For most small hotels in South Florida, booking sites bring the most guests. That is good news and bad news. The good news: they fill rooms. The bad news: they often take 15 to 25% of every booking, and their guests cancel more often than guests who book directly.
You will not stop using booking sites, and you should not. But every booking you move from a booking site to your own website is money you keep. Here is how.
1. Give guests a reason to remember your name
A guest who can't remember your hotel's name can't book you directly next time. A clear look, a short name and one small thing guests talk about (for yosh, the canvas beach bag) make the difference.
2. Make direct booking fast
If booking on your website takes more than a minute, guests go back to the booking site. Test it on your phone today: from your homepage to a confirmed room, how many taps?
3. Offer a small direct-booking benefit
You don't need a big discount. A free late check-out, a welcome drink or a small saving is enough to make returning guests book with you. Tell them at check-out, not only on the website.
4. Answer messages in minutes
Guests ask questions before they book. If your answer takes three hours, they book somewhere else, usually through a booking site. Fast answers, day and night, win bookings.
5. Keep your listings excellent anyway
Strange but true: great photos and reviews on booking sites also bring direct bookings. Many guests find you on a booking site, then search your name and book on your website. Bad photos lose both.
The bottom line
Booking sites are a cost of doing business. The goal is not to leave them; it is to depend on them less. Every point of share you move to direct bookings goes straight to your profit.
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