Tips, strategies & useful resources
The reality of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on travel inevitably poses issues for all players in the tourism industry. As restrictions begin to loosen around the world, hotel brands may be starting to see some glimmers of hope.
The introduction of reopening plans and relaxed travel restrictions are clearly impacting hotel booking patterns and trends. The situation is different in each market and evolving rapidly. In this unprecedented situation, there is a clear need for relevant industry and market information to be able to make the best decisions for your hotel brand. This page includes more than 12 months of data and trends, last updated on 17th July 2021.
Providing context around the COVID-19 situation, we have put together a series of reports illustrating hotel booking trends around the world to help you better understand the impact on the industry and plan appropriate strategies.
As restrictions have begun to loosen around the world, hotel brands may be starting to see some glimmers of hope. Managers of properties which were forced to close during the series of COVID-19 closures have now opened their doors or are planning to do so soon.
Hospitality as we know it has been transformed and so we have to look for ways to reinvent the experiences we offer and the way we engage with guests. Let's have a look at the most effective hotel strategies to optimize direct booking conversions prior to and during reopening:
When the time comes, make sure guests know that you’re back in the game. This welcome Layer is a great way to keep guests informed. It clearly delivers the property’s message about reopening as well as important updates on hotel operations.
As predicted within the industry, it looks like the domestic market may be the first to recover. With many international borders still closed as restrictions within countries start to loosen, people are first gaining mobility to move around within their own country. This makes it the perfect time to promote staycation offers.
Use geo-targeting rules to show personalized messages to website visitors searching from your local market and spark interest for domestic travelers. Let them know what special benefits they can get from booking a staycation with you!
It may still be a while before restaurants can return to operating at full capacity. It would be a shame to not keep your kitchens going, so why not promote curbside pickup or delivery so customers can enjoy gourmet five-star meals in the comfort of their homes? Again, only show these messages to users located in your city to have a greater impact.
Hotels offering take away menus
Unprecedented times call for creative solutions. Try to think outside the box to offer services and experiences that will seduce visitors.
In this example, the property is selling Hotel Vouchers to thank Healthcare workers for their efforts during the COVID-19 outbreak. Redeemable within the next 5 years, 50% of the proceeds will be donated as room nights for Healthcare workers to use as vacation post-crisis. What a fantastic way to have your guests show their love and support for the community as well!
Unprecedented times call for new solutions. Now more than ever is the time to take charge and define a mindful direct booking strategy to adapt to the shifting market patterns and trends. We’ve prepared a hotel strategies guide with a whole series of examples from our hotel clients. We hope you find the ideas useful to help you adapt and shape your recovery plan.
At The Hotels Network we have focused our efforts on providing valuable content to support and inspire hoteliers like you. Check out our latest articles and webinars to discover clever strategies to help you weather this storm.
As current demand may still be low, it’s important to take advantage of any available opportunity to recover revenue today. Showcasing attractive hotel voucher offers could be a good option to encourage impulse purchases. Vouchers help to remove any hesitations guests may have due to uncertainty around booking dates.
We offer a fully integrated Voucher tool - also available for non-THN customers - to manage the entire process, from the creation of vouchers and promotion on your website to redeeming vouchers after purchase.
Actual bookings may still be relatively low, but visitors are still looking and exploring for future stays, an indication of growing and pent-up demand for travel once restrictions are loosened. Now’s the perfect time to shift your attention to building and nurturing a strong community of potential guests for your future marketing actions. With our latest Email Capture tool, you can use eye-catching Layers with an integrated form as an effective way to grow your marketing database. Engage your website users and encourage them to subscribe to your newsletter so you can keep them updated about the current situation as well as upcoming special offers.
For additional news updates on the COVID-19 situation and changes in the hospitality industry, follow these reliable sources:
Today, it's more important than ever to communicate with guests and strengthen your direct channel. Schedule a meeting with one of our experts to discuss how we can help you capture revenue in the short term and be ready to capitalize on increased demand as soon as the markets start to recover.
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