The Hotel Marketing Blog from HotelSphere

Lots of websites now feature videos. Not to be outdone, so does this one!



Images courtesy of our friends at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness

Posted by HotelBlogger

You see the prices hung out all over the internet every time hotels have got rooms to sell:

Cheap! Lowest price guaranteed! Don't bother looking anywhere else!

I can just see the conversation with the current spouse as we stroll towards the car after our next wedding anniversary short break,

"Thankyou for a wonderful weekend darling", she whispers gently in my ear,

"No problems dearest", I reply "It was dirt cheap too! An absolute bargain!"

How am I going to drive home with that vanity case lodged in there? It might leave a mark you know...

----------

There are times when "cheap" just doesn't do it for your customers. Most of the time they're not looking for "cheap".

"Value" on the other hand, does it every time.

In cash terms, the distance between cheap and value is sometimes not very far at all and sometimes it can be further than you think.

In real terms, "value" will get you a repeat visit or a referral, while "cheap" gets you nowhere.

Posted by HotelBlogger

Today I want to talk to you about your hotel website.

I've spent part of this week writing website copy for a customer. I took a look at some of his comptitors websites. What I found wasn't impressive - which is good for me! More prospects I can sell my services to! But it's bad for you if you own one of these websites - I have to tell you boys and girls, it wasn't pretty. Well, actually that's not true - the websites were usually very pretty, however the words and the navigation were as poor as I've ever seen (even my ten year old daughter remarked on it...).

Over coffee yesterday afternoon I started to wonder how some of you let your websites get into such a dreadful state. Then I came across an entry on Vicky Brocks Blog which illustrates the point beautifully.

You see most hotel websites I've come across have had the copy at least influenced by what Vicky refers to as HIPPO - The HIghest Paid Person's Opinion.

These people know it all. They have no need of research, instead they are guided by their long experience, all round brilliance, exquisite judgement and finely honed intuition. If your website is influenced by these people you might need all the help you can get, because these people aren't your customers. Your website might be speaking the wrong language.

Why is the benefit of experience, judgement, etc of little value to us when trying to communicate online?

Because like all marketing, we need to constantly research, test, evaluate and work hard to find the right messages to communicate with our customers.

One of the founding fathers of modern business strategy, a chap called Henry Mintzberg, once wrote that "...judgement and intuition are merely labels for our own ignorance." He knew that probing research and analysis are necessary for success.

We've all met hippos. Every business, every project, every department has one.

Their opinion carries weight of course, (pun intended) just don't let them design your website, or write the copy.

There are too many examples of Hippos at work on hotel websites in Britain today. I look at the websites, you look at the websites, but your customers don't.

...and they won't until you start writing them properly.

Posted by HotelBlogger