Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Article emphasizes need to continue marketing during pandemic

Tips including focusing on social media and SEO techniques

Article emphasizes need to continue marketing during pandemic

IN AN ECONOMIC downturn such as the one underway now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the instinct of many is to cut costs to compensate for lost revenue. However, those cuts should not go too deep into hotel marketing departments, according to an article from Hotelivate.com.

The article, “Hotel Marketing Strategies for COVID-19 Business Recovery” by Mansi and Vivek Bhatnagar, managing director and CEO Templatolio Technologies in India, suggests instead that marketing should be targeted in a strategic approach.


“Each hotel chain or independent hotel should devise their marketing strategy for two phases, during lock-down and post lock-down opening,” the authors said. “Your customers are spending way more time digitally during lockdown and it is critical not to go dark during this period but to keep proactive communication ongoing with your retail and corporate customers and channel partners.”

Mansi and Vivek list the following marketing tips to consider:

Stay social: Use social media to share with customers what you are doing to provide a safe environment at your hotel. Also, nurture the emotional connection.

Optimize for SEO: Google searches for hotel stays may be down, but it’s still important to intensify SEO efforts to improve and maintain your rankings on the relevant keywords.

Ads on pause: Save the money you would spend on search and social media ads to apply after the COVID-19 lockdown. Rather, focus on select social media posts to meet certain objectives.

Promote locally for restaurants: If your restaurants are operational and delivering, promote them locally through social media campaigns.

Take the time: Take care of initiatives you haven’t had time to do normally, such as review your website, create visual content and evaluate loyalty programs.

“The current pandemic would affect not only customer behavior but also, in the short-term, the customer segments themselves. Hence, marketing strategies must adapt dynamically for several months post opening to ensure marketing efforts are appropriately targeted and give the desired results,” the article said. “A hotel’s website and social media handles play an even greater role than before, by enabling customers to get all details on the hygiene processes in place, as those would become critical criteria for booking.”

Orlando-based hotelier Rupesh Patel, the founder of SmartGuests.com and Mark Natale, CEO of Miami-based Smarthinking Inc., previously gave similar advice to hoteliers on the need for hotels to continue their online presence during the shutdown.

More for you

Peachtree Group Inc. 5000 2025

Peachtree receives two recognitions

Summary:

  • Peachtree recognized by Inc. and the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
  • Named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the third year.
  • Chronicle’s Pacesetter Awards recognize metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing companies.

PEACHTREE GROUP ENTERED the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the third consecutive year. The company also won the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Awards as one of the city’s fastest-growing private companies.

Keep ReadingShow less
AHLA Foundation expands hospitality education

AHLA Foundation expands hospitality education

Summary:

  • AHLA Foundation is partnering with ICHRIE and ACPHA to support hospitality education.
  • The collaborations align academic programs with industry workforce needs.
  • It will provide data, faculty development, and student engagement opportunities.

THE AHLA FOUNDATION, International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education and the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration work to expand education opportunities for students pursuing hospitality careers. The alliances aim to provide data, faculty development and student engagement opportunities.

Keep ReadingShow less
Report: Global RevPAR to rise 3–5 percent in 2025

Report: Global RevPAR to rise 3–5 percent in 2025

Summary:

  • Global hotel RevPAR is projected to grow 3 to 5 percent in 2025, JLL reports.
  • Hotel RevPAR rose 4 percent in 2024, with demand at 4.8 billion room nights.
  • London, New York and Tokyo are expected to lead investor interest in 2025.

GLOBAL HOTEL REVPAR is projected to grow 3 to 5 percent in 2025, with investment volume up 15 to 25 percent, driven by loan maturities, deferred capital spending and private equity fund expirations, according to JLL. Leisure travel is expected to decline as consumer savings tighten, while group, corporate and international travel increase, supporting RevPAR growth.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel data challenges report highlighting AI and automation opportunities in hospitality

Survey: Data gaps hinder hotel growth

Summary:

  • Fragmented systems, poor integration limit hotels’ data access, according to a survey.
  • Most hotel professionals use data daily but struggle to access it for revenue and operations.
  • AI and automation could provide dynamic pricing, personalization and efficiency.

FRAGMENTED SYSTEMS, INACCURATE information and limited integration remain barriers to hotels seeking better data access to improve guest experiences and revenue, according to a newly released survey. Although most hotel professionals use data daily, the survey found 49 percent struggle to access what they need for revenue and operational decisions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hyatt Way partnership

Hyatt taps Way for unified guest platform

Summary:

  • Hyatt partners with Way to unify guest experiences on one platform.
  • Members can earn and redeem points on experiences booked through Hyatt websites.
  • Way’s technology supports translation, payments and data insights for Hyatt.

HYATT HOTELS CORP. is working with Austin-based startup Way to consolidate ancillary services, loyalty experiences and on-property programming on one platform across its global portfolio. The collaboration integrates Way’s system into Hyatt.com, the World of Hyatt app, property websites and FIND Experiences to create a centralized booking platform.

Keep ReadingShow less