How Hotels promote their own Websites internally

Happy New Year to all our customers.

January is always a good month for advance bookings, we could not exactly say why, but we suspect some holiday makers get through Christmas then say 'Im going to Dublin/London/Paris in Summer, i must get a room booked'. For this reason it would be a good idea to make sure that your ROOM RATES ARE SET UP FOR THE YEAR if you have not already done so.

Other Points
The Roadshows went off very well, but the one issue that generated the most discussion was the Inhouse promotion of the hotel website.

The point was made that a hotel cannot in good faith sit down with their booking technology suppliers and complain that they are not getting enough direct online bookings unless they can 'look them in the eye' and promise them that they have done everything they can to promote the website inside the hotel........a few management bottoms shifted uneasily in their seats at this point.

Remember that the OTA's are doing EVERYTHING in their power to persuade customers that its best to book direct with them, (even though they are middle men), so hotels need to up their game and do likewise if they dont want bookings to bleed away to the OTA's.

Some of the ideas that bounced back during the roadshow for promoting the hotel website internally were quite novel, others just common sense, but we compiled them here anyway.

• Have website address displayed boldly with a notice on reception.
• Have website address displayed in the rooms (Rear of hotel doors, bedside welcome packs etc).
• Have a 'pull-up' stand with website address in reception area.
• Place website address in E Mail Footer Signatures.
• Promote website address in Restaurant Table menus.
• Make website address bold on Invoices.
• Promote hotel website address with sign writing on company vehicle.
• Give departing customers a brochure or business card with website address strongly promoted.

Bedtime Reading
Booking.com tries to appease European Regulators;
http://skift.com/2014/12/15/booking-com-unveils-tentative-agreement-to-appease-european-regulators