Q1 In Review:

What We’ve Learned About the Changes In Hotel Marketing

Over the course of the first few months of 2016, hoteliers around the world have noticed a shift in the industry.

We have highlighted 4 trends that have become integral to a hotel’s marketing strategy.

★ Home Sharing & OTA Competition

★ Business vs. Leisure Preferences

★ Loyalty Programs

★ Direct Bookings

Home Sharing & OTA Competition

Expedia and Priceline are leading the pack with

revenues reaching $35 billion.

Airbnb brought in an estimated revenue of $900 million in 2015.

60% of all hotel bookings are now done digitally.

With this new market, independent and boutique hotels must inform guests of the perks and amenities they will receive only from a hotel.

★ Reliability

★ Amenities

★ Location

★ Loyalty Rewards

★ReliabilityWhen guests book with a hotel, they have the luxury of knowing exactly what to expect when they arrive; no fear of cancellation, and more importantly no fear of fraud.

★Amenities

Many guests love the perks only hotels can provide: room service, quick and on call maid service as well as facilities like pools, workout rooms, and coffee shops.

★LocationMany times hotels hold better location compared to home sharing services as 74% of Airbnb properties are outside the main hotel districts.

★Rewards

Loyalty programs and stay rewards are one of the best ways to encourage visitors to choose an independent hotel over home sharing service.

Personalizing these programs to a guest's preferences can lead to an even better guest experience.

Business vs. Leisure Travelers

Business travel has been on the rise, projected at

480.5 million in 2015.

Knowing the differences between business and leisure travelers is key when it comes to engaging your guests.

This is an unique opportunity for hotels to target working travelers.

What’s most important?

Business travelers:

1. Location2. Internet Access3. Loyalty Points4. On-Site Amenities5. Mobile Booking

1. Price2. Reviews & Recommendations3. Comfort & Amenities4. Nearby Attractions5. Packages & Specials

Leisure travelers:

The trick is then marketing to these guests accordingly by highlighting the most relevant offers.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are also on the rise, however,

only 41% of hotel chains reward customers for at least 1 form of engagement.

More attention to personalization will be key to a program’s success.

82% of customers feel that loyalty programs would be better if they let them choose the categories of rewards they wanted.

3 Ways to Faster Engage your Guests and Help Increase Loyalty Programs for Hotels:

1. Specific Targeting

2. Email Capture

3. Initial Offers

Direct Bookings

Successfully deploying a direct booking strategy means increasing website personalization to ensure visitors are gaining access to direct booking rewards when it means the most.

Anticipate what visitors will be interested in, then show them the most relevant campaigns, content, or messaging that will catch their attention.