InovasiOnline.com

Marketing??

How do you generate business at a hotel....groups?? corp?? regulars??? And you know you have a great product too!

Public Comments

1. I am interpreting your question as, "how can I draw more visitors to our hotel?" You've certainly identified three potential "audiences" that you might pursue: "groups" (such as people attending a conference in your city, ideally in your hotel); "corporate" clients who may pay for their out-of-town staff to stay in hotels while visiting HQ, or for staff who are on sales trips, educational trips, etc.; and "regulars," which could be individuals who frequently visit your city (perhaps once a month to visit their children and grandchildren, or to deal with business, or to see a doctor or other professional). The "travel industry" has undergone a series of massive changes over the past few decades, and the shift to internet researching and booking of travel has certainly wiped out a lot of travel agencies; this means that you must either focus on reaching the remaining travel agents OR find ways to present your hotel to consumers directly. You should also be working to see that rooms at your property are included when folks search at Yahoo Travel and other online travel sites. Good luck.
2. The problem with internet sales is that you reduce your hotel to a commodity. There is no brand recognition and no customer loyalty. You're constantly working to make low-return single sales. You want to bring in the convention market, start approaching meeting planners, associations, DMCs (Destination Management Companies). You can find them in the yellow pages and by subscribing to industry magazines like Meetings & Incentive Travel in Toronto, Association News from California, Successful Meetings in New York and The Meeting Professional in Texas.