86% of Hotels Fail Book Direct Audit
At Sprint Digital we specialise in Digital Marketing for hotels and hospitality and are proud to have an amazing catalogue of clients across Ireland, The UK and continental Europe. As part of our work with these hotels, we focus on selling hotel rooms on your own website. By minimising sales on other websites such as online travel agents, hotels can keep their costs lower and pass on the savings to their customers.
Our commitment to empowering hotels to take control of their online presence led us to undertake a comprehensive audit of 60 independent hotel websites across Ireland. Recognising the evolving landscape of the hospitality industry and the growing significance of direct bookings, we aimed to shed light on the existing strategies employed by hotels.
Through this initiative, we aim to offer actionable insights that enable hotels to confidently navigate the digital landscape and maximise their direct bookings.
About the Audit
We took a selection of 60 independent hotels across Ireland. The audit evaluated 30 separate criteria across the hotels’ websites, booking engines, digital marketing campaigns and social media channels. It compared the official website to the online travel agents and focused on whether the hotel offered incentives for customers to book direct. It checked whether the hotel offered a lower rate, more flexible terms and conditions, or any other perks like a late check out or welcome gift.
Key findings for hotels in ireland
In an era of escalating costs and increased competition, hotels must reassess their online strategies to reduce reliance on third-party online travel agencies. This audit highlights critical areas where improvements are urgently needed to drive direct bookings and attract more customers to hotel websites.
Not Maximising Homepage Potential:
Despite 66% of hotels offering lower rates on their websites, only 33% highlighted this above the fold on their homepage.
not Inclusive Book Direct Messaging:
Only 28% of hotels communicated their booking incentives on special offers pages.
Not including Personalisation for Visitors:
Only 35% of hotels incorporated better rates into their ‘check availability’ widgets. With only 35% of the 60 hotels mentioning a better rate on their ‘check availability’ widget – and with most of the remaining hotels without a widget at all – there is an opportunity here for hotels to incorporate the use of a tool that offers both personalised messaging and real-time price comparison against online travel agents using tools such as The Hotel’s Network.
Not Highlighting Additional Perks
While 80% of hotels offered exclusive benefits for direct bookings, only 25% mentioned these in their package descriptions.
Not Using Brand campaigns online
Only 41% of hotels were visible at the top of the search results in a sponsored ad when searching for hotels by name on Google and Bing.
Not utilising social media
55% of properties had not posted special offer links to their social media channels.
get your audit for free
We believe in turning challenges into opportunities. That’s why we’re excited to introduce our exclusive Book Direct Audit, designed specifically to help hotels like yours unlock untapped growth potential. Let’s work together to enhance your online strategy and drive more direct bookings.
How can we help you?
What can i do to help my direct bookings?
A key way to boost your direct bookings is by improving your website's user-friendliness and speed. Ensure it's easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and loads quickly.
how do I get a free audit?
To get a free audit of your hotel, just contact us here.
Once I receive my audit what happens?
Once you receive your audit you can implement our recomendations or choose not to! We are happy to work with you on any of your digital needs.
