Despite the good news that South Africa is now open to all overseas tourists, we are all still facing unique business challenges. It’s important to keep the numbers ticking over, and there are some things you can do to help your own recovery process.
Increasing your direct bookings to save on commission and be in complete control of the guest relationship from the word GO should be high on the list. Another key to successful recovery is being smart about how you manage your rates and inventory, so you can quickly adapt to constant changes in circumstances.
NightsBridge has built new booking form features and setup functionality to help properties increase their direct bookings and meet the challenge of recovery head on.
Improve conversion with great content.
Photographs sell your business. If you look at yours, would you want to stay at your establishment? Remember, this might be the first time a potential guest sees what you have to offer. Are you showing off your property’s assets? The photographs you use on your online booking form should also be of the best quality. Better content (including the descriptions you use and the amenities you list) leads to better conversion.
By using the NightsBridge image uploader a property can add high quality photos to their room and property galleries. These will display in large scale on the NightsBridge booking form.
Increase direct bookings with specials.
Instead of slashing your rates to kickstart demand, rather set up specials or special packages. Then, promote these on your booking form and place them front-and-center on your website to capture the attention. If visitors to your booking form can also view a complete list of the specials you have on offer they may be tempted to plan a booking further down the line.
Distribute promo codes through various channels.
Online buyers and bookers are used to finding and using promo codes to get a discount on their purchases. You can generate awareness and drive more direct bookings by setting up your own promotional codes to send to your guests through any channel you prefer.
Grow revenue with responsive rate management.
Yield management doesn’t need to be complicated. If you see a drop (or increase) in demand on the horizon you want to be able to adjust your rates up or down for single days or short periods.
Showing a strike-through ‘before’ rate on your booking form can also help convince any fence-sitter to book. Seeing exactly how much they are saving on your accommodation might be all the motivation they need.
Provide the contactless communication your guests expect.
The concerns around safety when travelling means that your guests will prefer to spend less time at your front desk. If you are able to offer contactless check-in and check-out, this will greatly improve your guest experience from start to finish.
Try these tools out to help you bounce back quicker. And keep an eye on our upcoming blog posts where we will discuss each of these topics in more detail.