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Hotel Tech News – July 2021, Week 5

RateTiger Hotel Channel Manager integrates with Simplotel, Updates from Google Hotel Ads, Booking.com and Expedia as well as Europe hotel occupancy recovery

RateTiger and Simplotel host joint webinar to showcase how hotels can accelerate direct bookings through hotel e-commerce

The two hotel technology leaders will be hosting a joint webinar on 12th August 2021 at 12pm IST to showcase how hoteliers can drive direct bookings and expand their revenue goals. The discussion will cover modern techniques and distribution tips that hotels can utilize to grow direct website bookings.

Register Now – https://rb.gy/gjqpmk

New York City hotels on the rebound

Weekly demand for hotel rooms in New York City reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic, with over 481,000 room nights sold the week of July 12.

https://www.businesstravelerusa.com/business-traveler-usa-story/new-york-city-hotels-on-the-rebound/

“Check-in date” multiplier now available on Google Hotel Ads.

The new feature allows hotels to work with a more familiar format which OTAs also use: by check in date.

https://www.mirai.com/blog/the-much-anticipated-check-in-date-multiplier-now-available-on-google-hotel-ads/

STR: U.K. leading Europe in hotel occupancy recovery

Demand is almost exclusively leisure-driven as the U.K. has benefitted from a successful vaccination program, a phased reopening and improved travel sentiment overall.

https://str.com/press-release/str-uk-leading-europe-hotel-occupancy-recovery

Price no longer primary driver of travel decisions

New research from Expedia Group reveals shifting views on travel, including positive sentiment on vaccine passports, increased budgets, and an enduring demand for safety and financial security.

https://welcome.expediagroup.com/content/dam/marketing/welcome2eg/published-assets/whitepapers/traveler-value-index-report/EN_Traveler_Value_Index_2021.pdf

Booking.com wants to become the ultimate intersection between payments and travel

The company’s new fintech unit integrates with loads of alternative payment providers, making it easier for bookers to book, and taking pressure from hotels.

https://www.benzinga.com/fintech/21/07/22160664/booking-com-fintech-lead-unpacks-payments-pivot-vision-to-refine-travel-experience

Reach out to us for your connectivity needs to make the most of your online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

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Google makes hotel listings free – are you ready to grab the opportunity?

Hotels can now display rate and availability without taking part in Google PPC

For long, Google has remained the Elephant in the Room for the hotel industry. In the last five years, the search -engine giant has consolidated its place as the leader in the meta search, now accounting for over 57% all metasearch bookings.

It is the first place to go for many people when they start their search. Google has now made it free for hotel owners and travel agencies to list their properties on Google Search.

When a potential booker selects a hotel from the search option, in the booking module, the overview section is now showing four paid listings under the Featured options and two organic search results. Clicking on the Prices Tab, the user would be able to see all four paid listings along with all search results.

This section is now showing booking links from unpaid listings as shown in the organic search by hotels and travel companies.

This is a major opportunity for hotels. Hotel booking links have always been offered via Google Hotel Ads, which acts like a metasearch channel displaying real-time pricing and availability for hotels for specific dates of travel. With this new development, this barrier is removed and gives hotels a chance to display their direct rates and booking links without worrying about metasearch budget.

This opportunity is available for all the hotels through their Hotel Center account. Hotels which are already taking part in Google’s Hotel Prices API and Hotel Ads do not need to take any action and will be shown in All Options based on the organic search ranking.

The ranking of the organic search results will be based on an algorithm that looks at non-commercial factors, and pricing accuracy will be ensured through new tools and processes as well as using reliable data sources.

Google has a list of integrated partners including RateTiger through which hotels can feed data sources for booking links. If you are interested in displaying your rates on Google Hotel Ads, contact us today on marketing@erevmax.com

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Google Hotel Ads – Beginner’s Guide to Increase Bookings

Google Hotel Ads

The huge reach of the internet and social networking websites have changed how people view the world about them. Many travelers are using the World Wide Web and search engines such as Google to know where they can go for their next vacation and which hotel they can stay in. Many of them begin the booking process only after they carry out a Google search. As a hotelier, you have to use SEO best practices in order to boost your chances to get a high ranking on the SERPs. You can also use Google Hotel Ads for proper marketing of your hotel property. Google has undergone an evolution over time and there is a change in how hotels show up in its search results. If you are a beginner, find out how you can use Google Hotel Ads to increase your hotel bookings.

Register for Business View

For people across the world who use the Google search engine for almost every query, Google Street View has turned into an expectation. These days, businesses – including hotels as well as others in the hospitality industry – the Google Business View Tool can be used for displaying the insides of properties.

Capture high-quality videos and photographs

With Google Hotel Ads, you can get the ability to regulate which things show up under your search results. As a matter of fact, you may change the photos that get displayed whenever a user makes a search for a property similar to yours. Keep in mind that Google has very high standards, so that people using it for search queries can enjoy the best information and data. If you wish to feature photos of the insides of your hotel, and add the same into Google Hotel ads that you publish, you would have to post videos and photos in high-resolution and superior quality. The photos have to show your property in full focus, typically in natural light and minus too many filters. The images have to be a minimum of 14MP or higher, so as to be regarded by Google as high-quality. You may also introduce interactive tours into the ad display section.

Advertise special features and offers

While creating an ad copy, you would of course have to highlight all the special features that make your hotel property special and outstanding from the others. Also mention any discounts that you would like to offer. Mention any promo codes or discounts that you are running at present. In case you have recently constructed a new suit or room at your hotel, your description needs to feature that along with photographs of the same in high-resolution.

Use the Google Ad Preview Tool

The Ad Preview Tool from Google is a great way to track your competition. It can help you to confirm whether or not your ads are performing the best, or as expected. You may use particular keywords to check the ads and ensure that these are giving the best results. You need to find out how exactly your ads are showing up before vacationers who are searching for a hotel property similar to yours.

 

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Google Hotel Ads – a must have for hotels in 2019

Summary- The blog elucidates as to how marketing done via Google Hotel Ads can help hoteliers to get their marketing game on track and build up business profits in a speedy way.

It’s been a little over eight years since Google entered the hotel space, and in 2019, we can safely declare them to be the undisputed king of hotel metasearch. Since its acquisition of ITA Software in 2010, Google has been making steady inroads into the travel domain.

Google’s ambition is clear. It’s not satisfied being a search engine for hotels and flights but wants not be a part of every point of a consumer’s online travel journey – right from dreaming to planning to booking and then in deciding on the activities during the trip.

Accounting for 77% of the world’s total search traffic, Google is the first touch point in the online purchasing journey for most travelers. According to a recent study by our partner Roiback, Google Hotel Ads (GHA), which publishes hotel prices in real time, now represents 65% of hotel bookings coming from metasearch engines. In the last couple of years, the popularity of the platform has grown exponentially amongst hoteliers even as OTAs dominate traditional metasearch channels.

Last year, Google rolled put a Hotel Center in Google Ads to simplify the hotel price management. The new enhancement allows hotel groups to manage multiple bid campaigns from within Google Ads’ main interface. As metasearch become the forefront of consumer research process, Google Hotel Ads, with improved booking capabilities that includes rice filtering and amenity details with have emerged as a platform hotel can no longer ignore.

The OTAs, with their financial and technical prowess, have been the dominant player in the hotel search results. The Google Hotel Ads is an opportunity for hoteliers to drive direct traffic to their website. By taking part in the campaign, hotels can have their listing shown up similar to paid results whenever potential guests make search for accommodation. The rates are displayed along with OTAs, enabling hoteliers to reach out to future bookers across devices.

As the guest moves from the generic search to specifics like filter, price range, location etc, available hotels are shown in list format alongside a map. Hotels which are part of the campaign and are providing up-to-date information on rate and availability can show their direct link when the user takes an interest.

The Hotel Details Card aggregates and displays available booking options in one place and show the best value to be had across the web. The potential guests can click on their preferred advertiser and will be brought directly through to that website to complete their booking, thereby giving hoteliers an equal opportunity to compete with OTAs.

True, it’s not easy for hoteliers to compete with OTAs, which have digital marketing specialists and high advertising budgets. Hoteliers have a task that goes beyond wooing customers to make bookings, as they also have to focus on many other aspects to offer an unparalleled experience to guests.

Hoteliers who wish to reverse the trend in the online booking market and drive direct bookings can use Google Hotel Ads to benefit from online search traffic and have an edge over OTAs.

Connect to Google Hotel Ads through RateTiger. Leverage the power of metasearch engines to drive direct traffic to your website – https://www.erevmax.com/erevmax/erevmax-google-hotel-ads.html