Top Tips to Increase Direct Bookings on Your Hotel Website?

by Puja Sharma Content Writer

If you manage one of the hotels in Bangalore or the 5 star resorts in India, you must be wondering how to boost direct bookings on your hotel’s website. Many customers may do so via third-party portals or apps. How do you get them to show interest in your hotel’s site and book from there? These are questions that cross the mind of a hotelier or anyone in the hospitality sector. Read on.

• One of the first ways to boost direct bookings is to create brand engagement about the chain of 5 star resorts in India on your website and social media. Get a user-friendly and aesthetic website done, and share your content on social media. Use all platforms to provide links to landing pages. Ensure that your website has great information and images, is easy on the eye, and has smart navigation so there are no bounce rates. If you own or manage one of the hotels in Bangalore, you should also have a blog that provides relevant, engaging and useful content. Use videos or live streams on social media and link to your website.

• Ensure that your website has responsive design and can load well on any kind of device. If someone is looking for a hotel from among your chain, they shouldn’t have to wait too long or feel frustrated while the pages load on their smartphones.

• Keep an eye on the CTA! Call to action is one of the most important aspects on your website, once a visitor lands there. Lead the person to the booking engine with a simple, crisp and no-nonsense call to action.

• Next is to make sure that your booking engine is hassle-free and responsive. Integrate your hotels’ loyalty programmes and offers with the booking engine, so that the customer can log in and redeem some special offers while they make bookings. Ensure that you pick a booking engine that has an easy-to-use interface for both your staff and the guests. Also integrate the booking engine with your profile on one of the social media channels.

• Every hotel has a range of amenities, but what is your USP? Think of that one element that makes you stand out from the rest, and highlight the same.

• Choose partners in the destinations to display your link and return the favour. Collaborations are great but choose carefully. A local heritage walk or weekend walk company could display your hotel link and you could do the same for them.

There are ways and ways to drive traffic to your website and boost bookings. You can also offer special discounts or packages for direct bookings! Go ahead and explore these steps, and you will stay booked!

POLL: Hoteliers, your hotel website — how important is it to you and what steps have you taken to increase direct bookings on your site?