No doubt people will remember a time when offering a quality product was enough to generate sales, now hotel sales is a primarily price-led market. In today’s competitive market, the slogan ‘sink or swim’ has never held as much meaning. To stay in business, it’s important for hoteliers to recognise online marketing as a prime selling channel.
Online selling is a fast moving, dynamic market, with an abundance of suppliers and technologies. Whether objectives are to improve your online presence, boost revenue or to streamline administration, a grasp of the mechanics of each booking engine is a fundamental element of today’s sales and marketing activities.
The whole aspect of buying has been influenced by online traders, offering consumers the chance to search and buy products from any destination with the click of a mouse. Online buying has fast become the preferred method due to speed, choice and instantly available information. Tapping into the benefits of this medium will undoubtedly benefit any accommodation provider.
With so many global distribution networks and third party suppliers online, it’s a constant challenge for reservations personnel to investigate each ones unique offerings, commission rates and individual settings, while trying to maintain rate parity across all channels. A greater understanding of internet and global distribution systems is essential to remain competitive. Utilizing these online sales channels will cost effectively market your product globally.
Things to remember
* Choose booking engines wisely, in terms of commission, coverage and profiling
* Advertise your best available rates and value added packages for optimum results
* Manage your online activity in conjunction with your offline activity to strengthen your advertising efforts
* Be selective and concise with your copy, including your key selling points, visitor attractions, directions and high quality images
* Keep descriptions and promotions fresh and targeted
* And most important : Make rate parity a must across all booking channels
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
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