online travel agent playbook for independent hotels

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Online MarketingPartnership PlaybookJanuary 2016

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Agenda

• Intro & Level Set• Step 1: Research- What’s the right mix for my property?• Step 2: Best Practices• Step 3: Maintenance • Step 4: Pep Talk

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OTAs & GDS

• What are OTAs & GDS?• Online platforms for guests and travel agents to book reservations at your

B&B or inn (e.g. Expedia, Booking.com)

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Direct & Indirect impact of OTAs & GDS• OTAs & GDS including

TripAdvisor account for 40% of bookings

• Top 3 OTAs for B&Bs and Inns:1. TripAdvisor2. Booking.com3. Expedia

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Is this right for my property?

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Competitive Research

•Competitive ResearchGet a Free Market Analysis Report from

innRoad• Rates of your competitors • OTAs your competition is on• Ratings of your competitors• Recommendations for your property to

gain a competitive advantage

Free Market Analysis

Guest Research

• Guest ResearchAsk guests how they found you when they check in, tell

everyone else tooSurvey the ones who just stayed with you• Tons of free survey tools online• Automatic post departure emails

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“innRoad has taken our bookings, billings, and customer satisfaction to another level. No more overbookings, and our bookings can be made online, freeing up more than 1/2 the phone calls. This means, we are spending more time with customers in front of you.”

Ken ChristensenSnug Harbor Resort & Cottages

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Industry Research

• PhoCusWright study said guests read 6-12 reviews before booking• 49% of guests will not book a room at a property that does not have

substantial reviews• Do you ask your guests for reviews? How?

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OTA Demographics

Select an OTA based on the kind of guest you want to see at your property. Here are some links to the demographic research of each OTA• Trip Advisor:

• http://metricsmonk.com/apps/facebook/1005607-tripadvisor/demographics• https://

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TripAdvisorInsights/n2120/24-insights-shape-your-tripadvisor-strategy

• https://ucaaronkurtz.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/tripadvisor-demo.png

• Expedia• http://advertising.expedia.com/audience/

• Booking.com• https://ucaaronkurtz.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/booking-demographics.png

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Put Research into Action

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Best Practices: Your Desktop Profile

• Are your OTA profiles complete?Property descriptionProperty photosRoom descriptionsRoom photos

At least 4 of each room class!ANY and ALL value add-ons

Do you offer free Wi-Fi? Coffee? Parking?

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Best Practices: Reviews & Ratings

1. Post-departure automatic emails2. Monitoring online profiles3. Responding to reviews BOTH good and bad

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Best Practices: Relationships with vendors• Negotiate! Negotiate! Negotiate!• Ask your partners/providers for a better rate

• More inventory = decreased commission rates• Less is more: Consolidation of OTAs is a great opportunity• Your market manager is your friend

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Best Practices: Testing

• Minimum Length of Stays• Value Adds/Add-ons• Amenities

“Due the affordable and flexible pricing structure, we are able to fuel a lot of money into our property.”Julia HarveyEben House

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Best Practices: Your Mobile Profile

Your Website:Easy to navigate Booking engineMobile responsive

Year 2014 2015 2016% bookings from mobile 8% 11% 16%*

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Maintenance & Improvements

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Online Profile: Review Responses

Review Responses: How do you handle them?Negative or positive reviews should be addressed within a weekYes! Address BOTH negative and positive reviews

0% response rate = 3.81 average review rating5%-40% response rate = 4.04 average review rating

40% – 65% = 4.05 average review rating65%+ response rate = 4.15 average review rating

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Online Profile Engagement

Top Factors that drive engagement online:1.Number of photos.2.Total number of reviews.3.Management responses in the

past year.4.Number of reviews in the past

year.

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Pep Talk Time

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“INNROAD HAS HELPED ME FROM THE BEGINNING. SUPPORT HAS BEEN PERFECT AND I WOULD NOT BE WHERE I AM TODAY WITH NEAR PERFECT REVIEWS & HAPPY GUESTS WITHOUT ALL OF INNROAD!”Fred StilleMinorga on the Key

You can DO THIS!

1. Don’t get overwhelmed2. Be informed• Get a Free Market Analysis

3. Your time is precious• Focus on guest experiences

4. Make your life easier• Single System• Great Support• Easy Pricing

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Thank you!

• Resources:• Inn Market Review• 5 Tips to Increase Your OTA Ranking• 5 Steps to Increasing Occupancy with Good Reviews

Contact innRoad for more information at 855.466.7623 or sales@innRoad.com

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Questions to Ask Technology Providers

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Which OTAs do you connect me to? Are these connections available today?1

Do you set up my OTA connections or do I have to do it myself?3

What do you charge for reservations coming from OTAs? How is this paid – per reservation or monthly?5

Do you connect directly to OTAs – or through a 3rd party channel manager?

Do you have a negotiated commission rate with Expedia & their family of OTAs, or do I have to negotiate this rate on my own?

Do reservations from OTAs feed directly into my system or do they come in via fax or email?