Marketing Tips For The Hotel Industry

The hotel industry has really taken a hit this year thanks to Covid-19. Especially here on the Costa del Sol, Spain where tourism is a massive industry that many businesses are dependent on. There is plenty of hope to be had though, and lots that can be done to promote your hotel, even in the wake of lockdowns and “new norm” regulations. Despite economic strains, there is still a huge demographic of people wanting to get away and while international travel may be temporarily down, local staycations are up, meaning your business doesn’t have to needlessly suffer while the world gets back on it’s feet.

Here are some ways you can stand out amongst the crowd and encourage more national and local visitors to your hotel.

Sell the Experience

Holidays are not about a having a roof over your head. They are about getting away from the every day and experiencing something new. It makes sense then, that the best way to attract customers is to encourage them to feel that relaxed calm, that exciting rush, or that out-of-the ordinary experience while browsing your website or other marketing platforms such as social media. As social creatures, a great way to do this is include people in your marketing as much as possible. Guests enjoying themselves and long-time or well-recognized employees make for great focal points in your marketing strategy. To really emphasize the experience you offer, content marketing should also be a large part of your marketing strategy.  And for those who really want to stay ahead of the curve, the latest and greatest hotel marketing trend is in the use of virtual reality and augmented reality to allow visitors to experience a stay with you before they book.

Go Green

Sustainability is a big concern for a huge percentage of the world, and studies have shown that when given the option, most people would make travel and hotel choices based on environmental standards. So take your hotel’s sustainability and social responsibility measures up a notch and then brag about them! Just make sure to be clear, confident, and honest in your successes as well as your failures to really stand out from your competitors and earn the respect and loyalty of an ever-increasing range of guests.

Pay Attention to Detail

In all of your marketing strategies, don’t forget to include the details that every customer is looking for: location, price, amenities, and services. Without having these standard details immediately available, a potential guest can’t make an informed decision and may seek other options as a result. Most audiences will only search for this information for a maximum of 15 seconds too, so make sure it’s front and centre of your website and your marketing campaigns.

Turn Up the Charm

There’s no better way to market your hotel than by having guests influence others by showcasing their positive experiences while staying with you. Encourage visitors to do this by creating photo opportunities as much as possible throughout your hotel. Think unexpected experiences, instagram-worthy locations, quirky details, and opportunities to show themselves off, all of which have a larger potential of making it onto social media or into positive reviews, which will quickly translate into more visibility and more guests. Loyalty schemes are also a great way of offering rewards, which can bring moments of authentic appreciation for your hotel full circle, also driving up sales.

Go Beyond Google

While your hotel should absolutely appear on Google as well as a few other major worldwide hotel booking sites, make sure you’re adding your hotel information onto local ones as well. Especially in today’s market of local travel and staycations, a solid dedication to being seen to local visitors is an important aspect to hospitality marketing today. On the Costa del Sol, some of these sites may include booking.com, atrapalo.com, destinia.com, quierohotel.com, besthotels.com, or resortguides.com. You may also want to seriously consider speaking with an expert on how you can boost your visibility on all these sites with some serious SEO (search engine optimization) strategies.

Invest in a Marketing Expert

Now more than ever, marketing your hotel online is an absolute must. To really take advantage of exponentially-increasing digital audiences, investing in the help of a digital marketing agency like Peppermint can make a real difference. They can take stock of your current positioning and create a digital marketing strategy and plan to achieve your business objectives, which may include SEO, Google advertising, social media marketing, remarketing campaigns, branding, and other tried and tested ways of getting seen and increasing your bottom line.

As a creative and digital marketing agency with over 16 years experience, we have worked with a variety of hotels along the Costa del Sol, from small, family-run boutique hotels to large internationally-acclaimed resorts, and have plenty of experience in driving your online presence and generating leads. Give us a call today to discuss what we can do for you!