Inventory Availability and Real-Time Reservations
Travelers, both business and leisure, want to know what rooms are available and at what price. They want to make their reservations immediately based on the information supplied. Give them the run-around and they’ll just run away.

Consistently Updated Pricing Based on Market Intelligence
Price shopping online has never been easier and that makes pricing more complex for hoteliers. Price your rooms too low and you short-change your bottom line. Price your rooms too high and you’ll lose reservations. But who has time to consistently monitor market conditions and pricing? We do.

Aesthetic Presentation
For all the technological marvels that may underlie a website’s design, it will inevitably be judged first by how it looks. Undeniably, there is an emotional component to selecting a hotel for many travelers — if not, they would probably not consider an independent property but simply head to the nearest branded hotel. Your website will give travelers their first glimpse into your property… make certain it’s a mirror that accurately depicts your property’s offerings.

It’s More Than Just Booking Rooms
Websites can, and should, do more than simply book rooms. Internet booking engines (IBE), also allow guests to research multiple trip itineraries, review room rates and package values, as well as secure group and corporate rates. Effective IBEs should also allow hotels to sell ancillary services such as dining options, spa services or resort services through dynamic packaging. The ability of the IBE to support these components while maintaining a user friendly three- to four- step booking approach and secured personal information is crucial.

But How Do You Know It’s Working?
Simply launching a website with booking capabilities is not enough. Websites require continual monitoring. Analyzing where visitors go on the site, where they drop-off and how long they stay on the site is crucial to fine tuning the content and design to optimize the return on investment. These statistics provide valuable insight into how user-friendly the site is to navigate and whether the copy and the design are engaging.

A website can only drive bookings if travelers actually visit the site. There are strategies, aside from pay-per-click, by which websites can move up in search listings. These constantly evolving strategies involve both content and programming. Effectively maintaining and optimizing a website is every bit as complex as it sounds, but the return on investment is substantial and sets the stage for long-term results.

Can we talk about your particular website? Absolutely. Contact Mona Ingram, Sceptre Hospitality Resources Vice President, for an overview of your site and how we increase its effectiveness.