Booking engines have changed the hotel industry. They’ve allowed smaller and independent hotels to have a global presence, and they have increased the competition among hotels on all levels regarding price and customer reviews. You might be thinking that you don’t need a booking widget.
Why fix what isn’t broken?
Booking widgets are becoming a necessity for independent hotels. Hotels are able to use these widgets to bring potential guests to book directly on their website. While booking engines are a great channel to reach travelers worldwide, hotels need to be individually proactive in building their own sales.
Here are 3 reasons you should be using a widget for booking online:
Reason 1: Attract Online Customers
When travelers visit your hotel’s website, you want them to stay on your site and book directly with you. Providing them with the opportunity to book quickly and efficiently is a must! It is important to have a widget that is visibly secure and brings customers directly to your booking page.
Another benefit is the ability to link your online presence. Social media platforms offer you a way to directly communicate with your customers along with an opportunity to increase your website traffic. It’s important to make sure your booking widget is facebook embeddable.
Reason 2: Manage Bookings Easier
Smaller or independent hotels might not have an automated booking system in place. Potential guests will email reservations where the owner has to confirm rates and availability. The beauty of using a booking widget is that the information are up to date. The guest is able to see the actual availability and rates. This is especially important to time-sensitive travelers (travelers who book accommodations during their trip).
Another benefit is the integration advantage of a booking widget. When a guest books a room, all the details are automatically in your hotel management system. You don’t need to re-enter the information from system to system and which saves you time.
Reason 3: Stop Paying Pesky Commission Fees
The ultimate goal of using a booking widget is to improve the conversion rate of visitors on your website. Increasing conversion rates are crucial to increasing profits! Without commission fees, your hotel will earn more profit per booking.
The benefit of no commissions also allows you to offer rates lower than what you may offer on a booking engine. This will improve your chances of customers booking directly through you, rather than on a booking engine.
A widget provides you with complete control over your information. No longer will you have to worry about incorrect pricing or overbooking. Using a booking engine not only saves you commission fees, but it also allows you to effectively run your business and monitor progress to maximize profits.
