The past few years have been full of new challenges for businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry. And while the restrictions and travel slowdown of COVID-19 have largely come to an end, 2022 has brought some new hurdles.
Rising gas prices have caused some Americans to rethink their summer travel plans, while demand for authentic content has other guests questioning whether to trust staged pictures of vacation rental properties.
If you want to continue to fill your rooms and properties with new bookings this year, your hospitality digital marketing plan needs a few new strategies. Keep reading to learn how to help your property shine in 2022.
Let Guests Know That You’re Still Taking Precautions
If you had asked hotel marketing companies what the number one change was that their clients made in early 2020, they likely would have told you about enhanced cleaning and sanitizing procedures. As COVID-19 began its spread, hotels, vacation rental companies, and other hospitality businesses quickly ramped up their cleaning measures in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and to make their guests more comfortable.
But even now, as the coronavirus slows and many are getting back to traveling, enhanced cleaning measures seem to be here to stay. In fact, industry experts predict that consumers will continue to not only clean their own homes and property more thoroughly, but will expect that of most businesses as well.
If you’ve made enhanced cleaning and sanitizing a part of your property’s routine, make sure to let your guests know. Adding an alert to the homepage of your site or advertising this on travel sites and social media can help your guests to book with confidence, both now and in the future.
Encourage Reviews Where Your Clients Tend to Scroll
Asking for reviews is likely already a part of your hospitality digital marketing strategy. With more than three-quarters of travelers using review sites to research their destination before booking services like hotels, vacation rentals, tours, and more, having a wealth of positive reviews on these sites can help to increase your bookings.
But simply encouraging those reviews may not be enough. You also need to make sure that you’re encouraging reviews in the places where your future visitors are searching for them. To do this, you’ll want to take a closer look at where your guests are booking their stays. Do they tend to book directly on your website? Or are bookings through sites like TripAdvisor, Booking.com, or similar sites more common?
Another great spot to encourage reviews that’s often overlooked is Facebook. Not only is this a place where your guests may be looking when researching for a stay, but you can also interact with guests through this outlet and share positive feedback from prior visitors.
Share Your User-Generated Content as Much as Possible
Sharing positive reviews and feedback isn’t the only way to use the great experience of previous guests to encourage bookings from new visitors. Sharing user-generated content like social media pictures and posts is another great way to attract new guests.
In an age when travelers want more authentic content from the tourism and hospitality industries, user-generated content is a great way to advertise for your property in a way that feels more real to your viewers. Even if they have tagged your property, it’s a good idea to still ask permission before sharing user content to avoid any disgruntled guests.
Don’t Forget the Locals
With gas prices on the rise, more people are likely to look for getaways closer to home this summer. When you’re working on your boutique hospitality marketing strategy, don’t forget the locals.
Run specials exclusive to locals or simply target your marketing strategy to call attention to the attractions that make your property a great choice for a staycation. Either way, this strategy is a great way to book room bookings amid a lag in travel due to the rising price of gas.
Take Your Hospitality Digital Marketing to the Next Level
From targeting locals to making use of user-generated content, these hospitality digital marketing strategies can help your property shine in 2022.
Ready to take your boutique hospitality marketing strategy to the next level? We can help! The talented team at Vibrant Management specializes in helping boutique properties with everything from brand development and social media marketing to full operation management and more. Check out a few of our other properties to learn more about how we can help your company today!