Direct Experience Network

Previously, we established a scenario where potential guests were visiting your website after shortlisting your hotel from an OTA. In this scenario, the potential guest was quickly checking that your hotel was legitimate and met their expectations, then to return to the OTA website to finalise their booking. Our aim was to encourage the visitor to book directly with you by making sure they were aware of your compelling Direct Booking Offer.

In this phase of the strategy, we are going to outline a scenario that is much earlier in the customer’s booking journey, before they are tempted to look at an OTA website.

The objective here is to reach the potential guest when they are researching activities, attractions and experiences in your local area before they search for a hotel. If we can make the potential guest aware of your hotel at this stage, you have a much higher chance of securing a direct booking before they begin looking at your competition.

Maximising Direct Bookings: How Partnering with Local Businesses Can Help Your Hotel Grow

As a hotel owner or manager, one of your main goals is likely to increase the number of direct bookings you receive. While there are many strategies you can use to achieve this goal, one that is often overlooked is partnering with local businesses. In this blog post, we’ll explore how partnering with local businesses can help your hotel increase its direct bookings.

One of the main benefits of partnering with local businesses is that it can help your hotel reach new audiences. For example, if you partner with a popular restaurant in your area, you can offer a special promotion to their customers that includes a discounted room rate at your hotel. This can be a great way to reach new guests who may not have heard of your hotel before.

Another benefit of partnering with local businesses is that it can help your hotel stand out from the competition. By offering unique experiences or packages that are only available through your hotel, you can differentiate your property from others in the area. For example, you could partner with a local spa and offer a package that includes a massage and a room at your hotel.

Partnering with local businesses can also help you increase your hotel’s visibility in the community. By promoting your partnerships on your website, social media channels, and in local newspapers and magazines, you can generate buzz about your hotel and attract more guests.

Of course, to make the most of your partnerships with local businesses, it’s important to choose the right partners. Look for businesses that have a similar target audience as your hotel, and that offer products or services that complement your own. For example, if your hotel is located near a popular golf course, partnering with a local golf pro or golf shop can be a great way to attract golf enthusiasts to your hotel.

To make the partnership more attractive, you can offer a customised referral program for the local partners, where they get a commission for every guest they refer and the guest also get a discount, this will incentivize the local partners to promote your hotel more frequently.

By taking the time to establish partnerships with local businesses, your hotel can increase its direct bookings, reach new audiences, and stand out from the competition. With a little creativity and some careful planning, you can create unique experiences for your guests and drive more direct bookings for your hotel.