Today, many people search and book a hotel online. Being present on the most famous platforms is not enough. It is necessary to create an original and efficient website for your hotel establishment. It is the assurance to stand out and, thus, to boost your business.
The Web for hotel professionals
As a hotel professional, you may think that being listed on a hotel reservation website like Booking is enough. But what happens when your establishment does not appear in the first search results on Google or even on Booking? Customers are likely to miss your establishment because it is the ones that appear on the first page that are most often booked.
Internet users do not want to waste time looking at all the profiles of establishments in the area they are interested in. That’s why they trust search engines like Google and sites like Booking. If you can’t do much about the choices made by the latter, you can please the search engines with a website dedicated to your hotel establishment.
An informative website for your establishment
In order for your future customers to find you on search engines, you will have to create a website for your hotel. But that’s not all! If the site is not well designed, the Internet users are likely to flee. The navigation must be fluid so that your prospects can easily find all the information they are looking for. Ask the agency in charge of creating your site to put the most beautiful photos forward. Also insist on categories: rooms, rates, access, restaurants, possible activities near the establishment.
All the information that the customer is likely to look for must be easy to find. What types of beds are available for children? Do you accept pets? Are vacation vouchers accepted as a form of payment? Does the facility have free parking? Does the restaurant offer vegetarian or vegan options? You may want to incorporate a search engine into the site or include a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page.
By having an informative and well-constructed website, prospects will immediately feel confident and will want to stay at your establishment.
A striking and original design
Informative website does not mean bland design! By choosing a creative and professional agency, you can combine the informative aspect with a striking and original design. This will be important to showcase the photos of your establishment (in high definition!) and to create the visual identity of your hotel.
What colors to use? Which typography (font) will best represent it? Are there any symbols that can be used? For example, for a luxurious establishment located in an old mansion, we would use the color burgundy, an old serif typography and prestigious symbols such as the fleur de Lys. On the other hand, for ecological lodgings, we will use white and green (minimalism and nature), a modern and unadorned font as well as symbols such as leaves and flowers, a hut.
Your site must reflect an experience
This visual identity will be built from the identity of your establishment. The objective is to create an atmosphere that makes your prospects understand the world you offer. Finally, your entire site must reflect an experience. What type of stay will your customers have in your hotel? What differentiates you from neighboring establishments? A strong and consistent visual identity throughout the site will immerse prospects in a particular atmosphere. If they see themselves in the right place, the reservation will be only one click away.
Technical parameters to take into account
When you hire an agency to create your hotel’s website, you should also discuss the technical aspects with the team. If you neglect these, your investment will not be profitable. Let’s take a closer look at the two imperative points.
Request a responsive site
Your first request should be to have a responsive website for your establishment. This means that it will display without any problem on a computer but also on a tablet or a cell phone. On the contrary, if the website is not responsive, elements will be scattered on tablets and cell phones, which will make navigation almost impossible. You will then miss many customers! Remember the word responsive, particularly essential.
Take care of the referencing (SEO)
We talked about it at the beginning of the article, the referencing is the key of success for a hotel establishment present on the internet. It is not enough to have a website to attract customers. It is necessary to appear in the first search results when they type their keywords on Google. For example “two star hotel Montpellier city center” or “gîte rural Alsace”. You will have to choose a web design agency able to optimize the referencing of your site on the right keywords. It is essential for customers to find you. Otherwise, it will be as if you did not have a site. And you will have dedicated a budget to it for nothing.
