One of the keys to being discovered and to stand out from the other hotels is to have an effective and well designed website. Your website can become the most profitable way to generate bookings. So, why do so many web pages make the same mistakes ? There are tons of little issues that come up time and again. Here are some things you can do to correct these errors

1. The 6 most common mistakes
hotels make with their
websites

2. One of the keys to being discovered and to stand out from the other hotels
is to have an effective and well designed website. Your website can
become the most profitable way to generate bookings. So, why do so many
web pages make the same mistakes? There are tons of little issues that
come up time and again. Here are some things you can do to correct these
errors :
Frustrating web visitors
The user’s experience determines the success or failure of a web site. It is
important that users who go on your website feel comfortable, are
attracted by the content, and end up making a reservation. However there
are things that create the opposite effect and frustrate users to the point
that they end up leaving the web site and booking at another hotel.

3. You might think that you are doing your visitors a favor by showing an
auto-start video. After all, they probably want to see the hotel. However,
things are not as simple as that. The videos on the hotel’s website should
not start automatically because ;
– Users might be preparing their travel itinerary at work while they’re
supposed to be working. The sound of the video can lead to disapproving
looks from coworkers. As a result, your potential client will close his
browser without having had the chance to make a reservation.
– Whether at work or at home, a lot of people use headphones to listen to
music while they are surfing the web. The auto-starting video will annoy
people who are looking to book a room.
– The speaker volume on personal computers generally stays on high,
whether because they are watching a movie or talking to family on Skype.
So your video will disturb everybody in the house.

4. Not clearly defining your WiFi’s qualities and limitations
Wi-Fi is has become the most requested hotel feature (requested by 89%
of travelers surveyed). More and more hotels offer it as part of the price of
the room, but users don’t always get what they expect.
Whether you have limited wireless access or not, if you don’t clearly
indicate this, you risk losing reservations. Is Wi-Fi available in common
areas and not available in most of the rooms? Is it possible to request a
room with Wi-Fi? Is there a limitation on the number of connected devices
or the number of minutes a day? If there is a cost for Wi-Fi, what is the
price and what do you get in terms of speed?
These are the kind of questions that users want answered before they
book. Generally the answer can be found on TripAdvisor and Booking.com,
who typically get this information from users who have had a bad
experience.

5. Just read the many reviews about hotels on TripAdvisor where people
complain about their experience because the Wi-Fi service was slow,
broken, or difficult to connect to.
So it is important that you describe your Wi-Fi offer in great detail. Also, if
you offer full and free WiFi service, it’s important to emphasize this
because it can help generate bookings.
Not offering details about who is behind the hotel’s name
This is a mistake made especially by small hotels. Consumers are often
curious to know the owner. If something goes wrong, they want to know
that someone (and not an “I just work here” type of person) will be ready
to help them.
That’s why it’s important to include the name of the owner or manager of
the hotel along with photos on the “About Us” page.

6. Not making direct booking easy
Your goal is to get more bookings. That’s why you’re building a
professional and optimized hotel website, isn’t it? But don’t stop here and
expect visitors to book directly without offering a strong incentive.
If people don’t feel they are getting the best rate or something extra by
booking directly, they will look elsewhere. And once they start comparing
places, another hotel might catch their eye.
To optimize your website and generate direct bookings you should use
calls to action like:
– Best Rates Guaranteed
– Free breakfast
– Early Access
– A bottle of wine or another welcome gift in your room

7. Not finalizing the acquisition process
97% of your web visitors will not book on their first visit. So to get them to
come back and book later on depends on your proactive efforts.
Email is still the most effective way to reach people on the internet.
Therefore, the best way to turn visits into bookings is to create an
acquisition process. How? Get them to sign up to your newsletter with
their email address, or provide them with something they can download.
Acquisition process using email:
– Build a database of customers by getting them to give you their email
address. Place sign-up forms throughout of your web site to attract more
subscribers.
– Send a welcome email and a thank you message. Remind your
subscribers of the many reasons to book at your hotel.
– Periodically sends emails detailing special hotel deals and features.

8. ¿Crees que las OTAS benefician o perjudican a los hoteles?
Creo que más bien habría que preguntarse si mi estrategia de canales de
comercialización es adecuada, de qué ROI deja cada canal y de qué riesgo
estoy asumiendo si sólo supedito las ventas a uno o a un número reducido
de ellos. La estrategia adecuada depende también de la situación
especifica de cada hotel y de su capacidad así como de la visión de futuro
del mismo. Apostar en serio por el canal directo require disponer de
personal formado en comunicación, y en las herramientas actuales tales
como SEO, SEM, youtube, mobile, email marketing, social media, afiliación
y por supuesto analítica.
Confiar en exceso en las OTAs debilita la potencia de ventas del hotel
generando dependencia pero son un camino rentable para acceder a
mercados internacionales. En el mix adecuado de medios está la respuesta.

9. Giving the impression that you don’t care about your hotel’s image
This last one is probably the most common mistake, as many hotel
websites have a really dated look and don’t show the hotel’s qualities and
what sets it apart from the rest. Invest time and energy in a good design to
show that the image of your hotel is really important to you.

10. Descarga Gratis: La Guía “Como duplicar las
reservas online de tu hotel sin depender de las
OTAs”
La gran mayoria de las reservas de hoteles se realizan online. En la siguiente guía
descubrirás todos los detalles que debes tener en cuenta para poder generar reservas
online desde tu propia web.