Share
HSMAI’s Marketing Advisory Board Tactical Workgroup has produced a series of resources directed at helping hospitality marketing professionals drive revenue recovery. This one focuses on the continued importance of content.
Content matters. It represents one of your hotel’s key “salespeople,” available to guests whenever and wherever they are along their purchase path. Whether your guests are dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing, or sharing, content performs a vital role in the process.
Given the extreme volatility of the past year, hotel marketers have had to adjust their content — among other things — at a rapid pace. Key features and amenities that were once the hallmark of your property may have changed, possibly for the first time ever.
Ensuring that you have updated and complete profiles online assists with your placement on many sites and informs prospective and returning guests about your property’s amenities and features. Plus, at a time when staffing levels have been reduced, front-desk agents have been asked to cover more areas of the hotel. Having correct and complete information in your online profiles can reduce call questions for your front desk or call center.
PRIMARY SITE
Your branded and/or standalone website(s) should be the official repository of information on your hotel. Ensure that all information is as updated and complete as possible. While branded websites have clear sections and bulleted areas for listing amenities, standalone sites may not. Think about the key areas and items that bring guests to your hotel and ensure they are fully represented on your site.
OTA/THIRD-PARTY SITES
In addition to your hotel’s primary site, third-party sites must be kept up to date. Your placement on an OTA’s search results are absolutely affected by the completeness of your content. Some third-party sites even have a “completeness score” to flag for you what is missing from your profile.
Reviews also affect this sort of placement algorithm. If your listing contains misinformation or lacks clarity, it can result in poor reviews, which can drive down your placement as well.
SOCIAL MEDIA
While the amount of specific content may be less on social media sites than on traditional listings, the content should be still be as complete and consistent as possible.
STEP BY STEP
Make sure your guests know what to expect, and work to improve your standing in search results:
- Your first step should be to work with your operations team to identify any changes in amenities or service offerings.
- Then audit every site where your hotel appears and update information on any amenities that have changed. Ensure that each listing is 100-percent complete.
- Note if pool and fitness center hours/availability are affected by local ordinances or staffing levels.
- For F&B outlets, answer important questions including: Is your onsite restaurant open? Is the restaurant open but the bar closed? Have the hours changed?
- For F&B offerings, are you no longer offering breakfast buffets but still offering a hot breakfast?