Mobile technology is no longer something we are simply anticipating. The development of new technologies and ideas has brought about higher expectations from your potential guests. With the increase in smartphone use and android applications, it’s evident: the mobile trend is here…and it is here to stay.
This explosion of the mobile web over the last 10 years places an important burden on hoteliers to implement a mobile-ready website. Why? The growth of mobile usage among the travelling public is increasing at an astonishing rate. The statistics speak for themselves – the number of mobile subscribers will surpass 5 billion in 2010, over 70% of the population. Every day, more and more people are surfing the internet from their mobile devicefor travel related purposes. By not being a part of the mobile world, your hotel has limited exposure and will miss out on reservations. Research demonstrates that around 10% of hotel guests with mobile phones with data plans have used them to reserve rooms. Furthermore, mobile bookings are expected to exceed $1 billion in 2010.
Smartphone users are technically savvy and expect to be able to interact with your hotel via their mobile devices. If your hotel does not have a “mobile ready” website,you run the risk of losing business to hotels that do provide access to their information in a convenient and easily accessible format. Your hotel must therefore develop a mobile strategy in order to keep up with these growing expectations, as well as to reap the benefits this new technology brings with it.
The growth of mobile use within the travel industry means some hoteliers are left behind. How can you keep up?
“You can’t literally translate the conventional website for the wireless world,” Starkov said during the European Hospitality Technology Educational Conference. “There are many limitations, primarily (which) come from usability and the inability to organize huge amounts of content on your mobile Web.”
The trick is to keep it simple by getting a mobile-ready website designed and developed for viewing on mobile screens. Include only the most important information relevant to consumers on-the-go. It is vital that the functionality and navigation is clear and includes call-to-actions that give your site the best chance of converting your mobile visitor into a paying hotel guest. Presenting this information in an easy-to-read format and avoiding the use of multiple images is vital to keep your mobile audience engaged with the site. You must also consider the differences in mobile devices - some phones support Java, others don’t. Compatibility with iphone is important but make sure your website is optimised to work on any phone that has the internet.
A recent EyeforTravel report states that the use of mobile in travel distribution is “unavoidable” and is “the key to success of any travel business in the future.” Whilst a standard website is vital for desktop users, a mobile website is crucial for smartphone mobile users.
Mobile websites and applications are designed specifically for mobile use and are made so your guests can effectively navigate through your website. By ignoring this fundamental requirement, your hotel may be missing out on reservations.
About GlobRes
GlobRes provides hotel reservations and digital marketing solutions for hoteliers globally including mobile-ready websites.
Why choose a GlobRes.mobi website?
• Optimised to work on any phone and adapts to any screen size
• Easy-to-update by anyone via a content management system (CMS)
• Book via ‘click2call feature’ which allows guests to call the hotel direct from their phone
• Website visitors are automatically redirected to the mobile site when they navigate to your website via a mobile device.
To start with a .mobi website or ask additional questions, simply CLICK HERE and complete the short online form and one of our sales executives will contact you. Alternatively email marketing@globres.com for further advice.
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Showing posts with label hotel online reputation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel online reputation. Show all posts
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Online hotel reviews are at the heart of any good reputation management strategy
The explosion of consumer generated content has led to a very specific and important requirement for hoteliers to engage with online reviews, communities, and dialogue regarding their property. The days of measuring customer satisfaction via the traditional hotel comment card are long gone. Reviews are now online and there for the public to see, as are quality ratings. Moreover, research demonstrates that travellers are seeking out hotel reviews and consider the online review a vital decision-making component for their future travel plans. Trip Advisor states that over 50% of consumers will not book a hotel unless they have read reviews. Online reviews empower the consumer but for many small, family run hotels this new era of information sharing is scary. Not necessarily because they do not fare well in the review stakes, but simply because they do not understand how to effectively manage their online reputation. Traditionally, hotels are comfortable with private reviews and feedback, but the Internet has enabled public scrutiny. Many hotels have not gotten as far as devising an online reputation management strategy and more worryingly, some hotels have no clue about what (good or bad) is being said about them on the internet.
So where should you start? Resource limitation and budget constraints are common problems for smaller hotels. Investing in an automated reputation monitoring tool may therefore seem a long way off, especially if you have only recently implemented a web booking engine. You may be reluctant to pursue trends you do not view as ‘proven’ to generate revenue. But the facts cannot be ignored - credibility of reviews among consumers is high within the hotel sector and therefore has a direct impact on your revenue.
Firstly you must identify what is being said about your property on the most popular review sites on the internet. Don’t expect to monitor hundreds of sites effectively - the sensible places to start are TripAdvisor, Expedia and Google. Hotels have the opportunity to respond publicly to reviews on each of these platforms. Posting management responses to reviews is a great way of demonstrating commitment to customer satisfaction and it will enable you to remedy any complaints or issues that might have a negative impact. The key is to respond quickly and politely and to follow through on any reassurances or promises. If the complaint escalates, you should encourage the customer to discuss the matter privately.
If you dig a little, you will find that there are hundreds of online reputation monitoring tools available. Be wary of paying for them as there are great tools available at no cost. There is little point in paying for a tool when applications like Google Alerts and Minggl serve the same purpose for free. The key in identifying an online reputation management service worth paying for is whether it adds value by providing you with something you don’t have the capacity for in-house i.e. professionally written management responses which are far more beneficial to the busy hotelier. Automated monitoring tools which post standard responses to reviews undermine the purpose of the exercise – ultimately to cultivate long standing relationships with previous guests, listen to their feedback, learn from their comments and keep them coming back to your hotel as often as possible.
Social media websites such as Facebook can also play a vital role in online reputation management, enabling you to cultivate relationships over the web with potential guests. Ideally, there should be synergy between social media marketing and online reputation management strategies. Consistent messages should be reflected through all mediums. If you get great feedback on a review website, you should encourage that person to follow your hotel on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace or alternatively to follow your blogs. Social media pages go further than simply providing a forum for reviews; they facilitate photo-sharing, comments, conversation and are a perfect arena for subtle and effective marketing campaigns. Launching promotions specific to your social media audience is a sure fire way of acquiring more fans and followers. Whilst this does not necessarily impede any future negative reviews, it is a fantastic method of engaging positive reviewers and potential guests sourcing future travel destinations and hotels.
When managing social media profiles, here are some key principles to keep in mind:
• The conversation about you will go on with or without you. Make sure you’re taking part or even steering it.
• Present your social media profiles as a way for people to connect with others to discuss your hotel - not solely to receive marketing messages. Encourage your fans to “tell the story”.
• Promote photo-sharing to your fans. Maybe consider a photo-contest.
• Get hotel staff involved in blogging, posting and interacting.
Hoteliers have sources at their finger tips to ensure happy guests are nurtured and public negative reviews are avoided. By demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction to past and potential future guests, you are giving your hotel the best possible chance of securing future reservations and evading any damage to your hotel’s reputation.
About GlobRes
GlobRes provides online reputation management services and social media management services to hotels globally.
GlobRes connects hotels with their guests through increased exposure via all channels including GDS, IDS, Digital Marketing and the hotel’s own website. Complete our online contact form for more information.
Editors Note: Please direct all press queries to marketing@globres.com
So where should you start? Resource limitation and budget constraints are common problems for smaller hotels. Investing in an automated reputation monitoring tool may therefore seem a long way off, especially if you have only recently implemented a web booking engine. You may be reluctant to pursue trends you do not view as ‘proven’ to generate revenue. But the facts cannot be ignored - credibility of reviews among consumers is high within the hotel sector and therefore has a direct impact on your revenue.
Firstly you must identify what is being said about your property on the most popular review sites on the internet. Don’t expect to monitor hundreds of sites effectively - the sensible places to start are TripAdvisor, Expedia and Google. Hotels have the opportunity to respond publicly to reviews on each of these platforms. Posting management responses to reviews is a great way of demonstrating commitment to customer satisfaction and it will enable you to remedy any complaints or issues that might have a negative impact. The key is to respond quickly and politely and to follow through on any reassurances or promises. If the complaint escalates, you should encourage the customer to discuss the matter privately.
If you dig a little, you will find that there are hundreds of online reputation monitoring tools available. Be wary of paying for them as there are great tools available at no cost. There is little point in paying for a tool when applications like Google Alerts and Minggl serve the same purpose for free. The key in identifying an online reputation management service worth paying for is whether it adds value by providing you with something you don’t have the capacity for in-house i.e. professionally written management responses which are far more beneficial to the busy hotelier. Automated monitoring tools which post standard responses to reviews undermine the purpose of the exercise – ultimately to cultivate long standing relationships with previous guests, listen to their feedback, learn from their comments and keep them coming back to your hotel as often as possible.
Social media websites such as Facebook can also play a vital role in online reputation management, enabling you to cultivate relationships over the web with potential guests. Ideally, there should be synergy between social media marketing and online reputation management strategies. Consistent messages should be reflected through all mediums. If you get great feedback on a review website, you should encourage that person to follow your hotel on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace or alternatively to follow your blogs. Social media pages go further than simply providing a forum for reviews; they facilitate photo-sharing, comments, conversation and are a perfect arena for subtle and effective marketing campaigns. Launching promotions specific to your social media audience is a sure fire way of acquiring more fans and followers. Whilst this does not necessarily impede any future negative reviews, it is a fantastic method of engaging positive reviewers and potential guests sourcing future travel destinations and hotels.
When managing social media profiles, here are some key principles to keep in mind:
• The conversation about you will go on with or without you. Make sure you’re taking part or even steering it.
• Present your social media profiles as a way for people to connect with others to discuss your hotel - not solely to receive marketing messages. Encourage your fans to “tell the story”.
• Promote photo-sharing to your fans. Maybe consider a photo-contest.
• Get hotel staff involved in blogging, posting and interacting.
Hoteliers have sources at their finger tips to ensure happy guests are nurtured and public negative reviews are avoided. By demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction to past and potential future guests, you are giving your hotel the best possible chance of securing future reservations and evading any damage to your hotel’s reputation.
About GlobRes
GlobRes provides online reputation management services and social media management services to hotels globally.
GlobRes connects hotels with their guests through increased exposure via all channels including GDS, IDS, Digital Marketing and the hotel’s own website. Complete our online contact form for more information.
Editors Note: Please direct all press queries to marketing@globres.com
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