Freedom & success: This is how hotels make themselves independent of booking portals

Hooray! - It is finally possible to travel safely and carefree again. After long months in which it only worked to a limited extent to visit other cities and countries, many people are now planning their next trip for a long time. But where can you find the best deals for hotel accommodation? Absolutely clear, “On major booking portals, of course!” That's what most people think. But what does it mean for you as a hotel operator if your rooms are booked via the popular detour? Depending on the portal, a full 11 to 15 percent commission is due on average per booking. Although you benefit from the wider reach of the websites known from TV commercials, the associated competition means the path to ruin for many hoteliers. The harsh comparison with other accommodation means that prices are pushed down to such an extent that hardly any profit remains in the end. A situation that can cost hotel operators not only their existence, but also consumers their favorite hotels in the long term. But cheer up: Attention hotel operators, holiday homes and inns! With the following tips, you will be able to make yourself and your hotel business independent of the major comparison portals and thus create a successful future completely independently.

Lifehack: This is how new customers become regular guests

A major disadvantage of comparison portals is the fact that the e-mail addresses of guests obtained from bookings may not be used for advertising purposes. There is therefore no opportunity in this way to stay in touch with new guests who are staying at your hotel, holiday apartment or inn for the first time beyond their initial visit. But all of that is now over! Turn new customers into regular guests who love your space and can't wait to come back. Here's how it works: Free WiFi for hotel guests is a good thing these days, just like clean rooms and friendly staff. If you offer your guests exactly that, the Kröger family's children can not only watch Netflix in peace while their parents eat dinner in the restaurant, there are also unprecedented advantages for you as the operator: Mr. Kröger provides his e-mail address to log in to the WLAN network. Since this is neither a purchase nor a booking, you can now use the address without hesitation to carry out successful and effective newsletter marketing. Would you like to send 10% vouchers? Now is your chance to do so! Do you offer families an extra children's program? Let Mr. Kröger and many other guests know from now on! It's easy and direct, via email. In contrast to the variant with the booking portals, you stay in touch with your guests, build up a lasting relationship with them and gain regular guests through a simple WLAN login who can welcome you again and again for a lifetime.

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The No. 1 figurehead: Success with Google reviews

In no sector are they as important as in the hotel industry. We're talking about Google reviews, the customer reviews on the largest Internet platform of all. On average, according to various sources, around 90% of travelers read any testimonials to find out about the condition of the hotel, the service or the food in advance of booking. The reports often also include photos that were taken by the holidaymakers themselves, i.e. are completely lighthearted and genuine. Companies that have no reviews or have an overall rating of less than four stars are usually no longer booked. For you as an accommodation operator, it is therefore vitally important to be able to have a positive ranking with numerous reports from happy guests. But how do you get your guests to tell the whole world how great their stay with you was? One thing is certain, the booking portals will hardly help you collect Google reviews. On the other hand, to get your hostel to number one in the race against the competition, you need a WiFi network that proactively and automatically asks customers for feedback following the visit. The decisive trick here: If Mr. Müller slept poorly and wants to shift the blame onto the supposedly too hard pillows, the complaint ends up in your e-mail inbox and you can then decide whether and how you want to answer it. Very important: The complaint will not be published! However, the negative criticism helps you to constantly improve your service in line with customer requirements. If, on the other hand, Ms. Müller was satisfied, she will be redirected to the official Google form for the exclusively positive feedback in order to publicly promote you. In summary, this means no more negative Google reviews and a huge number of positive reports from satisfied guests in the future. Only the WLAN marketing package from Socialwave allows you to do all this. Say goodbye to dependence on comparison portals and look forward to the successful future of your company on your own!

conclusion

Great hotels, trips at cheap rates and ever falling prices. In one way or another, numerous booking portals advertise on television, on advertising posts or on the radio. But what brings joy to many holidaymakers in the short term means negative business for the industry, which is even more painful during the pandemic period than it already is. That is why, as manager of your accommodation, you are now asked to take action. Build a future in which your company is successful completely independent of the constant price comparison with the competition. Rely on lasting profits by building a relationship with your guests and retaining regular customers over the long term. Newsletter marketing and Google reviews are the be-all and end-all for this! With the help of Socialwave's WLAN marketing package, you can use the collected email addresses of your customers to get them to come back again and again. Thanks to the sophisticated rating system, negative reviews are never published again and at the same time you collect significantly more 5-star reviews than your competition. Put an end to the rule of comparison portals now and opt for an independent marketing concept. You can find more information about the Socialwave marketing package here.With our WLAN marketing package, your customers/patients/guests advertise for you, are happy and recommend you to others.