Travelers are becoming more keen as they search for their new vacation destinations. Their eyes are on policies, safety precautions, and comfort as the world continues to balance recovery and safety in 2021. With this mindset at the forefront, we see new types of travelers emerging – some choose to fly solo, and others carefully plan a getaway with their close family members.
Despite the extra precautions travelers are taking, the length of their search phase has shortened throughout the pandemic. Expedia’s traveler sentiment research suggests that travelers are booking within 21 days of when they plan to take their vacation. With such a short amount of time to reel in guests, what can you do to pull in travelers planning spontaneous getaways?
Leverage Social Media
Social media is your first place to hook potential travelers and get them thinking about visiting your hotel. Posting consistently across all your channels will earn attention from travelers. Your posts can fall under two main categories: inspiration and invitation.
By sharing beautiful photos of your property and the surrounding area, you’re sowing the seeds of inspiration for guests. Playing up messaging surrounding relaxation and “wanna get away” phrasing can inspire travelers into thinking about a vacation.
Switching regularly between inspiration posts and invitation posts can speed up the thought cycle for your potential guests. Your messaging will shift from theorizing about getting away to inviting guests to stay with you.
Making separate posts to target both local travelers and those seeking faraway getaways will benefit you in the long run. On social media, you never want to cast your net too wide, so the closer you can aim to your target audience, the more likely you are to catch a few travelers.
Be Clear About Safety
While the situation surrounding COVID-19 is generally thought to be improving, scientists also predict that COVID-19 will not be going away. As the situation changes, travelers will still need to be up to date on all your current policies. When the information travelers need is readily available to them, they’ll feel more secure and ready to book right away.
If you maintain a vanity website, consider adding dates to your most recently updated content so guests can be aware of when policies were last changed on the property. Implementing tools like pop-ups and banners can be useful to deliver information in an eye-catching way.
Another method you can use to ensure guests know everything about your current policies is through review response. Responding to reviews is already a crucial part of how travelers perceive you. Addressing concerns quickly and effectively will boost traveler confidence in your property – and that confidence will lead to them selecting you over your competitors.
Share Big Getaway Ideas
There is a clear desire for travel: Destination Analytics’ market research from February 14, 2021 shows that 80% of Americans have travel plans for “one or more upcoming trips” in 2021. Many might be local travelers; however, if you can inspire them to dream big enough, these travelers may consider longer trips further from home.
From showcasing your property with high-resolution photos and engaging videos to drafting social media posts that highlight your amenities, encouraging longer vacations will require every tool in your toolbox. Ensuring that your hotel’s reputation is in top form will make a considerable difference in helping guests feel safe and inspired to book with your hotel.
Our goal at Travel Media Group is to support and uplift your properties using expert-level marketing techniques. Whether it’s providing you with professional, informative review responses or working together to shape up your social media profiles, we’ve got your back. Visit our services page to learn more about why our solutions will be the best fit to tackle every aspect of your hotel’s reputation.
