5 Steps to Market Your Hotel On A Limited Budget

If you are like many hotel owners, you have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly over the past few years. When the pandemic hit, closing borders, closing countries and closing many hotels, the financial gains hotel owners had enjoyed over the previous years, were used to salvage what remained to maintain the buildings and minimal staff. Many hotel owners are still in financial recovery, paying back government and personal loans.

Maybe you are a new hotel, resort or lodge that is finally opening after a significant time gap and the additional expenses spent on taxes, construction costs, delays and FF&E have drained the monies you had set aside for advertising.

There are steps you can take to market your property without spending millions. Below are some suggestions that we have used for clients to set them up for success:

1. Use Social Media - Social media is an inexpensive way to build brand, awareness, public relations opportunities and consumer business. For hotels, we currently recommend using Instagram (including reels), Facebook, YouTube and to a small degree, Pinterest. If you think of the last vacation or business trip you took, did you check out the destination and hotel on social media before booking it? According to Passport On Line survey, 52% of travelers have decided on a specific destination through social media, which is a lot of potential eyes on your social media feed. We recommend working with a Social Media expert who will tell your story, who knows how to setup your profile, run inexpensive ads, create video content and reels and provide you with reporting so you know what posts are working and what isn't.

2. Have Good Photography - We had mentioned this in a previous article, noting the importance of good photography for your property. Photographs tell you story, they are your brand, your message to the world. Visual images sell travel, period. This is not the place to use blurry photos taken from your phone camera or artistic photos of the sun shining on a corner of a curtain. Consumers want to see what they are paying for, they want to see themselves on your beach, on that ski hill, soaking in that tub, or enjoying that cocktail in your lounge at the end of a busy work day. For hoteliers on a budget, there are great photographers that may be interested in working with you for the cost of their travel expenses and minimal fee as they are building their own portfolio. Ask for local recommendations through your CVB or tourist boards, from other hotels in the area or search social media for newer travel photographers or influencers with good photos. Newer or upcoming influencers and photographers may work with you within your budget, just ask.

3. Work With Travel Partners - Travel partners would include travel agents, tour operators/wholesalers and OTAs. Working with these established companies will provide you with extended sales and marketing reach that you would not otherwise afford. There is no upfront cost to work with these organizations. You pay commission to travel agents between 10 to 15%, once the guest has traveled. With Tour Operators/Wholesalers, they will ask for a net rate/margin around 20-25% (they also have to pay commission to travel agents and reservationists in some cases) and similarly for OTAs (if OTAs are asking for margins higher than 25%, negotiate). Capitalize on the established network they provide, that has millions of traveler views per day and provides you with a professional alignment. If you become established enough that you have over 85% occupancy with direct consumers, you can always finish out your agreements and discontinue working with OTAs and Wholesalers in the future.

4. Reply To Review Post Both Positive and Negative - The world has become transparent and if you are like most travelers, you will check a hotel's reviews before booking it. This is a free opportunity to market your property. Reviews can be found on several websites including Google, Tripadvisor, and OTA sites. Replying as a "manager" is important as consumers can see that you are engaged and take people's feedback seriously. While we would love to only see five star reviews, things happen and you can't always please everyone so negative reviews will take place. If they do, reply that you appreciate the comment, and that you are addressing their concerns. If the review is inaccurate, note the issue without attack or belittling the reviewer. Always, always, always maintain professional decorum, no matter what. If the review is fake (planted by a disgruntled employee or competitor), report it. If you can show proof, most sites will remove it. Watch these review sites daily, sometimes you can address a negative situation while the guest is inhouse and have them remove the review. We also recommend setting up a professional profile one these sites using professional photos, well written content, include your website link, address and contact details.

5. Build Or Update Your Website And SEO - Websites were not designed to be a "one and done" thing. Google favors websites that are mobile friendly, relevant and are user friendly. Technology is constantly changing and what may have worked for your original site 5 years ago, may no longer be user friend or tech appropriate. Website design trends are also constantly changing and to keep a fresh, trending look, we recommend updating your design between 2 to 5 years. It is also important to make updates weekly, at minimum monthly to ensure Google knows your company is still current. To do this, write blogs, change verbiage on offers, add or change photos. Check to see what words are relevant to word searches for your region or property like "wellness retreat", "farm to table restaurant", "Michelin rated restaurant" and add those to your content. This will build your organic SEO so your website sorts higher during Google searches. We also recommend spending money on Google advertising to ensure your website is at the top of the sort order.

*If you are a brand hotel, if you can build a "vanity website" separately that

links to the brand booking engine, we also recommend

this so you can add to the Google search opportunities for your property.

As an example, check out this vanity website for the

JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes Florida .

Marketing a hotel on a limited budget can be done successfully. Remember to keep your brand message on point across all platforms and keep your content and offerings current.

Our company successfully used these five points for a recent client and secured a 425% increase in revenue, millions over their original budget. It just takes a little entrepreneur thinking and staying current with marketing trends, including

technology.

Photo is of Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

@hoteltravelgirl is a hotel sales and marketing consultant for Hospitality Growth Solutions LLC, a strategic visionary with years of experience developing sustainable success for hotels, resorts and lodges.