6 things OTAs do online (That you probably don’t)

Online Travel Agencies – OTAs – have big marketing budgets, but they can also be a bit more savvy than some hotels.

What are they doing that you’re not?

Strong pay-per-click advertising campaigns

Their ad copy often has a very strong benefit, giving powerful incentives for people to click through and make a booking. Here, PreferredHotels.com is offering a free breakfast and “another free gift.”

What strong benefits are you advertising in your copy?

Advertising for hotel (brand) names in PPC

Again, with PPC advertising some OTAs bid on the names of their partner hotels. Buying brand name clicks like this is very lucrative, since the clicks are cheap and the revenue is high. (Guillaume and I discussed this in yesterday’s This Week in Hotels episode)

In the example above, we have OTAs buying up phrases like “grand hotel” and making a lot of money on them.

Are you bidding on your hotel name in search engines? Nick and I can help you set this up….

Create the “thrill of the chase”

Booking travel through an OTA can be fun because you’re pursuing a deal – there’s an element of surprise. If you find an extraordinary bargain, you’re likely to brag about it to your friends.

This “thrill of the chase” doesn’t happen as often when you book directly through a hotel. I’m not suggesting you slash all your rates 50%, but rather think how you can introduce some surprise or fun into the process.

Tap into the “wisdom of friends”

Alright, maybe it’s not technically an OTA, but TripAdvisor’s new travel advice feature is too cool to ignore for this article.  Now, their site visitors can receive personalized travel advice from their network of friends. According to CEO and founder Steve Kaufer:

With TripAdvisor Trip Friends, our 34 million monthly visitors can tap into their friends’ wealth of travel knowledge with just a few clicks, making holiday planning more fun, social and personal.

Could your website use Facebook’s social network to connect people with their friends?

Include strong search engines

Since most OTAs have hundreds of hotels in their inventory for each city, they often offer strong search functions that let visitors quickly compare their options and find something that meets their needs.

If you’re promoting a portfolio of hotels, why not do something similar? Make it easy for someone to select the right property at the right time.

Include lots of (unfiltered) guest reviews

I’d like to see hotels have enough confidence in their product to publish guest reviews on their room description pages.

OTAs don’t hesitate because they have nothing to lose by being transparent. In fact, it helps them gain trust.

Transparency is something that you (as a hotel) can use to build trust as well. Do you include raw, unfiltered guest reviews on your hotel website?

Protect the guest

Many OTAs create strong risk-reversal guarantees that assure their customers that it’s safe to book now. Even if their plans change, they’ll still be protected.

What does your guarantee look like? Remove the risk, make the sale.