By now we hope you have heard the very exciting news of our connectivity partnership with Google and the opportunities it offers hoteliers to increase online visibility and drive more direct bookings and revenue.

Synchronise both your rates and inventory with Google

As a short recap, you are now able to synchronise both your rates and inventory directly to the Google search ecosystem. When anybody tries to find a hotel via the search engine or on Google Maps, not only will your hotel rank in the results, but that listing will also include a free booking link to enable you to convert that looker to booker.

Whilst we at Guestline have worked to establish this connectivity and the functionality to build the bridge between Google and our client’s booking engines and their PMS, to really make the most of this opportunity hoteliers also need to do their own due diligence to ensure you have the right foundations in place for direct, digital success.

Simplifying navigating your online presence

But where to start? For many hoteliers understanding and navigating online presence (including Google) can be complex. To support our hotelier client partners we published a Digital Health Checklist, to provide a step-by-step guide on what you need to know and how you can ensure your website, marketing and communications are working to their fullest potential, so you in turn can work to achieve your fullest revenue potential.

One of the key areas covered is the guest journey and ensuring that you are making the right and best impression possible to returning and new guests. For example:

• Have you trialled the online booking experience from a guest perspective and challenged yourself to ask how it can be improved?
• Was your hotel easy to find from a straightforward search engine search and how did it compare against OTA and competitor search results?
• What do they include that might be missing from your profile?
• Is the website visually appealing with clear branding and strong imagery and is the booking process intuitive and uncomplicated?
• Is all the key information such as location, transfer details, room types and rates and facilities presented clearly?
• For every hotel the website is your shop window so taking the time to invest in making sure it is working as hard for you as possible will always be well spent.

Marketing your hotel both to new and existing guests

Once you have worked on your online profile the Digital Health Checklist also offers essential advice on how best to market your hotel both to new and existing guests. Are you showcasing your awards and sustainability credentials or working with local partners such as tourist boards and attractions to cast your marketing net even wider? Do you issue regular communications to guests with details of relevant packages and is this supported across your social media channels?

Another key piece of the online puzzle is as well as investing in your online presence and collateral (website, digital communications), you also need to regularly work on your Google Business Profile and ensure that it contains all the correct and up to date information for your hotel that mirrors your own website. Clarity and consistency are key and should be your guiding principles across all your online activities.

Many hoteliers and guests are looking forward to what we all hope will be a busy summer season in the months to come and we hope that this checklist will help you to get more direct engagement with your guests.

Download our Digital hotel checklist

Contact details

Clio O’Gara

 087 288 9876
 Clio.OGara@theaccessgroup.com
Web www.guestline.com