A hotels website journey from ineffective to money-making machine

May 26, 09 | 1:59 am

By Rob Käll, President of Bookt

Unless hoteliers have been living under a rock, they know that online (their own website) is the most important booking channel today.  70% of consumers completed their travel booking online[1] in 2008, and more consumers are searching for and booking their travel online.  eMarketer is predicting that online travel bookings in 2009 will grow by 10.5% to reach $116.1 billion, primarily as a result of a dramatic shift from the offline to online channel. 

Travel websites that are outdated and don't use the latest technology to keep up with consumer expectations or ecommerce trends, or proper SEO (Search Engine Optimization), can make the difference between a business' success and failure, especially in today's weak economy, where businesses are vying for a shrinking number of travelers' dollars. 

Easier said than done, right?  To make it easier to see the difference between the good and the bad when it comes to websites, I thought some visuals may help illustrate best what hoteliers need to do to get ahead in today's tough internet market.  We at Bookt revised this company's website recently because they were experiencing slow bookings and needed to find a solution that would increase them.  When they came to us, we identified the key problems - unappealing design, insufficient SEO (giving low website traffic) and no way for visitors to find out their availability or to book a stay.  So what did we change (besides the obvious things that I just listed) to improve this site and turn the site into a booking machine?

First Impressions Matter

Hoteliers have just a few seconds to capture a consumer's interest online.  That capture is largely emotional.  An ugly or busy site will not do the trick. Consumers are sophisticated and a property's website should be too.  Hotels must use the best images and design possible, and entice visitors to book.  Today, stock photo websites have affordable, professional photos of most destinations around the world so hoteliers with small budgets should consider these as a viable cost-saving option.  So check out this before and after case study; both use similar photography but the layout makes a world of difference in the impact and the emotional connection that a viewer will feel. 

Example #1 - Too much white space, not enough photos.  Pictures are too small.  Doesn't make me want to go there.  Overall, not effective.

 

Example #2 - Bold, bright and eyecatching photos which really pop against the black background.  Not too busy or overwhelming.  Makes me want to go there right now!

For the Love of Searching

What is one of the most popular web activities?  If you answered "searching", you just earned 10 points.  Searching is what consumers do most often - searching for travel deals, great vacations and a chance to get away from it all - so hoteliers must ensure that their property's site makes it easy for visitors to find out more.

Imagine this.  You're a consumer trying to book a hotel for your upcoming vacation.  You arrive at the site below and want to find out whether your dates are available.  You check out all the pages of the website and see that there is not one single page that will give you that information.  The only way to find out is to a local number (charging you long distance fees) an email address - neither of which give you the answer that you need.  What happens next?  Do you call/email or just get back to your search - for a website that actually helps you out on your search?  Chances are you keep on looking!

So now we know why a proper search/availability engine is so important.  So, what should a website search feature look like?  Check out how the new site optimizes bookings by making it easy.  At the top of every single page, consumers can check the availability of the hotel's rooms with just a few clicks. Hoteliers need to make it easy for visitors to fall in love (using pictures) and find out if their dates are compatible with the property's availability.

Once visitors find properties they like, hoteliers need to make sure to give them the full story. Photos, photos and more photos. Video if it's available. All amenities, mapping and reviews. There is no such thing as TMI (Too Much Information) when it comes to booking online travel.

So far, so good.  But this brings me to my next point - bookings!

To Book or Not

Did you know that every time hotels ask a customer to input their credit card information online, a mental dilemma is created in their head?  On one hand, they want to book and experience the destination and property. On the other hand, they aren't sure if the site is trustworthy.  A hotel's booking engine needs to alleviate those fears as much as possible.  Using popups is hardly the way to go. Being transparent - showing rates, policies, security certificates and seals give users reasons to trust the site and the hotel. 

Also, hoteliers should be smart about the order of information capture.  Think of this as going on a first date.  Hoteliers need to start by asking the user less sensitive information like their name, email and phone number and capture that as a lead.  If the user then "abandons" the booking, they will have a "hot lead" that can be followed up on later.  Need an example of an effective booking process? 

Check out this page:

As well as capturing key user information right away, the page is also continuing to entice the viewer with images and information about the suite that they are booking.  Also, the site is completely transparent - showing the price breakdown for the booking including all fees and taxes before consumers start the booking process.

So, see what I mean?  An effective online site can increase bookings and revenues for your property drastically.  Hoteliers should take advantage of this successful and growing channel and use their website as the effective online booking engine that it is.  And if your website isn't up to par, make a change.  Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, your business will thank you!


About Rob Käll

Rob Käll is the president and co-founder of Bookt, a comprehensive web services provider to the global vacation rental and hotel industry, delivering seamless integration and turn-key web solutions. The company provides a complete range of services for hotels, vacation rental managers, tour operators, developers and larger travel organizations, from sophisticated website development, online marketing services, search engine optimization and CRM strategies. For more information or to take Bookt's interactive quiz to gauge your website's effectiveness, visit www.bookt.com.

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[1] http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=48822.