To compete with OTAs, hotels should implement strategies such as mobile-exclusive discounts, seamless checkout processes, and personalized alerts. The article outlines key actions for optimizing both hotel websites and booking engines, including improving loading speeds, enhancing SEO, offering multilingual support, and integrating mobile payment options. By adopting these strategies, hotels can boost mobile conversion rates and drive direct revenue growth. The article concludes by stressing the necessity of continuous monitoring and optimization to stay competitive in a mobile-first world, positioning mobile optimization as essential for the future success of independent hotels.
Key takeaways:
- Mobile devices are increasingly becoming the primary method for hotel bookings, with over 50% of reservations now made via smartphones.
- Independent hotels have a significant opportunity to increase direct bookings by optimizing their mobile booking experiences.
- Optimizing both the hotel website and booking engine for mobile can significantly boost conversion rates and reduce reliance on OTAs.
- Continuous monitoring and optimization using tools like Google Analytics are essential for maintaining and improving mobile booking performance.