
When should hotels start marketing again?
It doesn’t seem so long ago that it was business as usual for hotels and hotel marketing. Holidays, honeymoons and business trips were in full flow, and the hotel bar was flooded with people winding down after a luxurious day at the pool or on the slopes.
This last year changed everything, but we obviously don’t have to tell you that. Now as the pandemic draws to an end, there is a single question on everyone’s lips – “When will everything be back to normal?”
Hoteliers are asking “When should we start marketing again?” This isn’t a question. You should start NOW.
A harrowing season of elite competition is approaching. Hordes of delayed weddings and family holidays are going to be searching for their dream destinations. The hotels that have already begun to remarket themselves are going to snatch them up with the support of a first-rate marketing team behind them. Those that don’t? Well… there’s always next year.
To really look into the reasons why hotel marketing is so important right now, we are going to break it into two parts. Advance bookings, and last-minute (within 7 days) bookings.
Advance Bookings
Weeks, months or years ahead, advance bookings are made because of two reasons.
- They are returning customers
- You have a top-notch marketing strategy
Even if they are returning customers, at some point your marketing strategy had to hook them in anyway!
Now as restrictions ease, airlines are already preparing logistics for a gigantic influx of passengers searching for well-deserved holidays. The vast majority of people have been stuck in quarantine, isolation, and under a curfew.
Everyone needs to escape for a while.
These people are sitting at home and studying their travel destinations now. They are taking notes, comparing sunset views, examining pool accessibility and a thousand other factors to determine where they choose to go.
In a few months, they could be free to travel anywhere. You want them to visit your hotel, so that means starting immediately.
Last-minute bookings
Those bookings that appear on your radar, and a few days later the guests show up. Impulse guests are our favourites.
Why?
Impulse bookings fill up otherwise empty rooms, they are friendly and statistically they are more likely to spend more at the bar – what’s not to love?
If you wait until the global situation is back under control, then you have run out of time to attract last-minute bookings. This is partially because your branding aesthetic will not be up to date. It is also because last-minute bookings more often than not rely on recent reviews from OTAs. If your reviews are from years ago, it looks unreliable. You may have the cleanest facilities, and the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous landscapes for miles around, but your online appearance will not be up to scratch.
One more option
The third option are what appear to be last-minute bookings, but are actually advanced ones. There are guests that have planned far ahead, but are unwilling to commit to their holidays until they receive the official all-clear.
Get yourself on their radar now, not later.
Hotel marketing today
No matter which way you cut it, there’s only one choice to be a successful hotel in the upcoming market.
You wouldn’t leave your bar almost empty before happy hour would you? So don’t leave your hotel marketing until it’s too late. At Regent Marketing we specialise in marketing for hotels, whether you are surrounded by sun-dappled tree groves, or a mountain resort with crisp clean air. We:
- Drastically improve online presence aesthetic
- Branding and differentiation, focusing on your USP
- Optimise and incentivise direct bookings
- Improve metadata and search engine marketing
- Manage your relationship with OTAs
And far more.
In short we improve your online brand, and build up your presence in order to drive traffic towards your website and increase direct bookings. We balance your relationships and networking with influencers and OTAs to create a system that leads to more business and more profits.
From using creative, emotional language to data analysis and number-crunching, we take care of everything. Not only do we ensure that your hotel receives the best treatment, but that your staff receive the retraining that you deserve.
Your hotel should be the #1 destination for guests, so let’s do it today.