3 minute read
Travel agencies have become practically obsolete- most book their flights and accommodation themselves, either directly from the service provider or use Google as their search engine to find the cheapest or most suitable options. Google has made it extremely easy to plan a vacation whether it’s a few days from now or a year in advance. What can the Maltese hospitality learn from it? We have collected 3 useful tips and tricks to borrow from the billion dollar business.
Nowadays most travelers use their smartphones to research activities and directions at their destination location and Emarketer estimates that more and more will make their bookings on smartphones- mobile sales have been estimated to surpass 50% of the digital travel sales by the year of 2020.
What is Google doing about it?
Google is already one step ahead- their mobile experience has improved to be much faster and convenient, and is constantly evolving.
What can your business learn from it?
Your hotel’s online presence can make the difference between a reservation and no reservation. If the website is slow or gets confusing because it’s being viewed on the customer’s smartphone, you are most likely losing business.
Understanding your customer is key to any industry to provide better business and customer service and there are many ways of doing it: loyalty programs, email marketing, social media engagements and other types of targeted advertisements.
What is Google doing about it?
Google has refreshed its content with Google Discover, which will show results based on customer’s previous interests, in that way, giving a smoother and less time consuming search process.
What can your business learn from it?
In a study by American Express, 85% of the respondents agreed, that customized travel plan is more favorable than a mass market offer. It is extremely helpful for the hospitality industry when the customer is planning last minute- tailored offers will not only drive business and brand awareness but also ensure repeat business, making the research experience convenient and less stressful.
If your hotel management system offers a variety of reports, then collecting data is the easy part, however, using the data to benefit the business is where you might get challenged- how can you benefit from these numbers?
What is Google doing about it?
Google’s Travel Trends tool collects the data history of prices for flights and accommodation, therefore, it is able to predict when it would be the cheapest to travel in certain locations. The customer is sure, that they’re getting the best deal.
What can your business learn from it?
One of the essential features of a good hotel management system, is that the data is easily accessible. Find the busiest and least busy seasons. If your hotel isn’t as busy as you wish, offer a free massage for every stay of more than 5 days. If the hotel is fully booked, offer your guest a special deal in your sister property or at one of your partners.
No matter of the suggestions, you should always prioritize evaluating your current technology, because the hospitality is a fast paced industry. Are your systems reliable? Flexible? Fast? Can you collect and review all the necessary data?
Contact us now and we will help you evaluate, if your current system fulfills today’s requirements
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* This article was inspired by www.amadeus-hospitality.com blog:”3 things the hospitality industry can learn from Google”
**Thank you pexels.com for the photos
