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

Red Roof partners with FreedomPay to streamline payments in 700+ U.S. hotels
Photo credit: Red Roof

Red Roof taps FreedomPay for 700+ hotels

Summary:

  • Red Roof is contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its 700+ U.S. hotels.
  • The company will gain an integrated solution, improved service, cost savings and efficiency.
  • The company is investing in people and technology to advance the brand, president Zack Gharib told Asian Hospitality.

RED ROOF IS contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its portfolio of more than 700 hotels in the U.S. The company will receive an integrated payment solution, upgraded service, cost savings and operational efficiency, according to a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gen Z Shifts Hotel Shopping: Tech, Experiences & Values

Survey: Gen Z redefines hotel shopping

Summary:

  • Younger consumers are redefining hotel discovery through platform-hopping and peer input, according to SOCi.
  • Fragmented search and discovery are reshaping how trust is built.
  • About one-third of consumers aged 18–34 report less brand loyalty than a year ago.

GEN Z IS RESHAPING hotel shopping through multiple platforms, peer input and real-time research, according to SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Unlike previous generations who relied on a single search engine or map app, the younger consumer moves through a series of smaller decisions - starting on TikTok, checking Reddit or Yelp and ending with a Google Maps search.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peachtree Group's Residence Inn by Marriott under construction in downtown San Antonio, topping out milestone reached, June 2025

Peachtree tops out San Antonio Residence Inn

Peachtree Hotel to Open in Summer 2026 with 117 Extended-Stay Rooms

PEACHTREE GROUP HELD a “topping out” for its Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown San Antonio, Texas, marking completion of the structural phase of the 10-story, 117-room hotel. The property, co-developed with Austin-based Merritt Development Group, is scheduled to open in summer 2026.

The extended-stay hotel will be owned by Peachtree and managed by its hospitality management division, the company said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India plane crash 2025
Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP

Air India reducing flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA WILL reduce international service on widebody aircraft by 15 percent through at least mid-July, according to media reports. The decision comes less than a week after the June 12 crash of an Air India airliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 246 but left one survivor among the passengers.

The airline said the reduced service due to the safety inspection of aircraft and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have disrupted operations, resulting in 83 flight cancellations over the past six days, according to ABC News. Passengers can either reschedule their flights at no additional cost or receive a full refund.

Keep ReadingShow less
hihotels executive team honored for long-term service and loyalty in hospitality

Hihotels recognizes eight company leaders

EIGHT LEADERS OF hihotels by Hospitality International, Inc. are being recognized by the company for their combined 121 years of service. The company was established in 1982 as an alternative to other, established brands.

The honorees include Paul Vakharia, hihotels’ senior director of franchise development for the Northeast Region who has been with the company for 25 years. Chhaya Patel, franchise development coordinator, also has been with the company for 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less