When states first entered lockdown, hospitality industry experts began to notice an interesting trend: online travel agencies (OTAs) were falling away from the top of search results for guests seeking hotel nights. As we moved into April and May, Comscore’s data showed that the visitors going to a hotel’s direct website tallied higher than those going to OTAs. While there was slight recovery in June, analysts found that the overall number dipped again, following reports of surges in COVID-19 cases nationwide.

Although it may seem like just another dip in occupancy, the truth is that reduced visits to OTAs presents an opportunity for hoteliers. Hotels can spend up to 30% of the cost to book on commission to these websites, severely impacting overall revenue. At a time where maximizing revenue is imperative, hoteliers must understand how to best seize the opportunity and capture more guests with online marketing. To capitalize on the reduced usage OTAs, it’s essential for hotels to implement direct, commission-free booking channels.

Increasing Your Market Share

Online travel agencies are typically online marketing powerhouses, dominating search results through paid advertising. However, with travel’s fluctuating recovery alongside surges of COVID-19, it’s possible that hoteliers may see their own websites organically rise to the top of search results, especially if your site includes highly searched keywords related to the pandemic. This means that hoteliers can step in and own more of the market share while OTAs are prioritizing other areas of their business.

According to Micrometrics, 50% of OTA users will visit the hotel’s site before deciding to book. If your hotel’s site provides updated information like what travelers can expect from your hotel during COVID-19, then there’s a much higher chance you’ll be able to earn a direct booking.

Opportunity to Build Unique, User-Driven Design

In order to out-pace OTAs, hoteliers need to turn to their website design. If the website is easy to navigate and the booking process seems easier than on the OTA, the guest is more likely to make their decision while they visit. Since a vanity website for your property is not limited to the more rigid designs of online travel sites, you have the opportunity to develop a captivating user interface that showcases exactly what you want guests to see, from beautiful pictures to critical information.

The added benefit of having your own website design is that you can infuse more personality into each page. In the past, we’ve discussed brand awareness and its significance in the travelers’ decision to book [link to article]. Each element placed on your page will express the voice and personality of your hotel – if your property is in a tropical location, you may want to design it with colors reminiscent of warm, summery, tropical locale, like light blues, oranges, or yellow. When you infuse the personality of your property throughout your website, you become memorable to guests, which means they’ll consider your property ahead of others when it comes time to make a vacation plan.

Benefit of Saved Costs

Guests booking with you directly through your website correlates directly to savings, as you’ll have to pay much less in commission to these various travel sites. Those funds can be reallocated to your property, or to further maintaining your hotel’s website through a partner. Our team at Travel Media Group offers an affordable website package that allows us to do the heavy lifting on creating and maintaining a vanity website for your hotel. Having a website is invaluable for guests who want information that cannot be found on an OTA, such as special policies and procedures about your hotel operations during COVID-19.

Developing a website takes a significant amount of time and resources, but it doesn’t have to be a difficult process. We’re happy to help you develop a vanity website that helps you capture the attention of travelers and earns your property more direct bookings. For more information, please visit our websites page or contact us for a free consultation.