Which OTAs are right for you?
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are indispensable in your online distribution strategy. Do you want to be found online? Then it's best to promote your accommodation on popular online booking channels. You may pay a small commission, but in return you benefit from their marketing efforts which ensure that many travellers visit this online booking platform. More online visibility means more reservations and therefore a high occupancy rate.
Of course, it is important to choose the OTAs that are best suited to your type of accommodation and type of guests. On our Marketplace, you'll find our wide range of partners: from big players like Booking.com and Airbnb to smaller local OTAs that also have a lot to offer.
How to manage all your booking channels?
The right OTA partner choice has been made. Well done! So how do you manage all these booking channels efficiently? What about your availability? How can you avoid overbooking? A hotel Channel Manager offers solutions. Cubilis Channel Manager is part of our All-In-One Bookingplanner package, and allows you to manage the price & availability of all your booking channels in one central system. All changes are updated in real time across all channels - convenient, isn't it!
Direct bookings or bookings through OTAs?
In exchange formore online visibility through OTAs, you unfortunately pay some commission. Ahigher occupancy rate, but a lower return. That’s why it is important not tolose sight of your own website. This is also an extremely important booking channel. Direct bookings through your personal hotel website are commissionfree and give you a higher return. A healthy mix between OTA bookings anddirect reservations is key!
A converting hotel website
The investment in a good website for your hotel or B&B is worth it. Through an online booking module on your website, guests can book directly with you, and you do not have to pay commission to third parties. Fast and easy online booking for guests, a higher return for you as owner. A real win-win!
A flawless booking process
How do you create a smooth online booking process?
- No time to lose! Website visitors should be able to book online immediately. Make booking easy and convincing with clear book now buttons.
- Place a fastbooker on your website where travellers can immediately enter their arrival and departure dates to check whether there are still places available at your accommodation.
- A helpful price comparison tool that immediately makes the cheap direct booking price stand out, convinces the last hesitants.
All these additional tools are part of Cubilis Booking Engine, our commission-free booking module. This booking engine connects seamlessly with our designed template websites, but also with externally built websites.
In addition to a smooth booking process, there are a number of parameters your website should meet. Check our checklist to see where you can optimise even more!
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Advertise on metasearch websites
Why invest in my personal website, that nobody can find? It's a frequently asked question. First, an interesting fact: half of travellers who discover an accommodation through online booking platforms, visit the accommodation's personal website before they book!
If you still want to attract more traffic to your website, metasearch can help. You know these sites: Trivago, Tripadvisor, HotelsCombined, ... Via metasearch websites, you can put your own website in the spotlight. When a traveller performs a search on one of these platforms, the room rates of various booking platforms are shown immediately. This way, the traveller can spot and compare all prices, including the cheap price when booking directly through your website!
A metasearch site is therefore not a booking site. It is a comparison platform that leads travellers to different booking sites. Maybe also to your website?
Google, Google, Google.
The search for a place to stay often starts on Google. After all, Google is still the most popular search engine worldwide (87.95% market share!).
Do you have some extra budget? Then try to get higher in the ranking of the Google search results via SEA (Search Engine Advertising). Investing in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is also a good idea; this does not require an advertising budget, just some extra time investment.
The real must have, however, is your Google My Business page. This is a kind of online window for your business and is offered completely free by Google. You can put photos on it, but also general information about your check-in/check-out hours, facilities, a Q&A,... and above all: a link to your own hotel website! An extra chance to generate direct bookings!
Engage in social media
Social media is an important source of inspiration for holiday destinations. Many guests share photos of their trips and stays on popular channels such as Facebook and Instagram. This has an inspiring effect on other travellers looking for a new destination or place to stay.
Do you want to build a good social media strategy to inspire potential guests and convince them that your accommodation is worth a visit? Then think carefully about which social media channels you want to use. Be sure to keep your target audience in mind. Do you have mainly business guests? Then definitely create a LinkedIn profile. Instagram is also very popular with various types of travellers. Choose the most important channels and post there regularly. A profile that is posted infrequently will not be successful.
Also with social media, you can choose paid or non-paid options. If you have some free budget, you can experiment with Facebook and Instagram ads to show your accommodation to a new target group that you can define yourself. However, you can also achieve a lot with organic posts that you put on your own profile. These photos, videos are seen by your followers and any other visitors to your profile.
Improve the online visibility of your accommodation?
Do you want to get started and improve the online visibility of your hotel or B&B using these tips? Great! Feel free to contact us with any further questions or request a Free Trial of one of our products that will help you improve your online visibility:
