As we already know, for an independent hotel to be competitive, it must have an online presence. In this regard, developing the hotel’s website is a key element in achieving this. After all, the website showcases what the business is all about—including its unique selling points, the services it offers, and their prices. Not to mention that the website explains why a particular potential guest should choose those services.
These days, every hotel must have a website. However, it’s not just about having a website. It’s about having one that’s attractive, generates traffic, and, as a result, bookings. So, what does a website need to have to be attractive? What are the characteristics of an effective website? These are some of the questions we can ask ourselves, and we’ll answer them below.
Table of Contents
Key Design Elements for Developing the Hotel’s Website
The design should be simple
Your website’s design should be simple and clear, so that the business’s brand and logo stand out and are visible. In addition, the menu should be user-friendly, allowing users to find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily. In other words, someone visiting a company’s website shouldn’t have to read much or click more than three times to find what they’re looking for.
The design must be optimized for various mobile devices
The website for your hotel must be designed in such a way that it can be navigated on any mobile device. Mobile devices are increasingly being used to plan trips and make online reservations. Therefore, it is essential that your hotel’s website be optimized for smartphones and other mobile devices.
The goal of a lodging business is to sell enjoyable experiences to customers, and that should start with your website. If the first impression is confusing and frustrating because the website isn’t mobile-friendly, it can negatively impact your brand image. As a result, customers will end up choosing your competitors.
When developing your hotel’s website, you should ensure fast navigation
. The website’s loading speed is also crucial. According to Hermione Joye, Director of Travel at Google Asia-Pacific, 53% of users will leave a webpage if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Therefore, your website must be optimized for loading speed. This way, you’ll have a better chance of retaining potential customers.
Use professional images
Images have a great ability to convey information concisely, so they can say a lot about your brand. It’s recommended that your website use images that are attractive and eye-catching. Don’t skimp on investing in high-resolution professional images that showcase your hotel’s natural charm. Above all, include images of the guest rooms. Customers should have access to a photo gallery that provides a general overview of each room category.
Avoid including too many videos when developing the hotel’s website
. It is generally not recommended to use too many videos on web pages, as they significantly increase loading times—videos tend to be very large files. This results in a poor customer experience.
On the other hand, if you decide to use videos on your hotel’s website, try to keep them short and include plenty of eye-catching images that evoke emotions. A highly recommended option that’s currently trending is to create drone videos that offer a virtual tour showcasing all the areas and services the hotel has to offer.
Create relevant, high-quality content
It’s also important for your website to feature relevant content that is kept up to date. Work on a blog can be a good option, but it should provide clear and valuable information to customers. For example, information about the destination and the tourist activities they can enjoy in the area.
In addition, one of the advantages of creating new content is that you can use it on other platforms where your business has a presence, as well as to create promotional campaigns.
Also, make sure your content includes keywords that will help your business rank on metasearch engines like Google.
Finally, it’s also essential that the content be available in multiple languages; this will allow you to reach a wider international audience.
Integrate your hotel’s booking engine
at
. It’s also essential that you have a booking engine integrated with your website. This will help you secure direct bookings and reduce your reliance on other platforms that charge commissions for selling your services. We’ll discuss the importance of the booking engine in more detail later on.
In addition to the booking engine, it’s crucial to have a rate comparison tool. In other words, a feature that allows customers to compare room rates across the various platforms where your business is listed. Make sure the rates on the hotel’s website are at least 5% cheaper than on other sites. This positions your website as offering the best rates.
Incorporate upselling and cross-selling techniques
Upselling is a technique that involves persuading customers to purchase the best services. In the hospitality industry, this means persuading customers to book the most expensive rooms. Cross-selling, on the other hand, is a technique that allows you to convince customers to purchase a service or product related to one they already have. For example, if a customer books a room, you can offer them an add-on that enhances their experience.
Other examples include offering spa services, additional breakfast options, and local tours on your website, among others.
Include reviews when developing your hotel’s website
. In this case, you should be transparent about how you present your property, as well as when showcasing the experiences of past guests. When you include reviews from TripAdvisor or other sites on your website, you build trust and rapport with users. It may be a good idea to automate the review process using reputation management tactics that help you track and improve your ratings. The more positive reviews you have, the more you can charge.
Above all, it’s important to be authentic and honest. In other words, you should stick to the facts about your property and what you offer on your website. Misleading content damages the hotel’s reputation and sets customers up for disappointment.
If you don’t have experience creating websites or need any kind of help, ask for advice from hospitality experts such as IHCS; we’d be happy to help you.
