Unique Accommodation Experiences to Inspire Your Boutique Hotel
When someone mentions boutique hotels, what typically comes to mind is a quaint establishment with charming rooms, often boasting upscale amenities and personalized service. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with this classic image, we’re eager to shake things up by drawing inspiration from a broader range of unique properties. Let’s explore some incredibly creative boutique […]
How to Maximize Conversions through Your Hotel Online Booking Engine
A seamless and intuitive online booking process is key to increasing direct bookings through your property’s website. Choosing a modern, secure, and mobile-friendly online booking engine (OBE) is just the first step—optimizing it for conversions is where the real magic happens. From branding your booking engine to adding compelling images and ensuring accessibility, there are […]
7 Ways to Future Proof Your Hotel
The key to success for any business is staying relevant, and hotels are no exception. In a world where guest expectations are constantly evolving, lodging operators must adapt to remain competitive and memorable. Whether it’s upgrading your décor or embracing technology, staying ahead of trends is essential to delivering exceptional experiences that keep guests coming […]
An Independent Hotelier’s Guide to Intergenerational Travel
According to an IMG customer survey, 35 percent of families expected to take an intergenerational trip in 2024. Intergenerational travel refers to multiple generations of a family—from boomer to baby—traveling together, and it’s going strong. Accommodations can enhance both their guest experiences and their profits by embracing this trend. Here’s how. Beach Vacations The beach […]
How to Win Holiday Bookings
Both a joyful and stressful time, the holiday season brings a torrent of travelers into the market. As of 2023, 115.2 million people were predicted to travel at least fifty miles during the December 23rd–January 1st period. While this typically means an increase in bookings, the ever-expanding selection of options (from new hotel brands to […]
8 Ways to Attract Domestic Travelers to Your Hotel
With the exchange rate being favorable, many travelers have recently taken off for international destinations, but the domestic market is still going strong. Ninety-two percent of US domestic leisure travelers are planning a vacation over the upcoming six months (as of August 2024), and domestic travel around the globe is predicted to increase three percent […]
Managing Hotel Packages: A Guide for Success
Offering value-added packages that combine stays with extra amenities and services is a great strategy for attracting guests and driving revenue. But like any good strategy, it only works when executed with precision. From choosing what to offer and how much to charge to managing bookings and tracking revenue, each element must be well thought […]
7 Business Travel Concerns and How to Address Them
Business travel is on the road to recovery and predicted to reach 95 percent of 2019 levels by the end of 2024. However, the landscape has changed post-pandemic with new concerns and challenges affecting the accommodation choices business travelers make. Here’s how you can address these concerns to convince guests to book with you. Safety […]
How to Drive Guest Loyalty with Hotel Tech
Repeat guests enable a hotel to prosper by providing a dependable income stream. According to Skift research, 30 to 60 percent of room revenue comes from guests in loyalty programs. While loyalty programs are great for hotel groups, there are other ways to earn loyal customers. Technology is key, enabling hoteliers to personalize the guest […]
SMS Marketing Tips for Hotels
Short message service (SMS) marketing can bring a strong return on investment, with a 98 percent open rate. For hoteliers, it’s easier than ever with specialized messaging software integrated through your property management system (PMS). You can send notifications, responses, upsells, and more to the right guests at the right time. Read on for tips […]
Haunting Hotel Experiences to Thrill Guests
With Halloween approaching, the season for ghosts, ghouls, and goblins is right around the corner. It’s a great time to market to guests who like their stay with a few shivers, and these haunted hotels have their offerings down pat. Read on for inspiration! 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa knows […]
Fresh Fall Marketing Ideas to Spice Up Your Shoulder Season
With mornings becoming chillier and leaves beginning to turn, shoulder season is on its way. However, it isn’t the quiet, sleepy travel period that it used to be as concerns over cost, climate change, and overtourism drive guests to book differently. Seventeen percent of summer trips are planned for September after Labor Day this year, […]
Better Together: Advantages of a PMS and CRM Integration
Your property management system (PMS) is the digital command center of your lodging business, enabling you to streamline reservations, housekeeping, accounting, guest communications, and much more. However, for your PMS to be most effective, it should integrate with your other software to maximize efficiency and the power of your data. Point of sale (POS), online […]
7 Simple Ways to Personalize the Guest Experience
Today’s travelers seek personalized guest experiences, which in turn require robust, flexible hotel technology. Personalization is no longer a trend—it’s an expectation. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, small, independent lodgings are perfectly positioned to curate individualized stays for their guests. Here are seven simple ways to do it. Build […]
5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Hotel Lobby
Your hotel’s lobby is the heart of your hotel. Could it be doing more for your bottom line and your guests? With a little forethought and planning, your property’s lobby could be much more than just a place to check in. Here are five tips to make the most of your lobby and transform it […]
Peak Season Prep: An Independent Hotelier’s Checklist
As we head into summer in the Northern Hemisphere, properties are gearing up for peak season. This preparation can both excite and intimidate lodging providers. On one hand, occupancy and revenue are up (yay!), but on the other, the pressure is on to maintain top-notch service with less time and more stress (eek!). It’s a […]
How to Host Weddings at Your Property
It’s the season for bluebells and wedding bells. While you can’t give a couple a happily ever after, you can make their wedding a happily memorable experience. (Unless a guest decides to wear white, then there’s nothing you can do other than a red wine spill.) Independent hotels have an advantage for snagging private events; […]
Sizzling Summer Marketing Ideas for Hotels
With the promise of long, warm days and lazing outdoors, hotels are kicking off their summer marketing campaigns. While occupancy tends to be higher during the summer, the market is competitive as travelers put their time and effort into planning these much-awaited getaways. Whether you’ve noticed peak occupancy slipping or simply want your property to […]
Mobile Marketing Tips for Independent Hoteliers
Mobile is here to stay. It’s quick, convenient, and travelers want to use it to research, book, and share their trips. As of 2021, almost 50 percent of online travel sales happened via mobile, but it isn’t only the booking that occurs there. Many travelers research destinations and lodgings on their phone before opening their […]
8 Ways to Improve Guest Satisfaction and Your Online Reputation
With endless travel booking options, enticing social media posts, and countless online reviews, guests have the pick of the litter and, therefore, increasingly high expectations of lodging providers. Focusing on offering next-level service and boosting your property’s online reputation is your key to standing out from your competitors and maintaining customer loyalty. 1. Gather and […]
How to Make Your Hotel’s Social Media Giveaway a Success
Social media is a critical part of the marketing mix for independent properties and drives internet word of mouth. Succeeding on social media enables you to raise brand awareness and move potential guests along the marketing funnel. One of the ways hotels—and other businesses—increase awareness on social media is through giveaways. Everyone loves free stuff, […]
Boost Revenue with Mother’s Day Packages
With Mother’s Day coming up, many properties are enticing moms to stay and play (and brunch!) with special offerings. Like other popular holidays such as Easter, Black Friday, Christmas, and of course Father’s Day, it’s a great opportunity to generate attention and occupancy through value-added packages and activities. Packages Value-added packages are about more than […]
Free Digital Marketing Tools for Independent Hoteliers
From OTA fees to online ads, digital marketing can eat up a chunk of the budget for independent hoteliers. But hey, good news—there’s a bunch of nifty free digital marketing tools out there for hotel marketers! These tools aren’t just budget-friendly (obviously), they also spice up your marketing game without costing a dime—just your time. […]
The CLV Golden Ticket: Identify, Attract & Retain Your Most Valuable Guests
Digital ads, social media, website, email campaigns…hoteliers do (and spend) a lot to attract guests. Add in OTA commissions, transaction fees, and even your marketing personnel and your Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) could go through the roof. The importance of enticing guests to return cannot be overstated, given that customer retention costs less than acquisition—in […]
