If there’s one question hoteliers ask themselves every day, it’s: “how can I increase direct bookings?”. And that’s understandable because ‘beating’ the online travel agents (OTAs) feels like an impossible task… …until you realise that it isn’t really a battle. Seriously – in order to gain more direct bookings as a hotelier, you need to view this industry as… (more)
Archive for the ‘Online Bookings’ Category
Is your mobile-unfriendly booking engine costing you bookings?
It’s unrealistic to think that our smartphones actually make us smarter (lol); but isn’t it accurate to say our smartphones make our lives easier? Think of all the things we do from our smartphones: Play games, watch movies, listen to music, book flights, even make hotel reservations. On any given day, you can look around… (more)
5 tips for maximising direct bookings in 2021
Hosted by TripTease, the Direct Booking Summit is now in its third year and is the first event of its kind devoted to helping hoteliers increase the number of direct bookings they receive. The fact direct booking now has its own summit is a clear indication of how big a challenge it is for hoteliers (particularly… (more)
Short domestic stays in leisure market driving bookings in the UK
New data suggests short stays will lead industry recovery in the UK As the UK is in the throes of a month-long ‘leisure’ lockdown, there is some encouraging news as far as what’s in store for the industry. Knight Frank recently share some data suggesting that the short-stay leisure market is expected to emerge as a catalyst for… (more)
How to Turn OTA Lookers into Direct Bookers
Let’s face it; OTAs have become a necessary evil in the hotel industry. They help your property become visible to the world and assist you in obtaining more bookings. With the convenience of online booking, most guests view at least one OTA site’s pricing before deciding on a booking platform. However, with OTA fees sometimes… (more)
BookingSuite to discontinue WebDirect, BookingButton and RateIntelligence as hoteliers search for booking engines
Hoteliers were taken aback earlier this year when Booking.com, a world renowned online travel agency for lodging reservations, announced that BookingSuite, one of their units, would be discontinuing WebDirect, BookingButton and RateIntelligence. All three platforms will be discontinued, effective November 30th, 2020. That leaves hotels with just a couple more months to find a suitable… (more)
How UK hoteliers can boost destination promotion to boost occupancy
Some hotels try hard to be unique so that guests are more likely to come knocking, but the biggest influence on booking numbers will often be location, location, location. Hence, destination promotion is crucial in having guests flock to your hotel. The UK hospitality industry is currently in a period where reaching out to domestic… (more)
Top Five Features to Look for in a Channel Manager
As a hotelier it’s important to stay up to date with hospitality trends. Probably the most complicated trend and topic is that of Channel management. Our hope is that this blog will provide you with the top features to look for when choosing a channel manager, and hopefully debunk the mysteries surrounding this powerful add-on… (more)
Summer Hotelier Tips: 4 Ways To Use Your Hotel Channel Manager More Effectively
It’s summer, and we’re in the middle of a unique calendar year, which means most hoteliers have probably not concerned themselves with refining their distribution strategy. That’s understandable, but if you can squeeze an extra hour or so out of your day to pay closer attention to your channel manager, you’ll be able to maximize… (more)