Are you teaching guests to buy on price?
Hotel guests are good students, and for years, the hotel business has been teaching them to buy on price.
Specials and promotions are a critical part of any hotel's marketing mix. So are OTAs. And PPC.
We just don’t think an overreliance on them is the best thing for long-term rate growth. We think Brand loyalty is better than having potential guests window-shop for price. Certainly price is what OTA listings lead with. And price is the most effective use of that limited PPC ad space.
Of course, branded searches have higher conversion rates. And branded searches are driven by desire, not price.
You want people to come to your property because they want to stay at your property, not because it's cheaper than one down the street. It's better if they are drawn to what you have to offer, not just how cheaply you sell it. We're always excited when we drive clients' website traffic for reasons other than price.
So maybe it makes sense to plan for some benefits-oriented marketing. Maybe take a look at your Brand and ask yourself if it creates desire for your hotel or resort.
If you’re selling a benefit (and creating desire), price becomes less of an issue, but if you’re selling on price, then price becomes more of an issue. Actually, the only issue.One of these two scenarios is, of course, better than the other.
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