45 things you can do to get more bookings
The vast majority of accommodation providers are not using the internet to full advantage. If this includes you, understand that your savvy competitors are taking advantage of you.
You need to organise your online situation properly. Sometimes even one small tweak can yield an immediate result. When you make everything work together, the results can be phenomenal.
This is a big list – you might want to bookmark the page
I go into quite a lot of detail for some of the points.
I’ve broken it into 6 sections to make it easier to handle.
Six Sections
Section 1 – Build a website and take bookings
Section 2 – SEO – get to the top of Google
Section 3 – Content strategy – keep telling your story
Section 4 – Social Media & PR – talk to your people
Section 5 – Advanced Strategies – get that extra edge
Section 6 – Monitor your Progress – monthly stats are essential
Which kind of businesses will benefit from this list?
- Hotels
- Motels
- Bed and Breakfasts (B&B’s)
- Guesthouses
- Cottages
- Chalets
- Villas
- Lodges
- Serviced Apartments
- Boutique Hotels
- Chateaus
- Manors
- Resorts
- Inns
- Caravan Parks
- Hostels
- Farmstays
- Ski Lodges
- Houseboats
- Eco Glamping Yurts
You get the picture.
Take the actions, see the results
There’s a lot to it, so it can feel like your brain is exploding during the learning phase. You might find yourself wishing you didn’t have to do any of these things.
If you already know you need help you can skip to the bottom of the page (here). I work with a very small number of accommodation providers to implement these techniques.
Having said that, even if you are looking for help I’d recommend you read the whole series. It’s good to have a basic grasp of the principles even if you’re outsourcing some aspects.
If you want more bookings, and if you want to see guests from China, Europe and the rest of the world, you MUST get your online situation sorted out.
They’re the first ones on Google. They have bookings coming out their ears. And their guests are arriving from everywhere.
Let’s help you do the same thing.
Start with Section 1 – Build a website and take bookings
45 things? There’s so much to it!
You don’t have to do them all at once though. Make it achievable. Pick the most important things to work on first, then add more later.
Cath, can you help?
Yes, I can.
I work one-on-one with boutique hotel owners to help with all these things so you can get more bookings.
I don’t employ other contractors to work on your business, I do the work myself, although I regularly consult with other experts in my industry. Things change so quickly, it’s important to be connected to peers who might have picked up something I missed, and vice versa.
Find out more on the Help Me Cath page.
What do you think?
What have I missed in the list of 45 things? Have you spotted a typo or some other error? Do you agree or disagree with a particular point?
Or, if you found this information helpful please let me know. My casual thought about putting together this series turned into an obscene amount of time, blood, sweat and tears, so I would be chuffed to hear from you.
Hey Cath. Ducking brilliant. And very scary. I realise how horribly complacent I’ve become, and lazy too.
I didn’t notice any typos although I did see a slightly odd lack of punctuation in a sentence towards the end. I just looked and couldn’t find it. Sorry. Wil read again and follow some of the links and tell you if it comes up again. I probably just made it up.
So clearly there’s so much more I should be doing, yet it’s mind bogglingly daunting, and my bookings have been ok even though they come equally via Home Away (was Stayz) and private returning guests, with an increasing smattering of Airbnb. Trip advisor was good years ago and is now useless. I’m not going to renew again.
So….. back to your tome; thanks. Its really readable, almost understandable(!), Inspirational, educational, knowledgeable, and let’s talk! Xxx
You hit the nail on the head when you say there’s so much more you could be doing but bookings have been ok. There is actually a point where each business needs to say, “That’s enough, this is all I need.”
Just because there are 45 things you could be doing, doesn’t mean there are 45 things you have to be doing.
When I interviewed Louise Stokes she pointed out that running an establishment with really high occupancy means you end up giving bookings away. It’s a bit like overcapitalising a house.
If you’re running a B&B at 60% and you want to raise that to 80% (but you only have one room), you would only need 6 extra nights each month. You’d pick the low hanging fruit, implementing a couple of quick and easy things.
On the other hand, if you have 10 rooms and you’re running at 35%, you’d need an extra 137 nights every month to reach 80%. You’d want to create a strategy that took in most of this list.
Yes, let’s talk.
Fabulous tips you have put in place Cath. Some are a bit over my head but I get the gist of it.
Kaye
That’s the way Kaye. Start from wherever you are, then gradually up your skills.