionary tool for hoteliers in that you are able to create reports that can be accessed by anyone in the organization, easily filtered, and able to be used without any technical or analytics background.



Best of all these are very, very, easy to set up and configure.  We have been working over the years to set these up as standard procedures for new clients and it really does make life a lot easier.  Data studio won’t answer your “why” questions, but it will tell you where you currently are and lead you to the right questions to start asking. Though you can create more advanced DS reports that go pretty far into the &#8220;why category.



Demand #3: Testing Your Analytics Attribution



Demand your agency, team, and yourself to test your entire process and ensure you’re tracking at 100%.



This one is not always as simple as it sounds but is incredibly important.  Here’s what you need to do:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Grab your credit card and open a spreadsheet</li><li>Document your potential sources of traffic that you can track (email, PPC, social, chamber/DMO, etc)</li><li>If you’re familiar with Google Tag Assistant or other Chrome Extensions, have that loaded and ready </li><li>In a new incognito browser search for your ad/listing/etc and click on it to enter your site.  </li><li>Click around, leave the site, come back and go to the booking engine</li><li>Make an actual booking for a date in the future that won’t impact real users</li><li>Note the value of the booking including room total, resort fees, taxes</li><li>Now, go into your analytics and confirm the right attribution and total.  Note that this may take some time to populate.  Sometimes you may need to check the next day.</li><li>Repeat this process (in new incognito browsers) for other sources of traffic</li></ul>



Assuming everything is tracking correctly, congratulations!



TravelBoom OUT



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


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Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 227 – Demand The Reporting Your Hotel Needs to Succeed

Get ready ladies and gentlemen, Black Friday and Cyber Monday is here and if past years are any indication, 2022 is going to be another gang-buster year for hoteliers.



In today’s episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we are going to revisit an article from last year laying out the ideal hotel plan to maximize revenue from customers when they already have their wallets out for some of the best sales of the year.



<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-black-friday-for-hoteliers/">admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-black-friday-for-hoteliers/</a>&nbsp;



To set the stage let’s consider these key facts&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>According to the National Retailers Foundation, last year the overall shopping season (Black Friday through Christmas) grew 14.1% over 2020 to $886.7 billion.&nbsp;</li><li>Last year’s Black Friday sales alone came in at $8.9 billion, down 1.3% from 2020.&nbsp;</li><li>The Black Friday season has stretched out even longer over the last couple of years, though, so you may want to start searching sooner. Last year, we saw a decent number of travel and entertainment deals from October 1-December 4.&nbsp;</li></ul>



Now is the time to start executing your cyber sale plans, but before you do, ask yourself these three questions?



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Do hotels and resorts need to participate in Black Friday/Cyber Monday?</li><li>What should a hotelier do to launch a successful cyber sale?</li><li>What should a hotelier NEVER due during a cyber sale?</li></ol>



You can find us collectively, as well as the show notes at TravelBoomMarketing.com.&nbsp; So there you go, that&#8217;s another Hotel Marketing Podcast in the books.&nbsp; Don&#8217;t worry though, we&#8217;ll be back with the latest hotel news, tips, and how-to guides next week.&nbsp;&nbsp;



========================



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newsaroos:</h3>



No newsaroos today



========================



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">60 Seconds To Success:</h3>







Stop tricking your guests!  It’s surprising that in the year 2022, this is something that we continually see in the hotel space.  However, we see it all the time where a property will say it’s “kid friendly” because it has a pool, or the unit is a “suite” because it has a half wall separating the couch from the bed.   You’re only tricking yourself because the guest you tricked the 1st time will never be the guest you trick the 2nd time.  This is straight up a horrible practice and one that hoteliers need to stop immediately.  Instead of trying to fake it, lean in on what you’re able to deliver.  Customer service, quality, excitement… whatever it may be, make it who you are.  If you’re not kid-friendly, but want to be, you can make that happen for way less than the lifetime value of just a few tricked guests.



========================



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 226 – Three Questions That Will Make or Break Your Hotel’s Black Friday Success

Today we will dig into one of our favorite topics, the OTAs… More specifically how you can leverage the OTAs to drive direct bookings over the long term.&nbsp; Jeremy Razook recently penned a great article on TravelBoom named “The #1 OTA Strategy for Hotels Doesn’t Include OTAs” at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/ota-strategy-for-hotels/">admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/ota-strategy-for-hotels/</a>.



The premise is pretty straightforward, OTAs don’t have to be the cornerstone of your booking strategy.&nbsp; Sure there’s a place, but not at the expense of a direct booking.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1: Only use the OTAs at the right times</h2>



To start with, OTAs can be a great new business strategy.&nbsp; Their reach far exceeds your own brand’s and they are able to engage guests much earlier in the conversion funnel.&nbsp;



Don’t approach OTAs the same way year-round. If your peak season is in the summer and your off-season is in the winter, modify your OTA inventory to reflect that. If you know you’re going to sell your high-end units during peak months, don’t put them on the OTAs. Instead, push your lowest-priced inventory as a way to sustain visibility but also draw the consumer to your own website where they can select other room types.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2: Create a data mining strategy to “acquire” your existing OTA guests</h2>



When an OTA guest checks in, your primary goal should be to get their email address. Make sure that you have the ability to communicate with them and foster an ongoing relationship from the moment they arrive at your hotel through the post-stay survey. When an OTA guest checks out, your primary goal is to ensure that the guest never appears as an OTA booking again.



The OTAs are going to be hammering your guests before and after their stay.&nbsp; You would be very well served to step up your game, onboard your OTA guests to your property, and convert them to direct bookings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3: Don’t let the OTAs steal your guests</h2>



OTAs do a great job of being the worst of all business buzzwords… omnipresent.  TripAdvisor, Google Hotel Ads, and even your brand searches.  Your hotel should also be omnipresent to the guest as they progress down the funnel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4: Deliver what the OTAs can’t</h2>



Luckily for you, the OTAs are not in the inventory business.&nbsp; You are the one who ultimately owns the property and the experience.&nbsp; Therefore, deliver what the OTAs can’t.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>ALWAYS offer the lowest rate</li><li>Offer on-site benefits when booking direct such as early check-in and late checkout</li><li>Everyone likes to be treated like a VIP.&nbsp; A free snack bag, room upgrade, or any number of benefits can make a direct booking more compelling for a guest.</li><li>Create a loyalty program to encourage your guests to book direct next time.&nbsp; Better yet, allow them to apply their current, OTA-booked, stay toward their rewards.</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5: Ask your guests to book direct</h2>



This may sound overly simple, but people do what you ask them to do IF you actually take the time to ask them. This is no different from nudging potential guests to book direct.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Before: Website promotions and call center scripts</li><li>During: On-site signage, staff talking points, welcome emails/texts</li><li>After: Post stay thank you messages and surveys, anniversary messages</li></ul>



<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2022-leisure-travel-trends-study/">Download your free copy of the 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study by TravelBoom here!</a>



========================



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newsaroos:</h3>



Statista- “Online travel platforms lower prices for consumers”



<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/online-travel-platforms-lower-prices-for-consumers/ar-AA114M2d">https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/online-travel-platforms-lower-prices-for-consumers/ar-AA114M2d</a>



========================



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">60 Seconds To Success:</h3>







In episode 225 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we review how to reduce your reliance on OTAs.&nbsp; One of the most important things you can do in order to make that happen is to create a solid strategy to convert OTA guests into direct guests on their next visit.&nbsp; The best way to do this… wait for it… ASK THEM! Most guests are not vested in booking directly to help you.&nbsp; They booked with the OTA because it was more convenient and what they were aware of.&nbsp; Your job is to make them aware that booking direct is better.&nbsp; Create an aggressive strategy where you reach out before the stay, after the stay, and at a certain time beyond that (such as booking anniversary).&nbsp; Tell them why they should book direct and then specifically ask them to book direct next time.



========================



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 225 – Stop Including OTAs in your Hotel’s OTA Strategy

Welcome to episode 224 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast.&nbsp; Today is September 12th and this episode will be a TravelBoom Short Fuze!&nbsp; This is a bite-size episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast that gives you the data to make smarter decisions.&nbsp; In today’s episode, we cover budget season.&nbsp; It’s already on everyone’s mind and most hoteliers have already started putting the figures together.&nbsp; However, if you’re simply regurgitating your 2021 or 2022 budget with a few updates, you’re going to be missing the mark.&nbsp;







First: Like Your ADR, Marketing Prices Are Rising



We are seeing prices rise across the board. Technology systems, labor rates, utilities, and everything in between is on the rise, which is also going to include marketing costs.  Expect your costs to increase so that you are not caught off guard when they do.  



Properties do a pretty good job factoring in operational increases and revenue managers are tasked with making sure the ADR can cover costs. However, are you also factoring in the increased cost of marketing into your forecasts?&nbsp;&nbsp;



Second: Budget For Major Site Overhauls



Most hotels are working with dated technology regarding their primary online presence. With the pandemic, we saw investment in site design drop considerably.&nbsp; Believe it or not, if you haven’t had a major overhaul or complete site post covid your primary conversion tool is going to be going on four years old… an eternity in web years. Things like headless design, proper schema markups, chat system, mobile performance and more have dramatically changed and it’s all costing the hotelier with an old site.



Site aside the budget and start thinking about how you can invest in a better mousetrap in 2023.



Third: Plan For A Paid Search Shift



We have talked a lot about how Google is the 800lb gorilla in terms of paid search, well they are now the 1600lb gorilla with their strong entrance into the metasearch world.  Very quickly Google Hotel Ads are taking share from TripAdvisor, meaning a budget shift is needed.



Furthermore, we are seeing customers increasing their reliance on a wider range of meta-search engines such as Trivago, Kayak, Microsoft Hotel Ads, and others.  These are end-of-funnel conversion opportunities and you absolutely need to allocate enough budget to ensure you have a high impression share.  



Fourth: Budget For the Staff to Make It Happen



For the fourth item, I want to just remind you of the importance of keeping and attracting great staff, which goes beyond housekeeping, maintenance, and others.  Your overall personnel budget is going to get bigger in 2023, plan for it now so you’re not scrambling next year.  



This extends to your marketing staff as well.  Remote positions are easy to find and you don’t want to lose your talent and institutional knowledge because you&#8217;re paying your team too little in today’s inflationary environment.



Fifth: Invest In The Technology To Make Everything Else Work Better



Most likely you already have a good CRM system for communicating with guests via email, SMS, app messages, and more.  However, are you putting the time and effort into making it actually work as hard for you as possible?  Allocate the time and budget to understand the systems you have.  Absolutely invest the time into pushing the limits of what it can do.  



Your email and CRM systems are the most valuable assets you have.  The most recent Leisure Travel Trends Study shows that over a third of booked stays may be canceled due to rising prices.  If you’re not budgeting for communicating aggressively, you’re going to be costing yourself real money in cancellations and missed bookings.



<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2022-leisure-travel-trends-study/">Download your free copy of the 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study by TravelBoom here!</a>



========================



Listener Feedback:







None today, share your questions at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/podcast-feedback/ ">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/podcast-feedback/ </a>







========================



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 224 – 5 Changes That Will Shake Up Hotel Budget Season

Welcome to the TravelBoom Short Fuze!&nbsp; This is a bite-size episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast that gives you the data to make smarter decisions.&nbsp; In today’s episode, we cover James Carvelle’s famous quote, “It’s the economy stupid.” James was talking about the 1992 presidential election, but his words ring true for those in the travel space today.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Here’s the situation.&nbsp; <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2022-leisure-travel-trends-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In our latest edition of the Leisure Travel Trends Study</a>, one fact stood out above all others.&nbsp; Only 13.5% of travelers consider COVID to be a significant influence on their travel plans.&nbsp; That&#8217;s right, 86% don’t really care.&nbsp; This is great right, we can all go on our merry way and get back to where we were before.&nbsp; Not so fast, because just as we slayed one boogyman, another one rises to take its place.



What’s that new boogyman?&nbsp; It’s the economy stupid! Every metric measured in the study points to consumers being nervous and changing their travel behavior due to rising costs and a less secure economy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where COVID stands in the traveler’s mind.</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image-1024x919.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11207" width="387" height="347" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image-1024x919.png 1024w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image-300x269.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image-768x689.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image.png 1154w" sizes="(max-width: 387px) 100vw, 387px" /></figure></div>


Since our last major leisure travel study in 2019, the world has changed considerably and COVID has created major changes in traveler behavior.



For the past three years, the pandemic has rocked the travel world. However, now that the storm has largely passed, it is important for hoteliers to remember that a portion of the population is still very concerned about COVID. The level of concern varies significantly based on demographics and traveler location.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Economic uncertainty is shaking leisure travel confidence.</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/DVAFU6PukxUXNeDgmND3mBLf6HT9rYnx18GP2gck_zEGy2HbDVMFzmjByMaopUaS82dVG-1prPSHb_FHe9f3SQwOF65qi4lxZ12bzrDj2ASzpSoHXHleDWSBjEki1jhwf0RsavwbhloVpo6BVv7Qybs" alt="" width="-668" height="-607"/></figure></div>


The data is clear, customers are less confident today due to rising prices and uncertainty.&nbsp; We asked our respondents to indicate the top three reasons they would not be traveling.&nbsp; Budget concerns, transportation costs, and lodging costs were far and away the most important factors.&nbsp; On top of that of respondents who had already booked a vacation, 35.9% indicated that higher travel costs would make them consider canceling their already-booked vacation.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">How Hoteliers Can Succeed In A Recession</h3>



As a rule of thumb, you do not want to cut rate in a down economy.&nbsp; Your expenses are increasing, vacancy is growing, and reducing your RevPAR would be a recipe for disaster.&nbsp; Our suggestion?&nbsp; Be the best hotelier you can be, offer an amazing product, and market smarter than your competitors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



We have a library of great ways a hotelier can succeed in the past 222 episodes.&nbsp; Today we are going to look at a few specific items that are related to our Leisure Travel Trends Study.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Have an insanely good communications strategy. &nbsp;If 35.9% of your reservations may cancel, you need to keep selling right through the guest stay and beyond. Listen to episode 221 for more information.</li><li>Consider a loyalty program. 60% of loyalty program members say they influence their booking decision. If a loyalty program is possible for a property, or group of properties, the savvy hotelier will fully explore these options.</li><li>Audit your conversion funnel. 91% of those 35 and younger book vacations online, and that number is growing. Nearly three-quarters of people across demographics book online.</li><li>Sell value, sell experience, sell “time.”&nbsp; Don’t race to the bottom of offering discounts on top of discounts.&nbsp; Instead, maximize value, promote exclusive amenities, and drive the experience a guest will enjoy through the roof.</li><li>Don’t lose revenue with stupid mistakes. Check your OTA rate parity, and make sure you’re available everywhere a consumer would look when booking.&nbsp; Don’t be the lazy marketer who stands around and waits for guests to walk in the door.</li></ul>



<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2022-leisure-travel-trends-study/">Download your free copy of the 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study by TravelBoom here!</a>



========================



Listener Feedback:







None today, share your questions at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/podcast-feedback/ ">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/podcast-feedback/ </a>







========================



Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 223 – Forget COVID, It’s All About the Economy

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It’s finally here!  The 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study.  Chock full of wholesome travel insights, free range tips, and gluten-free hotel marketing data.  Download your copy of the study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2022-leisure-travel-trends-study/">TravelBoomMarketing.com/LeisureTravel</a>.



The latest study shows concerning trends in how leisure travelers are changing their planning process and the increasing importance of price/cost.&nbsp; Get the full study here, and enjoy these two key takeaways from Pete and Leanne.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pete’s Top 2</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">#1: The single most important factor in choosing travel dates</h3>



This one surprised me a little, but we asked the question, “What is the most important factor that impacts your travel dates (select only one)?” Work schedule… no.&nbsp; Kid’s school year… nope. Great weather or seasonality… wrong again.&nbsp; The one factor that will make a traveler pick a date is price with 46.3% of respondents noting price and 9.4% indicating a “special offer.”&nbsp; This was a big surprise since four years ago that was only 37.9%.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The takeaway, you can absolutely drive demand and shift occupancy based on rate.&nbsp; In the leisure world, July 4th is going to be 100% occupied, but can you reach out to those travelers who didn’t get room and entice them to visit you with a great offer?



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">#2: Travelers will be visiting your property’s website before booking</h3>



81.2% of all respondents said they visit an individual hotel website before they will make a booking.&nbsp; However, that figure was 86.7% in 2019.&nbsp; When we look at people under 35, only 77.8% will visit a hotel website.&nbsp; The good news is you have a direct booking through your website opportunity for every 4 out of 5 travelers.&nbsp; The bad news is the number does appear to be on the decline.



The Takeaway for me here is consumers are getting more accustomed to using search engines and meta tools to complete the booking process (other data shows an overall decline in OTA usage).&nbsp; The word I hate more than any comes in to play… Omnipresent.&nbsp; Your property needs an omnipresent rate strategy to ensure your potential guests can find you, your rate, and the ability to book anywhere they happen to be online.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leanne’s Top 2</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">#1: Loyalty programs are a critical step to keep your bookings</h3>



Regardless of how the question was worded, the majority of respondents told us that the price of a vacation was the biggest factor in their decision, with many, regardless of their annual income, saying that sales, incentives and special offers would also motivate when to travel (chosen over events, holidays, work and school schedules.) Two out of five respondents also said that rising costs could very well be reason enough to cancel their vacations!



Interestingly, a study released this month, commissioned by Amadeus, “Consumer Travel Spend Priorities 2022,” dug into the issue, asking questions that might help hoteliers find actionable ways to overcome the pricing objections. Nearly half, 47%, said they plan to spend any loyalty points they’ve previously collected to pay for upcoming trips. 49% also said they’re now more interested in co-branded credit cards that earn loyalty reward points.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">#2: Meta Search Marketing is more important than ever</h3>



While less respondents went to Expedia than Booking.com this year than in our past study, other sites with smaller percentages of visitors, like Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz, Travelocity, Trivago, and VRBO all grew in importance.&nbsp; However nearly all users began their search with either a search engine or a meta-search based site.&nbsp; All reasons why meta search marketing at the hotel level is now more important than ever.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">60 Seconds To Success:</h3>



Evaluate your hotel’s meta search exposure and plug the holes when you find them.&nbsp; This one is big and something every hotelier needs to be very focused on moving forward.&nbsp; In the latest Leisure Travel Study, we are seeing OTA usage decline and a major uptick in meta tools such as Google, Microsoft, Kayak, and others.&nbsp; Moreover we are seeing tons of third tier engines competing for rate on these platforms.&nbsp; If you’re not showing your rate on these platforms, some else is showing your rate for you.&nbsp; Don’t lose out on a direct booking by not paying attention.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/meta">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/meta</a>.



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Listener Feedback:



Do you guys think that Google reviews are getting more important than TripAdvisor? Should hotels and restaurants start focusing on that? And asking guests to review them on Google instead of TripAdvisor?



&#8211; Andrew K



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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 222 – Key Takeaways From The 2022 Leisure Travel Study

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<figure class="alignright size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="368" height="319" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TravelBoom-HigherCancelationsDueToHigherCosts.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-11162" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TravelBoom-HigherCancelationsDueToHigherCosts.jpg 368w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TravelBoom-HigherCancelationsDueToHigherCosts-300x260.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 368px) 100vw, 368px" /></figure></div>


Way back in <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/hotel-marketing-podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-69-5-simple-marketing-psychology-hacks-to-increase-direct-bookings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">episode 69</a> we talked about how hoteliers can apply a few simple marketing psychology fundamentals to help drive direct bookings.  We covered the tried and true strategies such as creating urgency, reinforcing via social proof, anchoring, and many other ways to move vacation shoppers to vacation bookers. If you want to learn more about using these strategies in your hotel marketing, check out <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/marketing-psychology-tactics-for-hotels/">Alysa Foriska’s article at right here</a>. 



We’re entering a new era in marketing though, and now&nbsp; more than ever, you should be spending as much time focusing on keeping your existing bookings as you do on driving new bookings.&nbsp; You may be asking yourself, “Why TravelBoom?&nbsp; Why would I spend my money when I&#8217;ve already won a new guest?”&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1 Recency</h2>



If you don’t communicate with your upcoming guests it is possible that they’ll start to lose interest and forget how amazing your property is, and even consider canceling their stay if something better comes along.&nbsp; This is why staying in front of your upcoming guests is so critical in these chaotic times.&nbsp;&nbsp;



It is said the average person sees between 6,000 and 10,000 marketing messages every single day, all of which are competing for the dollars your future bookings could reallocate.&nbsp; You need a plan, a plan to always be top of mind.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Social Proof</h2>



What better way to remind your future guests that they are in for a great visit than to show them people currently enjoying their own great visit? The concept of social proof is based on the reality that most people are inherently “followers.”&nbsp; Where one goes, others often follow.&nbsp; How can you do this?&nbsp; Tools like Flip.to, which is a powerful brand advocacy tool, allow you to curate user generated content from your past guests and share it with future guests. &nbsp; Simple reviews can be added to emails, Instagram shots can be added to your site.&nbsp; There are tons of great options, which we will be covering in just a few minutes.



<h2 class="has-text-align-left wp-block-heading">#3 Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance</h2>


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Cognitive Dissonance is the doubt and inconstant thoughts that creep into the mind.  This can be a challenge for a hotelier and marketer because as soon as a purchase is made, the mind will start wondering if they’ve made the right decision and if that money could be used for something else.  



Overcoming this can actually be quite easy.&nbsp; Simply keep reminding your guests of the value they are going to be receiving regularly between booking and stay. If you’re able to keep reminding your guests that they made a great choice and their decision is smart, they’re going to be much more likely to go through with the trip.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How Do You Put These Psychological Tools To Work?</h2>



Step one of putting these tools to work is to remember what Alex Baldwin said in Glengarry Glen Ross, “A. B. C. A, always. B, be. C, closing. Always Be Closing!”  Build out your post booking strategy, which should consist of some of the following (at a minimum)?



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Staff Training: when a guest calls to cancel, what does the staff to do keep a booking?</li><li>Content: what great content have you produced that will remind a guest why they chose to stay with you?</li><li>Email: what is your post booking email automation strategy? Are you sending enough messages to overcome doubt and fear?</li><li>Social Channels: What can you do on your social channels to remind upcoming guests that they would be crazy to not vacation at your property/area?</li><li>Outreach: Do you a plan in place to proactively reach out to upcoming guests to make them feel welcome via phone?</li><li>SMS/Text: Does your CRM system allow you to send triggered SMS/text messages to engage your guests before arrival?</li></ul>







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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newsaroos:</h3>



Americans Cancel Summer Vacations:



<a href="https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article121637.html">https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article121637.html</a> 







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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">60 Seconds To Success:</h3>



The bookings you have on the books may not have really booked and the booking may fall off the books.&nbsp; That is if you don’t proactively communicate and continue selling your property in the lag time between a booking and a stay.&nbsp; New data from a recent TravelBoom study shows that up to one third of all travelers who have already booked a stay would consider canceling due to rising costs.&nbsp; This is above and beyond the typical reasons a guest would cancel a stay.



What do you do?  You keep the marketing pedal down and have a strong post-booking communications strategy for your upcoming guests. Continue to sell your location, promote your on-site amenities, extoll the virtues of a vacation, stay top of mind.  Hey, you might find you’re able to drive some great incremental revenue with room upgrades and on-site purchases, all while reducing your cancellation rate.



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Listener Feedback:



I need your professional opinion please. On Saturday July 9th we arrived at the ____________in ________ around 11am ish.



Lightning struck a near by tower and the entire hotel lost power until well after 9:15pm. Mind you this past Saturday July 9th it topped at 108 degrees that afternoon when we lost all power and to make it worse I was in going up in the elevator to floor 3 to our corner room and got stuck between floors. So I am by myself with no phone, no A/C and very dim. I was here for over 40 minutes that felt like four days.



The fire squad &amp; police department did eventually rescue me. And I was walked out of the elevator and straight to my hot room. I expected an apology from the hotel staff in the least. But nope. Not even words of an apology.



The hotel only gave us a credit of $55.39 for my time served in the elevator . I’m am so livid! What do you think they should have dove for me?



Now I left out all the other details of the trouble that came before the storm and the fact that we were there celebrating me completing my 1 year Breast Cancer Free. These people were unbelievably unsympathetic to anyone of us that weekend.



Thank you, I just wanted an expert&#8217;s opinion.



Heather



Tune in to the TravelBoom Hotel Marketing Podcast to here the full answer as well as expert recommendations from a major property management company.



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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 221 – Three Ways To Use Marketing Psychology To Save Your Existing Bookings

Welcome to episode #220 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast. I’m your host Pete DiMaio and this will not be a boring book club, this is going to be a soaring book club!&nbsp; Not just because of the book we’ll be covering, but because of our all-star guest lineup!



First of all, we have one of the real women of vacation rentals… Co-host of the Alex and Annie Podcast and Chief Marketing Officer at Condo-World, welcome back to Alex Husner!



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.condo-world.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Condo-World</a></li><li><a href="https://www.alexandanniepodcast.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alex And Annie Podcast</a></li></ul>



We also have the return of the best host the show has ever had, as well as the Chief Marketing Officer at the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce &#8211; it’s Stuart Butler!



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VisitMyrtleBeach.com</a></li><li><a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 1rem;" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/MyrtleBeachCOC/featured" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Myrtle Beach CoC YouTube</a></li></ul>



So this is going to be a unique episode of the podcast where we’ll be bringing together industry experts to talk about a piece of literature that’s changing marketing and could impact your property.&nbsp; Each quarter we’ll cover one book and tie the message back to the hospitality industry.&nbsp; Today, we’ll be covering Donald Miller’s #1 best seller, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329">Building A Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen</a>.&nbsp;



Book Summary:



Donald Miller makes the case in his 2017 book that marketers make it way too hard for customers to understand what they offer and incredibly too difficult to conduct business.&nbsp; He does this by pointing out that marketing is nothing more than telling a great story.&nbsp; Like the great movies we all love, we too can create a story for our customers that engages and connects.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Throughout the book, Miller shows us that marketing, like movies and storytelling, is very formulaic.&nbsp;&nbsp;



A CHARACTER who wants something encounters a PROBLEM before they can get it. At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, gives them a PLAN, and CALLS THEM TO ACTION. That action helps them avoid FAILURE and ends in a SUCCESS.



Discussion:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Who is the hero, and who is the guide?</li><li>Is a vacation life or death?&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Don’t make your hotel’s story too complex.</li><li>Customers don’t want to be convinced, they want help solving a problem.</li></ul>



<div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-6 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
Alex&#8217;s Review:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="157" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3_half-Condo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11001" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3_half-Condo.png 800w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3_half-Condo-300x59.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3_half-Condo-768x151.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>3.5 out of 5 Condos</figcaption></figure></div>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
Stuart&#8217;s Review:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="157" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3-Condo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11002" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3-Condo.png 800w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3-Condo-300x59.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3-Condo-768x151.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>3 out of 5 Condos</figcaption></figure></div>
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<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
Pete&#8217;s Review



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="157" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/4-Condo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11003" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/4-Condo.png 800w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/4-Condo-300x59.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/4-Condo-768x151.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>4 out of 5 Condos</figcaption></figure></div>
</div>
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Upcoming Book:



Join TravelBoom and the cast for the next book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Youtility-Smart-Marketing-about-Help/dp/1591846668" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTility by Jay Baer</a>.



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newsaroos:</h3>



For the Week Ending June 18th, U.S. Hotel Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) Reached an All-time Weekly High



<a href="https://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-121387.html">https://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-121387.html</a>











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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 220 – TravelBoom Book Club – Building A StoryBrand

On today&#8217;s episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast we are diving in to one of the most popular articles we have ever written, <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/social-media-post-ideas-hotels/">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/social-media-post-ideas-hotels/</a>. In this article we lay out everything a hotel needs to do to win at the <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/services/social/">social media marketing for hotels</a> game. Since this is such a big article we are going to look at just the top 5 social media tips for hotels and share a few things to avoid.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5 Social Media Tips</h2>



<ul class="is-style-checklist-primary wp-block-list"><li>#1: Understand Your Core Audience</li><li>#2: Stick To Your Brand Standards, But Embrace What Makes Each Platform Unique</li><li>#3: Make Sure Your Profile Is Complete</li><li>#4: Interact With Your Fans/Followers and Be Genuine</li><li>#5: Make a Calendar and Make Sure Your Team Knows About It</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Social Media Mistakes Never Do This!</h2>



<ul class="is-style-checklist-primary wp-block-list"><li>#1: Stop being redundant. Facebook&#8217;s algorithm can work against you if you post twice (or more) in one day or even post every single day. If your posts are too similar, Facebook may view them as spam.</li><li>#2: Never Break the 80/20 Rule Like many things in life, the 80 / 20 rule also applies to self-promotion on social media. 80 percent of the time you should be encouraging page engagement, sharing relevant content and being genuinely helpful. Save the remaining 20 percent for partnerships, promotions and positive reviews.</li><li>#3: Don&#8217;t ghost your fans/followers Yes, there’s Truth Social, Rumble, Facebook, MeWe, Tik Tok and tons of other social channels, however if you can’t manage them, don’t be on there! Only engage on channels you can actually effective monitor and use on a daily basis. &nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newsaroos:</h3>



Hotels Considering Converting Excess Room Inventory to NFTs



<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/hotels-using-nfts-to-create-a-stubhub-for-lodging-reservations-11653393601">https://www.wsj.com/articles/hotels-using-nfts-to-create-a-stubhub-for-lodging-reservations-11653393601</a>







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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">60 Seconds To Success:</h3>







Al Pacino has an incredible speech in the movie Any Given Sunday.&nbsp; His team is down, time is running out, and he has to get his team motivated.&nbsp; If you haven’t listened to the clip recently, I’ve got it included in our show notes.&nbsp; Basically, football is a game of inches, an inch here, an inch there.&nbsp; Each inch is what matters, not the yards, but each inch.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The same is true for your hotel’s conversion rate.&nbsp; There’s no 80 yard miracle plays, there’s just one fraction of a percent at a time.&nbsp; But when you add a fraction of a percent each day, they stack, and you win.



Stop thinking about the big plays to revolutionize your site conversion rate and start thinking about those fractions of a percent.&nbsp; 1/10% improvement in site to engine conversion, 1/4% on mobile, 1/8% in your click through rate.&nbsp; They all add up and they’re all achievable.&nbsp; Start doing the little A/B tests that result in a small incremental improvement, but do lots of them.&nbsp; From there, your competing hotels won’t stand a chance.



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g3_-sfJlEw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g3_-sfJlEw</a>







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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_travelboom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.


<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 219 – 5 Social Media Tips For Hotels + 3 Things to Always Avoid

Your local profile and rankings are a critical step to ensuring your hotel is maximizing your potential impression share to guests.  We have a comprehensive article with the 12 things every hotel should do at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/local-seo-for-hotels/">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/local-seo-for-hotels/</a> and today we are going to look at five of the items on the list that can help improve <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/services/hotel-seo/">SEO for hotels</a>.



Start with these five, before diving into the rest of the checklist…



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Verify your hotel’s Google Business Profile listing</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>This should really be your starting point for local search optimization, as verified businesses are more likely to appear in local searches than unverified businesses.</li><li>The actual process of claiming your listing is simple:<ul><li>Type your hotel’s name in the Google search bar</li><li>Select the “Own this business?” option in the knowledge graph</li><li>From there you will provide additional information about your business and select a verification method</li></ul></li><li>If your hotel is new, you can add your business via Google Maps</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Complete your listing’s attributes</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Attributes tell customers more about your hotel and can be a differentiating factor from the competition. Think of attributes as the amenities and services that your hotel offers.</li><li>These attributes will typically display in your hotel’s knowledge graph in Google Search, Maps and Travel</li><li>Google has a fairly large selection of attribute categories to choose from for hotels and are separated into two groups: Property details and Room details</li><li>Under property details, you’ll find categories like:<ul><li>Pools</li><li>Activities</li><li>Food &amp; drink</li><li>Pets</li><li>Wellness and so forth</li></ul></li><li>Other features include Health &amp; Safety, Eco Friendliness, and Sustainability</li><li>Under room details, categories include general room features like A/C and bath information, and food-related room features like kitchen and cooking appliances available in the rooms</li><li>Just know that customers can influence attributes that appear on your listing via proposed edits on Search. It’s a good idea to audit your listing from time to time because of this.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Manage and respond to reviews</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Google knows people like to read reviews before making a decision for any particular product. So it’s not surprising that reviews factor into Google’s local ranking algorithm.</li><li>Whether good or bad, you should be taking the time to respond to reviews on your listing. Doing so demonstrates that you value your guests and humanizes your business</li><li>No cookie-cutter responses. Tailor your response to each individual review.&nbsp;</li><li>Also, don’t stuff your responses with keywords, and don’t directly ask reviewers to leave keywords in their reviews. It comes off as disingenuous.<ul><li>With that said, that doesn’t mean you can’t influence reviewers to leave keywords in their reviews, which could potentially help your local search presence.</li></ul></li><li>Should you delete negative reviews? No. A listing with positive and negative reviews is an indicator of authenticity. It’s also your chance to respond and improve.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Upload high-quality images and/or videos</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Photos and videos are a huge determining factor in a traveler’s purchasing decision. These assets should include exterior shots, rooms, amenities, food services, etc.</li><li>Your images and videos should be high resolution</li><li>Anyone can add photos or videos to your listing. It’s a good idea to audit these assets uploaded by customers periodically and flag any photos that misrepresent your property</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Optimize your website for long-tail local keywords</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Most of what we’ve discussed is off page SEO and optimizing your Google listing. Now comes the on-page SEO and strategizing local content that travelers are searching for.</li><li>Google says that a website’s position in the organic search results is in fact a local ranking factor. So it’s important that you optimize your website’s content to match local searches.&nbsp;</li><li>We know that it’s incredibly difficult for independent hotel websites to rank for broad search terms like “hotel + location” (think along the lines of “hotels in las vegas” or “new york hotels”.) That’s why hotels should optimize for long-tail search queries.</li><li>Search queries like “hotels for + traveler”, “hotels with + amenity”, and “hotels near + attraction/landmark” (e.g. “hotels in las vegas for families”, “charleston hotels with indoor pools”) typically offer a much better opportunity for independent hotel websites to rank in the search results.&nbsp;<ul><li>People searching for such specific queries are also more likely further down the purchasing funnel.</li></ul></li><li>This also doesn’t have to be specific to just property-specific keywords. This is a chance for your hotel website to become a source of information for your guests and anyone traveling to your area that may be looking for more information.</li><li>We recommend using our <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/proper-keyword-research-important-hotel/">Keyword Research for Hotels</a> guide to get started, which you can find in the TravelBoom blog. Once you’ve found the local keywords you want to target, incorporate them into the appropriate web pages and/or <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/create-kickass-website-content/">create kick-ass hotel content</a> that will help grow your hotel’s local search presence.</li></ul>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newsaroos:</h3>



Facebook Is Removing Support for Podcasts, Just 10 Months After Launching New Podcast Features



<a href="https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebooks-removing-support-for-podcasts-just-10-months-after-launching-ne/623058/">https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebooks-removing-support-for-podcasts-just-10-months-after-launching-ne/623058/</a>







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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">60 Seconds To Success:</h3>



Take a few minutes to thank your team. We’re continually talking with hoteliers who have staffing issues.&nbsp; Whether it be housekeeping, maintenance, or front desk staff; finding good team members is incredibly difficult.&nbsp; On top of that, your all-stars are probably being hunted to join your competition.



The easiest way to to retain, and attract new, staff is to constantly show gratitude and thanks for the hard work your team is putting in day-in and day-out.&nbsp; First and foremost, you need to be paying a fair wage in today’s economy.&nbsp; However, once you have that done.&nbsp; A simple thank you for exceptional service, the occasional donuts for the staff in the morning, working to accommodate time off, and those little personal touches that connect one human to another are critical to staff development.



Think about the concept of surprise and delight that we apply to our guests and do the same thing for your staff.&nbsp; They’re the ones that deliver the experience to visitors and you should be thinking about how you can deliver the same to them.



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<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A STACK OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOA</a><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D FOR FREE!</a>

Hotel Marketing Podcast