Best Practices

Hotel Reopening Strategies to

Engage with Guests Online
Securing Direct Bookings When It’s
Time to Welcome Guests Again

As restrictions have begun to loosen around the world,

thankfully hotel brands may be starting to see some
glimmers of hope. Managers of properties which were
forced to close during the COVID-19 outbreak have
now opened their doors or are planning their reopening
strategy.

Hospitality as we know it has been transformed and so

we have to look for ways to reinvent the experiences
we offer and the way we engage with guests.

The guest experience starts from the very second a

visitor arrives on your hotel website, long before
stepping into your foyer. In this guide, we’ll be looking
at how you can personalize the user experience to
boost your direct channel during reopening.
Strategies & Tactics

We will be exploring how to optimize direct

booking conversions, prior to and during
reopening, by focusing on the following areas:

• Leveraging real-time data

• Reassuring website visitors
• Focusing on the domestic market
• Getting creative in marketing
• Growing your marketing database
Choose the Best Combination of Message Formats
Before showing examples from our hotel clients, let’s have a quick look at design options. To ensure
marketing messages are seen on your website, the choice of format used is key. Within The Hotels Network
platform, you can choose from a wide variety of display types, which are all completely customizable.

Smart Notes Layers Inliners Exit Intent

Nudge users towards a Create a personal Seduce users with subtle Persuade abandoning
booking with in-web and engaging user messages without visitors to stay on
notifications experience interrupting the UX your website
Use Targeting Rules to Make Messages Relevant for Users
Timing: Date range / Day of the Week / Release: Early bird / Last-minute /
Time of Day Custom release

User location: Country / State / City Length of stay: Based on a minimum or

where the user is located maximum number of nights

Traffic source: TripAdvisor, Google, Booking value; Within a specific price

Instagram, custom domain… range (minimum / maximum amount)

Loyalty: Differentiate between logged Availability: When sold-out, send users

members and non-members to a sister hotel located nearby

Retargeting: For users who visited your Device: Display only for mobile or
website in the past 30 days. desktop or all devices

Booking search dates: For stays within + Custom targeting: Build your own
a specific date range based on variables in the URL 5
Leveraging Real-time Data
Analyze Market Data

Real-time information
The introduction of deconfinement
plans and relaxed travel restrictions
are clearly impacting hotel booking
patterns and trends. The situation is
different in each market and
evolving rapidly, sometimes daily.
Go online to search for credible and
relevant data on the hospitality
industry to help you adapt and
shape your recovery plan.
Map out Demand Patterns on Your Hotel Website

Demand Analytics
In today’s changing situation, it is
even more important than usual to
try to understand user demand and
intent on your hotel website.

Using Demand Analytics within The

Hotels Network tool, you can learn
what dates visitors are searching for
on your website and view data to
help predict future booking intent.

Examine and filter the real-time

data by country of origin so you
can quickly adjust your pricing and
marketing tactics as it evolves.
Understand the Evolution of Your Website Traffic

Traffic source
Visitors can find your hotel
website from a variety of
sources, such as Google search,
Tripadvisor or Instagram and
today your channel mix may be
different than before.
It’s worth knowing where your
traffic is coming from so you can
design targeted campaigns on
your website for the sources
most relevant to your property.
Reassuring Website Visitors
Notify Guests of Your Hotel Reopening Plans

Reopening
When the time comes, make
sure guests know that you’re
back in the game.
This welcome Layer is a great
way to keep guests informed.
It clearly delivers the property’s
message about reopening as
well as important updates on
hotel operations.
Create a Sense of Excitement Around the Reopening

Countdown clock
We are sure you are thrilled to
be able to welcome guests
again so let that excitement
shine through in your
messaging.
Show a clock counting down
the days and even seconds
until the reopening to create a
sense of anticipation among
visitors.
Communicate Safety Measures at Your Hotel

Safety first
As travel restrictions ease, visitors
may still be wary of their well-being
and whether hotels are taking the
right steps to keep guests safe.
This example shows how hotels can
let visitors know the various
preventative measures the property
is taking, and that guest safety is
always a priority.
Reassure Guests about Cleaning & Hygiene

Hygiene plan
It’s all about making
guests feel safe when
they stay at your hotel. If
you have published a
Hygiene & Safety Plan on
your website, include a
CTA in the Layer where
users can click if they
want to find more details.
Remain Flexible for Travelers in the Near Future

Flexible rates
Times are still uncertain.
Upon reopening, it may make
sense to continue to waive
cancellation fees or offer
more flexible rebooking
policies to reassure guests
and remove any hesitation
they may have. This is great
way to allow guests to book
ahead worry-free.
Highlight Your Property’s USPs

What do you do best?

The majority of people worldwide
have been shut in at home during the
confinement. Inspire excitement and
interest in visitors by telling them
what you do best. Be it spacious
luxury suites, picturesque scenery or
private yoga classes, be sure to make
the world know what makes your
property the one and only
experience for them.
Showcase Your Positive Reviews

Reviews summary
If you have great reviews, why
not showcase them directly
on your website?
By displaying a Reviews
Summary, you will let visitors
see what other guests love
about your brand. If you have
positive reviews about
COVID-19 measures you are
taking, now is a great time to
share them.
Draw Attention to the Benefits of Booking Direct

Exit intent
During this time of recovery, its
critical to capture your share of direct
bookings. Ensure visitors know of all
the exclusive benefits they could
enjoy by booking direct.
This Exit Intent example helps to grab
the attention of those users who are
about to leave your website. As well
as highlighting the perks of booking
direct, it gives a reassuring message
by using an outdoor photo of nature
with guests far from crowds.
Focusing on the Domestic
Market
Promote Your Destination

Home-grown fun
Before convincing guests
that your property is the
best to stay at, remind them
of the wonders of the
country where they live.
People often dream of
traveling to far-off lands, so
persuade them that your
destination is a place like no
other, and that you can
offer them the ultimate
experience.
Advocate the Concept of Staycations

Staycations
As predicted within the industry, it
looks like the domestic market may
be the first to recover. With many
international borders still closed as
restrictions within countries start to
loosen, people are first gaining
mobility to move around within
their own country.
This makes it the perfect time to
promote staycation offers. Use
targeting rules to show personalized
messages to website visitors
searching from your local market.
Launch Offers Specifically for Your Domestic Market

Offers for residents

Targeting residents with enticing
offers can be an effective way to
kickstart demand for those who
want to get out of their houses and
enjoy the pampering and relaxation
they desperately seek.
Spark interest for domestic travelers
by letting them know what special
benefits they can get from booking
a staycation with you!
Offer Hotel Rooms as an Alternative Workspace

Had enough of working

from home?
Working from home might not be easy
for everyone to get accustomed to.
Pitch your rooms for daytime usage as
temporary offices for workers craving
peace and privacy. Using geo-
targeting to ensure you only show
these messages to locals.
With irresistible benefits such as free
parking, fast Wi-Fi and refreshments,
your property could become the next
hotspot for those looking for a
different work environment.
Create Strategically Assembled Offers for Locals

Quirky packages
Some hotels may still be able
to have their restaurants up
and running at this time. Take
advantage of your gourmet
dishes to create an A-class
offer.
This Layer showcases a hard-
to-beat deal targeting locals.
Who could resist having
dinner, drinks and a good
night’s rest for only 55 EUR?
Showcase Take Away Menus or Curbside Services

Smart Notes
It may still be a while before restaurants
can return to operating at full capacity.
It would be a shame to not keep your
kitchens going, so why not promote
curbside pickup or delivery so
customers can enjoy gourmet five-star
meals in the comfort of their homes?
Again, only show these messages to
users located in your city. This example
uses a Smart Note to notify visitors of
the service.
Getting Creative in Marketing
Generate Immediate Revenue

Hotel vouchers
As current demand may still be low, it’s
important to take advantage of any
available opportunity to recover revenue
today.
Showcasing attractive hotel voucher
offers could be a good option to
encourage impulse purchases. Vouchers
help to remove any hesitations guests
may have due to uncertainty around
booking dates.
The Hotels Network offers a fully
integrated Voucher tool to manage the
entire process, from the creation of
vouchers and promotion on your website
to redeeming vouchers after purchase.
Become a Source of Inspiration

Giving back to the

community
In this example, the property is
selling Hotel Vouchers to thank
Healthcare workers for their
efforts during the COVID-19
outbreak.
Redeemable within the next 5
years, 50% of the proceeds will
be donated as room nights for
Healthcare workers to use as
vacation post-crisis. What a
fantastic way to have your guests
show their love and support for
the community as well!
Publish Enticing & Relevant Offers

Empathy is key
Consumers respond best to
personalized messages that
resonate with them. Try to imagine
what people are feeling and
dreaming of now and translate that
into your marketing communication,
making it as empathetic as possible.
Some will be craving nature and
solitude, others a get-together with
their friends. Adapt your messaging
to suit your audience and the
experiences your brand can offer.
Think Outside the Box

A socially distant concert

This hotel came up with the delightful idea of holding a private concert in their courtyard where people could
purchase tickets to watch it from the bedrooms overlooking the show. Room service was available throughout
the concert and visitors could choose to pay a supplement to stay for the night once the concert finished.
The idea proved so popular, concert tickets sold out in 3 days! The hotel then added an Email Capture Layer for
those who wanted to subscribe to stay updated on what’s next in store.
Offer Incentives to Increase Average Spend

Tempting deals
In most destinations, travel sentiment is
still low, making it difficult to generate
more traffic and demand.
Instead of investing more of your
marketing budget in the hope of
increasing traffic, tempt those already
looking on your website with tantalizing
deals that encourage them to spend
more. A hard-to-resist offer could be
key to getting them to book a superior
room category or an extra room night.
Promote Your Best Rooms at a Discounted Rate

Irresistible offers
Treat your visitors and give them
that well-deserved break. Impress
them with incredible discounts on
your best rooms.
This example shows a Layer
promoting an alluring offer of 50%
off their Grand Suite. As a result,
during this offer period, an
impressive 1 of every 4 bookings
made were for the Grand Suite.
Keep Mobile Visitors in Mind

Mobile exclusive offers

With more and more travelers searching and
booking on their mobile phones, especially
for last-minute bookings, don’t forget about
your mobile visitors.
Optimize your website messaging for these
users and take it a step further by creating
mobile-exclusive offers to engage with this
audience.
Growing Your Marketing
Database
Urge Visitors to Subscribe to Your Newsletter

Newsletter subscriptions
Actual bookings may still be relatively
low, but visitors are still looking and
exploring for future stays, an indication
of growing and pent-up demand for
travel once restrictions are loosened.
Now’s the perfect time to shift your
attention to building and nurturing a
strong community of potential guests
for your future marketing actions.
Using an eye-catching Layer with an
integrated email capture form is an
effective way to grow your marketing
database. You can see more email
capture best practices here.
Offer Updates about
Reopening by Email

Email capture
If you have properties that are not yet
reopen, encourage website visitors to
subscribe to your newsletter so you can
keep them informed of developments.
Try launching an integrated Email
Capture Layer to collect email
addresses, allowing you to send visitors
updates about the current situation as
well as newsletters or other marketing
campaigns in the future.
Encourage Visitors to Join Your Membership Program

Loyalty club
Another way to capture emails on your
website is to promote the advantages of
joining your membership program.
Tell your visitors that becoming a
member can open doors to countless
exclusive benefits and rewards. You can
choose to display the message as a
Layer or Exit Intent. Offering a discount
may even nudge visitors towards a
booking today.
Keep Visitors Engaged With Interactive Events

Online workshops
People nowadays are constantly
looking for fun activities to take part
in from their homes.
Set up a live art, cooking or other
creative workshop sessions as
another way to encourage email
sign-ups while connecting with
your visitors in a fun way.
Generate Leads for Future Events

Wedding planning
Even though many events were
forced to cancel these past months,
people are already starting to plan
for the future.
By adding an email capture form on
specific webpages such as
Weddings or Corporate Events, you
can start a conversation with
potential customers for the future.
 ü Relevant data and analytics is a great place to start to
help you make better-informed decisions about where
to focus your marketing efforts.

ü Communication is key when a hotel reopens. Be sure to

reassure and engage website visitors when it matters
most.

ü To appeal to your domestic market, use geo-targeting

to personalize the website experience and launch
tailored packages.
Key Takeaways ü Unprecedented times call for creative solutions. Try to
think outside the box to offer services and experiences
that will seduce visitors.

ü Create campaigns to proactively capture emails on your

website to grow your marketing database for the future.

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 About The Hotels Network

The Hotels Network is an innovative technology company working with

over 5,000 hotels around the globe. Boasting an international team of
specialists, we offer clients a hotel tech ecosystem to boost website
conversions and ADR. By adding a layer of tools to the hotel website,
brands can improve the user experience for guests and increase direct
bookings.

In addition to price comparison, reviews summary and a full suite of

personalization options, our latest product innovation, Oraculo, is the
world’s first predictive algorithm for hotels. Oraculo harnesses machine
learning techniques to predict the behavior of visitors to the hotel
website and then automatically personalizes both the message and the
offer for each user.

Our mission is to improve the booking experience and strengthen the

relationship between hotel brands and their guests.

Contact us today to find out more.

 thehotelsnetwork.com

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