HOTEL MASTER
ONLINE STRATEGY FOR HOTELIERS
TMC Publishing 2020/2021
Table of Contents
. Introduction
This paper aims to present to hotel owners new tools in order to effectively promote their accommodation business in todays highly competitive travel and tourism market.
In no case does this work replace the work of experts (business consultants, marketing experts, web designers). It rather highlights the importance of all the above fields of expertise for the effective management of a hotel and the increase of bookings, turnover and profitability.
The work addresses the needs of the contemporary hotelier, presenting and explaining fundamental principles related to the digital presence of the hotel, explaining actions that must be done by all accommodation and tourism entrepreneurs.
There are ready-made tools, ready-to-use ads on Google, OTA and Metasearch analysis, direct booking strategies as well as innovative tools that can be effective in hotel marketing.
The study was done by the business development team YK Advance, a member of TMC Publishing Limited.
2. Google My Business and why it is essential for every hotel
First things first
I was once approached by a hotel owner to help with his hotel strategy online. The hotel was located on the central square of a very touristy seaside resort. We sat down for a coffee and started talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the hotel, how it all began, the story of the previous owners, and the story about how the website was made and so on.
After a while, I decided to have the first look at the hotel online and for that reason I typed the hotels name onGoogle. Guess what? No signs of any existence. The hotel did not appear on top of search results and most importantly in the Google My Business section, where it should first be.
I asked the owner, if they have previously had any problems with Google such as being penalized in the past for bad practices etc. The answer was negative. I asked if they had ever created this basic listing for the hotel on Google so that it appears as a snippet when people search for it the answer was negative again. The negative answers were always followed by one question and one affirmative sentence in particular:
How should I know about that?
I am not very familiar with tech!
Having a Google My Business profile is crucial. It may be extremely simple to set it up, but it is of utmost importance that someone out there does this for your hotel or at least let you know that you NEED to do it!
Google My Business
It is essential to create a profile for your hotel on Google My Business. Google My Business is where Google displays all the information about your hotel.
Why you NEED to feature your hotel on Google My Business (GMB)
Your hotel will be displayed on Google Maps - people searching for your hotel will be able to find the exact address and marker on map, as well as detailed directions on how to get to your physical location.
You create a dedicated space which appears when someone searches for your hotel on Google - you can display important information such as your hotels phone number, your website, opening hours, photos and even reviews.
Your hotel may appear as a suggestion when people are searching for hotels in your area on Google Maps.
All of the above are controlled through Google My Business - https://www.google.com/business/
How to Create Google My Business kmProfile for your Hotel
Sign in on Google my business and click on Post New Location.
Enter all other necessary information such as opening hours, photos (here you can have photos of exterior, interior rooms, etc.) and contact information.
Once the process is complete, Google will need to verify that the information, especially the physical hotel address. Your hotel listing on GMB will not be visible on the maps unless Google verification is completed.
Ask for verification through the Post Office
Google will send you a letter to your address with a PIN. The procedure usually takes one to two weeks. As soon as you receive the PIN, follow the procedure written in the letter to enter the code - you will now be certified.
It is important to upload photos as an administrator for your hotel - choose high resolution photos.
If you do not upload photos as an administrator, Google may find photos from other users and use them in your hotel's Google My Business profile. For example, if a couple visiting your restaurant takes 2 photos with their mobile of a dish they did not like, and they upload it on your Google My Business page, this photo will appear to all people visiting your GMB listing.
You need to fully control the overall appearance of your hotel on GMB and to do that you need to use high resolution photos, preferably taken by a professional photographer and upload them to the most appropriate photo category on GMB.
Upload photos in all categories such as Interior, Exterior, Restaurant, Rooms, Common Areas, and Identity. A good practice is to upload 2-3 videos on your GMB if you have a professionally recorded video use those first mobile recorded videos will also work for your GMB page.
Do not forget to use your hotel logo.
Hotel Amenities and Attributes
This is a very important section of your hotel GMB listing as it could help your hotel rank better on Google Maps when people search for hotels. You need to answer ALL questions in ALL categories so that you have a fully optimized and detailed hotel listing.
Google Reviews - An Unused Opportunity - How to Handle Negative Reviews
When you have your Google My Business active, any user can leave a review which means that they can upload a public comment.
Although sometimes there may be negative reviews about the hotel on Google, it is good for the hotelier to respond to all comments without exception. In this way he can justify a negative circumstance or even prove that the comment was not objective or was wrong.
Responding to Google reviews is also a great opportunity for the hotelier to present individual hotel details or facilities that would otherwise be impossible to present to the public
Since all comments and responses are public, the hotelier's responses are an opportunity for new content and should be a part of the business content marketing strategy.
Example
A customer posts a positive comment on Google that the hotel was clean and the staff polite.
The hotelier can respond publicly with a thank you message and show that cleanliness is the main concern of the hotel and all areas are cleaned 3 times a day.
In the above example, the hotelier gave a little extra boost to the fact that the hotel is clean by stating a certain number (3 times a day). That number could be questionable if used in a different context (such as the website) - but stands perfect as an answer to a public comment about the hotel cleanliness.
The cleaning process information is public - and its post will be read by all other users.
Tips
Upload attractive photos from all areas of the hotel
Double check details about your phone number and website address - Google My Business will probably be the main source of phone calls or website visits.
Lets double-check
Creating and optimizing your GMB listing is a top priority action. At the same time it is something you are required to do just once. Ok, you can upload some updated photos or changes in your hotel amenities when you add a new service, but the overall structure and core information will stay the same.
