According to a recent study, 72 percent of people would book directly with the hotel if they were sure they could get the best deal.
But the reality is that while there is a significant market for direct bookings, many guests have frustrations when booking rooms directly with hotels because hospitality providers often aim to get the highest rates for rooms, as opposed to filling every room.
The big challenge for hoteliers in this arena comes down to trust. In today’s transparency-driven economy, this is a must when dealing with hotel brands. And, trust comes down to price and the mindset of “what can the hotel provide for me that is more personalized.”
Many hotel brands view online travel agencies (OTA) efforts as a learning opportunity on how to best price their rooms. However, the bigger challenge comes down to marketing and creating that direct level of trust with guests.
Triptease recently offered key insights into how hotel brands can win this marketing battle with OTAs. From simplifying the booking process to offering transactions in native country currencies, there are plenty front-end marketing tactics that hotels can implement to incentivize guests to book directly.
Of course, competing just on price can be a “race to the bottom” where prices continue to drop and margins will be further cut. To combat this, hotels need to invest in the right systems for fully knowing their guests and their preferences. The combination of personalized services with the right marketing tactics to enhance direct bookings will help hoteliers better deal with the ongoing OTA challenge.
As always, when hotels make guests the top priority, they will be more apt to develop long-term loyalty that will make guests actually want to book directly.