Increase direct bookings with The Hotels Network
Review of the tech solution for the hotel's website that increases conversions and personalizes the guest experience.
Why use it?
The cost of distribution is of great importance for the hoteliers. When customers book on Expedia or Booking.com, OTAs take 10% - 25% of the revenue. Naturally, hotels want to promote their own websites as the primary booking channel for the guests. It's the cheapest way to get reservations. Hotel marketers run campaigns to attract traffic. But what happens once guests arrive at the hotel's website?
There are two issues:
Low "look to book" ratio. The guest's visit to the website does not yield a booking. There is no conversion.
Lack of personalization and segmentation. All guests receive the same user experience. They see the same rates and the same deals. Website traffic is not segmented, and offers are not personalized. As a result, hotels miss on conversion opportunities.
The Hotels Network solves these issues and helps to increase conversions and revenue.
How does it work, and what are the benefits?
Book Direct Tools
The price comparison widget allows guests to compare room rates with OTAs. It ensures that the hotel offers the best available rate. If OTA undercuts the hotel's room rate, a widget offers to match the price.
Also, there is an option to add additional benefits for booking direct. It can be any value-adding elements such as a welcome drink or late check-out.
If the rate is the same or better than on OTA and there is an additional benefit, why would guests leave the website and book somewhere else?
Reviews summary on the home page will convince customers that the hotel is right for them. The Hotels Network connects to all major review sites and allows the hotel to hand-select the reviews that will be displayed.
There is no need for the guest to leave the hotel's website and research what other guests say about the hotel. The information is available on the hotel's website. Booking is the next step, and now the chances of direct booking are significantly higher.
Saved search allows guests to send search results to their emails and even share them with friends. This feature makes it easy to come back later and book. Also, it allows hotels to capture emails and use them for future promotional campaigns.
It is very convenient. If the guest is not ready to book now, there is an easy option to return to the reservation process later. There is no need to do a new search. Just open the email and click on the link. The most important for the hotel is that guests come back to the hotel's website to book.
Personalized targeting
Hotels can show specific messages to specific users and target the right guests with the right offers. The Hotels Network allows hotels to customize the message, message format (Smart Notes, Exits, Layers, Inline Messages, etc.), and where it will be displayed on the website.
There are three unique ways to segment website visitors and deliver personalized messages:
Behaviour-based personalization
The Hotels Network built a unique algorithm that predicts what users will do next. It allows hotels to segment website visitors in real-time based on their behavior and automatically deliver highly targeted campaigns.
For example, the low-intent user who is about to leave the website will see an automatic message pop-up with offer to become a member and receive a discount.
Custom targeting rules
Hotels can create custom audiences for different messages. The audience can be customized by stay dates, country, device, length of stay, traffic source, etc. (40+ built-in criteria).
For example, the hotel can show the message "Book now and receive late check-out and daily breakfast" to users from Europe that look for two nights stay on low demand dates. This is where creativity comes into place. Talented marketers can use this tool to create really unique and highly personalized offers for different guest segments.
CRM targeting
This is the future. Now, custom targeting rules discussed above can be combined with the hotel's own guests' data. Hotels can choose to show specific messages to guests that meet a more comprehensive range of criteria.
For example, a female repeat guest who stayed in a suite and used the spa last time (CRM data) and looking to stay for one night in January (external data) will see an exclusive deal.
COVID19
Hotels also can give guests an update about operation and safety measures during the COVID19 pandemic. It's a very effective tool to keep future guests informed.
Data Analytics Tools
The Hotels Network provides hotels with excellent data analytics tools. Hotels can keep track of price disparities, track conversion KPIs, test and measure every message's effectiveness, and interpret the website's browsing patterns to understand user demand and intent.
Test It!
Visit this demo website to experience what The Hotels Network has to offer.
