Hotel Marketing Checklist:

10 Strategies to Land You More Bookings

Optimise your website for direct bookings

● Make sure your website is free of technical issues that can affect your website’s
crawlability and indexability (and hence visibility in Google search results). Ensure that
your website meets all the technical requirements of Google and other search engines by
following this guide.
● Adopt the best on-page SEO practices: conduct keyword research before creating your
content and measure the performance of your pages afterwards. Use tools such as
Ahrefs, Semrush or Google Keyword Planner to find the most relevant keywords for your
website.
● Work on your off-page SEO by earning links to your website, leveraging PR, and
collaborating with influencers and bloggers in order for your website to get more traction
on the web.
● Get mobile optimisation right — as a big part of bookings happen on mobile devices, your
website should load fast on mobile and provide a smooth user experience (think website
design).

Create listings on the most popular OTAs

● In addition to having a direct booking website, it’s essential to reach travellers through
online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, etc.
● Research the popularity of OTAs depending on the geographical location of your target
guests to invest only in those that will attract your target guest segments.
● Create eye-catching listings with great photos and detailed descriptions of your hotel
amenities and hotel perks.

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Master your email marketing

● Send special offers and add-ons as part of your pre-arrival communication. Use software
solutions like Oaky to automate and maximise the effectiveness of your pre-arrival
upselling.
● Send monthly newsletters to stay on top of your guests’ minds and generate more
returning guests.
● Share important news and developments about your hotel (for instance, new services on
offer and refreshed facilities).

Grow your brand

● Create a strong value proposition — think about how your hotel stands out from the rest.
(who your ideal guest is, and which unique hotel features you can harness to attract
them).
● Align the tone of voice, visuals, font and the look and feel of your website with your story.
● Distribute your story via all possible channels where your target audience is (showcase
this on OTAs, your website, social media, etc.).

Implement word-of-mouth marketing

● Keep track of your guests’ feedback on review platforms to continuously improve your
guest experience.
● Encourage your guests to leave reviews — you can do so in the post-departure email or
when guests check out.
● Incentivise guests to share their positive experiences with family and friends — provide a
discount for referring a friend (use referral links).
● Collaborate with influencers to promote your hotel — aim for finding micro-influencers
from the relevant domain and engaged audience. Micro-influencers are more trusted by
their followers and charge less for their services.

© oaky 2022, oaky.com | Leidseplein 1-3, 1017 PR, Amsterdam

Utilise Facebook ads

● Start with Facebook and Instagram pay-per-click ads, as they are the most affordable
options on the market.
○ Shape up your content for ads
○ Prepare attention-grabbing visuals (or short videos that will perform exquisitely
well on Instagram)
○ Brainstorm on the most enticing messaging and content to use across your ad
channels.
● Give retargeted ads a try - these are the ads that are aimed at users who have already
visited your website and are more likely to make a booking. These ads are usually cheaper
than regular ones and demonstrate higher conversion rates.

Connect with your guests on social media

● Set up your social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook to engage with your
audience and grow brand awareness.
● In addition to sharing company news and updates, put a spotlight on your employees to
create a brand with a human face.
● Create content about things to do in your hotel’s location and the best places to visit
around.
● Involve partners to run joint marketing campaigns.

Integrate video into your marketing efforts

● Make sure videos are professionally made to reveal the aesthetics and functionality of
your hotel. The wise move is to hire an in-house videographer who will take care of your
video content.
● Start a YouTube channel and grow your fan base by filming videos not only about your
hotel but its surroundings and local attractions. Add guest testimonials in the mix to
strengthen social proof.
● Let your employees share their journey in the hospitality industry by recording short
interviews with each of them. This will contribute to humanising your brand.

© oaky 2022, oaky.com | Leidseplein 1-3, 1017 PR, Amsterdam

Uncover the power of Google Hotel Ads

● Get a connectivity provider to set up Google Hotel Ads for you so that your hotel will be
displayed at the top of the search results once your property matches the user’s query
and when you have the inventory to accommodate the guest.
● Read more here on how to get started with your Google Hotel Ads campaigns.

Launch a loyalty program

● Define your goals and budget and work out a strategy to make sure you’ll hit the targets
you’ve planned initially (giving out discounts without a clear goal in mind is unlikely to
bring you the desired results).
● Select a type of program to go with — this can be either a tiered program, points
program or paid program or any other type that fits your goals and budget.
● Promote your loyalty program to entice your current and prospective guests to
participate in it.
● Analyse performance and make tweaks to increase the effectiveness and maximise ROI.

This checklist is created by Oaky, a hyper-personalised upselling software

that helps hotels boost revenue through enriched guest experience and
branding.

Enabling hotels to leverage segmentation, personalisation, dynamic

pricing and more, Oaky takes upselling services and upgrades to the next
level. Book a call with an upselling expert to find out more.

Learn more about Oaky

© oaky 2022, oaky.com | Leidseplein 1-3, 1017 PR, Amsterdam