The hotel industry is rife with competition. In addition to other hotel chains, they also have to contend with websites like HomeAway and Airbnb. Due to the ever-increasing number of players, it’s now important, more than ever, to stand out. And while most hotel marketers are aware of their challenges, overcoming them is no easy task. To shift public opinion, the hotel needs to market themselves right, treat customers nicely and offer reasonable prices. Here are no-fail marketing strategies to market your hotel.

Be found easily

The top page of a web search can only display so many options. Those who get relegated to the second page often get relegated from the industry too. Long gone are the days when travel agents were ubiquitous. Most travellers today find their hotel through a simple web search. If your hotel is not found easily, you can say goodbye to a good chunk of customers. You need to make sure that you have an online presence everywhere relevant.

Don’t forget architectural photography

It only takes one-tenth of a second for a customer to decide whether an image is good or not. The importance of photography quality in marketing cannot be looked down upon. Customers often just skip the written part of your website and go through the images. This is where architectural photography comes to the rescue. A professional photographer will not only take high-quality attractive pictures of your hotel, but it will also showcase your hotel in a way that no one ever imagined. Showing what your establishment offers through quality images can help you bring in more customers.

Upload pictures of your rooms, food, buildings and also the surrounding area of your hotel. Market the location around you as well to attract customers.

Target the right audience

What kind of hotel you are and what kind of patrons visit you regularly? The marketing strategy needs to be different for an off-route hotel and a luxurious one. Different people visit different kinds of establishments. Their budget, travel methods and expectations also vary. Tools like income targeting can come in handy in such situations. Break down your target audience and use different marketing strategies to entice them. You can even subdivide them to make it easier.

Increase the budget during peak season

If your hotel is located at a place where certain seasons attract more customers like mountains or the beach, your peak season is going to be quite different. A good marketing strategy is to use more of the budget during peak season when there's a chance of attracting more customers. Figure out when things get busy and when business is slow. Make sure your windows aren’t too narrow and allocate your budget based on that.

Use a simple and easy to navigate website

This may seem like an obvious point, but there are many hotels whose websites are slacking. Having a poor website design that is cluttered is an instant turn off for customers. Your website is your first impression, make sure it is a good one. Keep it simple, straightforward and easy to navigate.

Conclusion

There are two kinds of people. Those who like staying in hotels and those who’d like to have nothing with hotels. Not only do you need to convince the latter to visit you, but also keep the former from drifting towards your competition. With the growing popularity of alternatives, the competition is becoming more cutthroat day by day. However, it is the simple things which can increase preference for your hotel. Implement these tips and watch as your bookings increase.

‍