Initially, each reservation seems like just another reservation. But when your business grows and you have more experience you start to understand while outsourced bookings are important, they also cost you an arm and leg.
When you provide accommodation, it is crucial for your business that you are able to grow first-hand bookings gradually over the number of third-party bookings. Such distributions are a beneficial part of running a hotel.
Let’s discuss the challenges that uprise when you want to increase direct bookings, and how you can overcome them with the help of your B&B, and our tips of course!
1. Approach to Get More Direct Bookings
Most of the boarders feel like they are racing against time while they have to collect as many reservations as possible, this makes them short-sighted. They do not find the time to think and study for ways to increase direct bookings.
How to change that?
Come up with a clear strategy that will help you achieve long term goals;
• Offer the discounts offered elsewhere.
• Treat your loyal customers with promotions.
• Build a website for your business where the visitors can see for themselves that why should they choose you.
2. Investment in The Right Technology
In addition to providing superior customer service, you need an existing tool to help you get those visitors back! It is not possible to keep in touch and communicate with all of the guests you have had, manually. You will eventually need a way to automate it.
How do you promote tourist loyalty? How do you gain their confidence so they can always recommend you to their circle of friends, family, and even strangers with testimonials?
How to change that?
Collect the Visitors’ Information
Guess what the people love after discounts? To be remembered! They expect to be remembered, particularly after they stay with you at a bed and breakfast. Therefore, you should not only store their data on multiple spreadsheets as a good long-term strategy if you intend to promote loyalty. You should be able to search your site and retrieve their information quickly, whenever you require it.
The hotel reservation engine is supposed to have a cloud database and a built-in feature in the website for visitor data, which would also give you instant access to all the visitor information you require. It will be convenient when a recurring visitor gives you a call to book, you can easily search your website and save their preferred room.
Keep in Contact
Contemporary hotel reservation engines allow you to manage and customize emails, using the colors of your product on each template and ensuring all recipients receive an individual acknowledgment. Each visitor gets the same experience, whether online or in person, from beginning to end.
Your interaction and communication with them before and after their stay is an important part of the visitor's experience. This is usually done by email. For instance, you can email them a reservation approval, a reminder about their stay, offer tips for their stay, and ask for feedback about their stay.
3. Increased third-party market share
The number of bookings through Online Tourism Agencies (OTAs) is increasing day by day. And that easily explains why they are investing so much into it.
The statistics show that 50 % of reservations in Europe are captured through OTAs, which makes them the owner of 90% of online tourism. They come to the decision of online reservation after thorough research of reading reviews and comparing prices.
How to change that?
The best initiative you can take here is to start investing your time and efforts into something that gives you the most return from bookings, i.e., your own website. One factor to consider here is that your website should be at least good enough or better than the outsourced ones. The visitors should find it convenient and easier to sort through and then book for themselves. Make the user experience as smooth as possible.
2 years ago
2 years ago
