8 Savvy Hotel Marketing Ideas for Boosting Business in 2021
As the travel industry begins to rally in response to COVID-19 improvements, hotel marketing ideas are crucial.
Traveler priorities have changed in the last twelve months. They may still be shopping for comfort and cool amenities, like that luxurious pool or a view of the water. But most importantly, travelers are gunshy and still worried about COVID.
If you need ideas for hotel marketing that will position your hotel above the rest, while making travelers feel safe, we’ve assembled 8 ideas for you!
1. Enable Virtual Tours
One of the best hotel marketing ideas is taken from the real estate industry. In recent years, many realtors and landlords have enabled virtual walkthroughs so people can get an idea of the layout before they visit.
These days, some people want the most secluded experience possible. They don’t want to be stuck in an elevator with someone else, or forced to eat in a community environment if they want to take advantage of the continental breakfast.
To soothe their fears, let customers ‘try before they buy’.
2. Prioritize Online Reviews
Another hotel marketing strategy is the digital version of ‘word of mouth’. When guests do visit your hotel, are they leaving reviews?
Some people only leave reviews when they’re outraged, which is terrible for your hotel marketing. Consider offering guests a discount off their stay if they leave a review.
Or, you can hand out business cards at checkout. This will remind guests to leave a review, especially if they really enjoyed their stay!
3. Prioritize Health Protocols
In the current tourism climate, this can serve as one of the top hotel marketing strategies. Start with basic protocols, such as masking and social distancing.
If your staff members are wearing masks and practicing social distancing, this can go a long way. Keep this in mind if your location usually plans guest events.
Consider how you plan to enforce guest masking, too. Some states have mask protocols, while others have already lifted them.
4. Advertise Your Filtration Capabilities
You should also advertise any air filtration strategies that you’ve implemented, too. Since COVID-19 is airborne, this can make a huge difference.
How often are you sanitizing your building? And how often are linens cleaned? This is the sort of thing guests want to see in your hotel marketing copy.
5. Maximize Your Online Presence
Hotel SEO isn’t often discussed, but it should be! If someone is new to your city, a Google search will often dictate where they start looking for hotels.
After they find your hotel, price, location, and amenities can help set you apart. But they have to be able to find you online first.
6. Invest in Remarketing
Often, people abandon their hotel bookings before they get all the way through the sales funnel and hit purchase. By investing in retargeting advertisements, you can remind people what they left in their cart.
Especially in the hospitality business, retargeting can salvage a lot of sales.
7. Highlight Safety
These days, hotel marketing ideas need to center on removing the fear of the unknown that many customers experience.
Try developing a brochure or email marketing copy that explains how your hotel is going above and beyond to keep guests safe. If they know they’re in the best hands, they’re more likely to feel safe during their stay!
8. Prioritize Diplomacy
Of course, some people will always be upset about wearing masks in your hotel. In order to avoid as much annoyance as possible, consider having masks available when people walk in.
Frame it as a convenience service. People won’t have to stress if they forgot masks. And when they’re going out, a great marketing strategy is providing branded keychain hand sanitizer and masks.
Embracing Innovative Hotel Marketing Ideas
In the hospitality industry, the key is often: “the bigger the better”. That isn’t true anymore for hotel marketing ideas!
These days, safety and compassion will win guests over every time.
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