Optimising your hotel's website

Your hotel's website is an essential asset when it comes to winning bookings. Plenty of platforms now let people book online, such as Booking or Hotel.com, which makes it all the more important that your own website is functional, well thought out and an immediate window onto your services, so you can hold your own against fierce competition from the OTAs.

Your website's interface

Your site's visual interface absolutely has to make guests want to book directly through you. So aim for an interface that is clear, attractive and easy to navigate. Remember, the goal is for visitors to feel almost at home with you from the very first click.

First of all, you need a booking engine. Make sure it is intuitive and simple to understand, so your guests don't lose patience and abandon a booking halfway through. You also want it to be accessible on every device people use today: computers, of course, but also tablets and smartphones.

Here are a few examples of booking engines: Reservit, Vertical Booking and Novaresa. There are many others, so it is worth comparing them to see which one best suits your needs.

The visuals on your website

It is essential to include as much information and as many photos as possible.

Start by putting the emphasis on the rooms: that is, after all, the first thing your potential guests care about. Mention the room's capacity, its size and its facilities. Make sure no questions are left unanswered when someone lands on your rooms page. It goes without saying that the photos should be of very high quality, without slowing the page down. To help with that, we recommend a tool such as TinyPNG.

Next, take the time to show the hotel's communal areas properly. If you have a gym or a spa, for instance, don't hesitate to highlight it and back it up with photos.

Finally, your pricing needs to be clear: remember to add and include tourist taxes alongside the room rates.

Standing out from the online travel agencies (OTAs)

If you can, run offers and promotions on your own website. Being available nowhere else, they will encourage guests to book directly with you. You can also create targeted offers, such as breakfast included, which won't necessarily be available on an OTA's site.

A blog section can also be the little extra that tips the balance in your favour. It is a goldmine for holidaymakers. Write about local life, upcoming events and travel tips: anything that adds to your visibility and to what people know about the area.

SEO

SEO is hugely important for your website's visibility. Pay particular attention to your headings, keywords, meta descriptions and the links within your pages. Remember that the aim is to appear at the top of search engine results. If you are struggling to find relevant keywords, we recommend Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush.

Promoting your hotel

You have to talk about your hotel. Platforms such as Tripadvisor and Trivago allow guests to compare your hotel's prices between your official website and the online booking sites. Promoting your hotel increases its visibility, which will naturally push potential future guests towards your official website rather than a platform like Booking.

Make the most of social media too. These channels are extensions of your website. Use platforms such as Instagram or Facebook to share moments from life at your hotel, promote special offers or simply tell interesting stories about your services.

Tracking how your hotel's bookings evolve

To get a clear, real-time view of the traffic on your website and your booking engine, it is important to use tools such as Google Analytics.

To go a little deeper, you can focus on your conversion rate: in other words, the number of people who go on to complete a booking.

Of course, it is also vital to keep an eye on your online booking rate.

You can dig further still with your abandonment rate, which covers the number of bookings dropped before the process was completed, or your return rate, which counts the number of people who have come back to your site more than once. By optimising your website, you not only improve its ranking in search engines, you also create an attractive, welcoming shop window for your visitors.

Now all that's left is to put this advice into practice and make your hotel shine online as much as it does in real life.

And remember: in online hospitality, the key to success lies in the details, rather like folding the towels perfectly in the rooms, wouldn't you say? If you'd like to know more about hotel trends in 2024, head over to our article.