Hotel Bookings Boost

Picture this. It’s date night.Instead of making a reservation, you're taking a spontaneous summer evening stroll down Main Street looking for a dinner spot. You stand in front of two restaurants. One has a bright chalkboard on the sidewalk featuring tonight's specials, a classic cocktail, and a local band starting at 8 pm.There’s music drifting out the door and a server welcoming diners. The other?A dusty window. A faded menu taped to the glass.No updates. No personality. No sign that...

Have you ever heard "email marketing is dead.""No one reads emails anymore.""It’s all about Instagram, TikTok, and whatever comes next." But let me ask you this: Do you have an email address linked to your: Instagram account? Facebook? YouTube? Amazon? Netflix? Yeah. You do. So does your guest.Email isn’t dead - it’s central. So why do hoteliers think email marketing is dead? Here is a list of pretty compelling reasons why many think this. Overload of bad emails. If your inbox is full of...

I remember what it felt like to be the GM of a stand-alone independent hotel.A big part of me - proud. A little part of me - pessimistic. Proud of our service, our people, and what we had built without a brand name on the front door.But there was always that low hum of doubt…Was it even possible to compete with the big operators and OTAs? Other hotels had corporate marketing teams or belonged to brand collections.I had… a front desk manager who also ran revenue management and social. I leaned...

You sit down at your desk. Coffee in hand. Your browser is open to the usual suspects - TripAdvisor, Google, Expedia, and Booking.com. Your hotel reviews are waiting.....again. You groan. Skim a few. Try to think of something original to say.Or, maybe you copy and paste the classic: “Thanks for your feedback. Our team reviews these comments and is dedicated to improvement.” Another week, another round. At this point, reviews have become another item on your endless to-do list.Something to get...

Hey Reader, Years ago, in my twenties, I got into the habit of paying only the minimum on my credit card.It felt manageable.I was “on top of it.”But over time, that small balance grew into a big one.Ugh! I hadn’t gone on a shopping spree.I hadn’t done anything reckless. But defaulting to the easy choice month after month, I ended up paying a lot more than I realized.Outsourcing your hotel bookings to online travel agencies (OTAs) is similar. It doesn’t feel dangerous.It feels easy and...

Raise your hand if this hits home. You boosted your Google Ads and amped up social media.You're checking your analytics and scratching your head.Traffic is down.Bookings are flat.And now you're wondering…What the heck is going on? “Is it just me?” Nope.You're just using last year's map for this year's maze. Here’s what no one wants to say (but you’re probably dying to hear): More hustle and dollar bills spent doesn't mean more bookings.Marketing has changed—and no one handed you the new...

You’re standing at the front desk; the phone is ringing, staff is asking questions, and a guest is waving their room key. Meanwhile, your inbox is full of deadlines.You finally carve out time to look at your marketing efforts.You’re proud of how much your team is doing.- Instagram’s active.- Emails are going out.- You’ve even tested a few new campaigns. But when the revenue report comes in…It hits you. You’re doing all the things—but bookings aren’t growing like they should.Worse, your cost...

Ever feel like you’re doing all the right things, but bookings aren’t where they should be? You update your website.You tweak your ads.You list every great feature your hotel offers.Yet, too many guests are bouncing. Let's stop there. That last point about listing features is part of the problem.Hotels love to list features. Free WiFi. Stunning views. Pool and hot tub. The problem is that the guest must figure out whether these features matter to them.It makes their brain burn calories trying...

The snow is melting here in western Canada (sorry to the Easterners).When this happens, I think of flip-flops, campfires, lazy days at the lake, and paddleboarding. If I am thinking about it, your guests are thinking about summer vacation plans, too!It's that time of year!Many hotels and tourism businesses see a rise in demand for their peak season.Check out this screen capture. 👇It looks like a rictor scale for earthquakes, but it's not. This shows a hotel's website traffic for mid-March to...

What % of independent hotels update their website content each year?a) 35%b) 45%c) 55%It's b). Only 45% of independent hotels update their website regularly. I think I stopped breathing when I first read this stat.Half of hotel websites have;- outdated information- irrelevant promotions- and pages that aren’t optimized to turn lookers into bookers.If I were to guess, these may be the same hotels pouring money into the OTA pockets.Why do you think that is?After a few discussions with...