Multi-Channel Room Sale Through OTA Channels
OTA (Online Travel Agent) are one of the key distribution channels that hotels have at their disposal in order to market and sell their room. Hotels can post information, photos or update room availability and hotel promotions. Here, guests can search, compare and book rooms according to their needs. Around the world, the popularity of OTAs is undisputed. Some of the most famous travel agencies include Airbnb, Traveloka, Booking, Agoda, .. (Online Travel Agent).
Benefits Of Selling Rooms Via OTA
The value that OTA channels bring to the hotel industry has made it increasingly popular. Especially, customers gradually prefer convenience. When cooperating with an OTA, besides reaching potential customers, it is also easier to automate the system process. Many hotels have received significant benefits from the “advertising effect”. When a potential customer sees the hotel on OTA, traffic to the hotel’s website, Facebook page will be increased. Thus, leading to an increased direct booking.
Drawbacks Of Selling Rooms Via OTA
Selling Rooms Through The Hotel’s Website
Website is an effective tool to help attract customers through information and images to promote the brand and attract customers. Through the website, customers can easily choose the right service. If properly built, the website will become an effective room sales channel, helping the hotel to optimize its revenue.
Benefits Of Selling Rooms Through The Website
Selling rooms through the website can take advantage of the Billboard effect, building trust with customers. So, we can provide more information and do not need to pay OTA commission costs.
Besides, the website provides more complete and detailed information. Users will receive more detailed information such as introduction, hotel story, space overview, detailed contact information.
Finally, hotels will not have to pay commissions rate per booking for OTA channels. When the hotel integratesBooking Engine in the system, customers have more options to book rooms besides OTA channels. When the booking is successful, the booking will appear in the system. If the hotel uses hotel management software, the booking will be synchronized on the software and updated in the remaining room sales channels.
Drawbacks Of Selling Rooms Through The Website
In addition to the outstanding benefits, selling rooms through the website also has certain limitations. First, we have to invest and continuously develop content. This is extremely necessary because this is the place where customers usually keep visiting. The more carefully arranged information and images will strengthen the trust of customers when choosing a place to stay. Whereas, if the information is sketchy, the image is not carefully used, it will reduce the trust level of customers.
Besides, the hotel needs to develop a reasonable marketing strategy to attract visitors to the website. This is extremely necessary, especially at a time when everything is gradually digitized, when ordering an online service is becoming more and more popular. Through Google Ads, optimize SEO, fanpage or OTA channel to create attention, awareness and drive customers to come.
Finally, the hotel needs to synchronize the price between the website and OTA channels. Because if the price difference, the customer will feel confused and uncomfortable.
Through The Hotel’s Facebook Page
Facebook’s huge user has made FB of the effective marketing tools for businesses. One of the most effective channels to sell rooms from Facebook is through Fanpage. Fanpage posts information about services, room availability as well as promotional information. Besides, daily images such as customer feedback, special occasions are also updated here.
Benefits Of Selling Rooms Through Facebook
Increase awareness: Facebook is the largest social network in the world. It is the best platform to increase brand awareness. Besides, users can visit the fanpage even without logging in. This helps the hotel to reach many different customer. So, we easily interact and recommend services to them.
Communicate effectively: Besides, Fanpage help businesses to tell their brand story in the most natural way. This helps convey the brand’s message, creating a deep impression in the customer’s mind about the brand. Good content planning helps customers understand more about your brand. This is the foundation to build customer trust and make them remember your hotel more.
Data analysis: Fanpage will record all page visits and information about customers who interact with the hotel’s Fanpage. As a result, you will have information about demographics, behavior or content that customers are interested in.
No support costs: When selling rooms on Facebook Fanpage, businesses do not need to spend any costs. On the contrary, we have to pay a high commission rate (25%-30%) if using other OTA channels.
Drawbacks Of Selling Rooms Through Facebook
High competition: Since Facebook is a free and “hot” platform, the reach rate to users is high. So, this is a playground for both large, small and medium hotels. Therefore, the rate of competition on this platform is quite high. If your business wants to stand out from the competition, a marketing strategy and quality content are essential.
Building customer trust: A customer visits the hotel via Facebook page, they will tend to book the room and pay immediately through the bank account. However, the source of visitors to the fanpage is usually strangers. Therefore, the level of trust in transactions is often not high, especially at the stage when a new fanpage is created. At this time, customers do not really have enough trust in your hotel, so it will cause some difficulties. This problem even happens with large, established hotels. Therefore, building trust in customers is an essential factor leading to the success of selling rooms through Fanpage.
Training consultants: Fanpage staff is responsible for controlling messages as well as answering customers’ questions about the service, etc. They interacts the most with customers, if not trained carefully, it will easily lead to unexpected incidents, reducing customer satisfaction during the experience.
Effective Multi-Channel Room Sales Strategy
Using OTA as the main channel to sell rooms
OTA is the main channel of most hotels and homestays. Customers often access booking apps to find hotels when in need. Through these channels, hotels can develop room sales quickly, effectively reach and convert many customers. To be successful in this segment, the hotel needs to arrange and allocate resources reasonably, choose the main OTA channel to develop the system. OTA channels are required to ensure the capacity of the rooms is always filled. In addition, it is necessary to combine with the website to effectively take advantage of the Billboard effect to attract and promote customers to book.
Use the website as an official channel
Website plays an extremely important role for hotels because this is the official information channel that customers often visit. Therefore, all updated information on the website must be clear, including available rooms, services and preferential rates.
