Hotel marketing is a broad term that refers to different marketing strategies and techniques that are used in hotels to promote their establishments. They also help hotels in making a positive impression on their customers. It is about making a hotel as appealing to a prospective customer as possible in order to book as many guests as possible.
Competition within the hospitality industry is very high and often proves to be the single biggest challenge for hotels managers to deal with. Marketing in the hospitality industry is extremely important as it is an important way in which hotels promote their property, highlight the unique features, explain how it is different and/or better than its rivals, and establish the benefits of staying there.
Here are the 5 marketing trends of the hospitality industry:
1. Voice Search
In the past decade, voice search has gained a lot of traction in every field related to electronics. From digital assistants on phones like Siri and Alexa to voice assistant on fridges like Bixby, voice search has made its way into the everyday life of humans.
Voice search is also an area of which the hospitality industry can take advantage. Hotels can provide their guests with the option of searching, planning and booking their vacations via voice search. This will not only ease the otherwise tedious process but will also attract clients who would want to try a new function.
2. Artificial Intelligence
The hospitality industry, in general, is about providing excellent customer service. This is an area where artificial intelligence has started playing a greater role with each passing year. AI-powered chatbots are one of the best ways to ensure round the clock customer service to customers from all across the globe. This allows establishments to send quick responses, eliminating delays.
3. Influencer Marketing
This is the practice of reaching out to individuals of certain repute on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and partnering up with them to promote your brands. These individuals usually have a large number of people following their social accounts. By partnering with them, the establishments open themselves up to previously uncharted territory in terms of potential clients.
4. Personalisation Marketing
This concept is about targeting certain promotional to specific people. This technique relies heavily on the collection of user data, usually gathered by their previous searches or visits to the website. Through the use of personalised marketing, the establishment ensures that the content is being developed for, caters to and reaches a specific audience. To know more about this technique, check out this blog.
5. User-Generated Content
In today’s day and age, people no longer take brands on their word. What works for a lot of people, instead, is references and recommendations by trusted parties – friends, family and colleagues.
User-generated content comes in many shapes and forms. It can be as simple as a customer leaving a good review on the website or Yelp page. It could also be a tweet or Facebook/Instagram post about the excellent service they received at an establishment. The goal of sharing user-generated content is to provide the existence of satisfied customers thereby proving the value and establishing the credibility of the establishment.
