Marketing Your Hotel: How To Build An Effective Plan




It is said that over 80% businesses in India shut down in their first 5 years.

Hotels are no exception to this rule.

In fact, many hotels shut down within the first year itself, and the reasons could be plenty: poor management, little-to-no revenue and inventory optimization, lack of facilities etc.

But just like any other business, one reason is enough to destroy a hotel: ineffective, inferior marketing.

To start a business, you need a business plan and to market your business, you need a marketing plan. Here’s how you can build an effective plan to market your hotel:

 1. Market Research

The competition decides your worth. Before your hotel is even established, invest in market research to identify your competitors in a particular region, their rates, their target customers etc.

This helps you set a price range for your hotel while also establishing your position among the competition in that region.

Location plays a huge role in the success of a hotel, and proximity or lack of it to high demand regions has a significant impact on the rates. 2. Advance Hiring of a Sales and Marketing Team

 Hire a sales and marketing team 6-8 months before your hotel opens to the public.

Why?

When you open a hotel, customers won’t just come walking in, out of the blue.

Before your hotel opens, your sales and marketing team will be responsible for getting your name out there, generating visibility and creating demand for your hotel, so that when it opens, there is a steady stream of bookings to get the ball rolling.
3. Online Presence

This goes without saying. Hotels and digital marketing go hand-in-hand nowadays.

Invest in website development, social media pages and professional photographers.

Showcase professional images of your hotel and its amenities on your website, because aside from Online Travel Alliances (OTAs), review and booking websites, your online presence relies on how great your website looks.


4. Reach Out to MICE companies and Wedding Organizers MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) companies are constantly organizing events for corporates. Partner with a MICE company that regularly organizes events in your region. Rooms are booked in bulk during events and they are huge revenue generators for hotels. Similarly, weddings see hotel rooms being booked in bulk or even being sold out. Partner with wedding organizers and see your inventory go like hot cakes during wedding season. 5. Ally Yourself with OTAs In this day and age, everything is one click away. And that’s how your hotel should be. Partner with OTAs to make booking hotel rooms, making travel arrangements as convenient as possible. These OTAs offer discounts as well as boosting visibility, driving demand for your hotel. If you’re not on an OTA, you’re not in business. Marketing is of the utmost importance for any business, let alone a hotel. All you have to do is create a solid plan to market your hotel and you’ll be one step towards being amongst the 20% of businesses that don’t fail. For any query related to digital marketing, revenue management & more,

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