How a hotel website can win more direct bookings
Booking sites bring guests, and most hotels need them. But many guests who find you there look up your own website before deciding. That visit is your chance to win the booking directly, and keep the commission.
Why guests visit your own site
Guests check a hotel's own website to see more photos, confirm the location, look for a better rate or a perk, read the policies, or simply make sure the place is real. If your site answers those questions faster and more honestly than the booking site, many guests will happily book with you.
Show every room properly
Give each room type its own section or page, with several real photos: the bed, the view, the bathroom. State the size, beds, maximum guests and what's in the room. Guests compare rooms the way they compare hotels, and vague descriptions send them back to the booking site, where at least the details are listed.
Be clear about price
Show a starting rate per room with the dates or season it applies to. Many hotels offer something for booking direct, such as breakfast, a later check-out or a free transfer, where their contracts with booking sites allow it. If you do, say so clearly on the room pages.
Make booking or asking easy
Either embed your booking engine so guests can book and pay, or offer a quick enquiry: a WhatsApp button that opens with the dates and room already typed, and a short form for email. Reply quickly; a guest comparing hotels won't wait a day. My guide to the WhatsApp enquiry button shows how to set it up.
Answer the worries
- Exact location, distances to the airport, station and main sights, and directions for night arrivals
- Check-in and check-out times, ID requirements, children and extra beds
- A cancellation policy in plain words
- Heating, hot water, parking, Wi-Fi and food, whatever guests in your area ask about
Prove you're real
A full address, a phone number answered by a person, your registration or classification if you have one, and a link to your Google reviews. Your Google listing should match the website exactly.
Keep it fast
Hotel sites are often slowed by huge photo sliders. Guests checking on their phones, often while travelling, won't wait. Resize the photos and drop the slider, as explained in why is my website slow.
Measure direct bookings
Track enquiries and bookings that come through the website, so you know whether it's working and can compare it with what you pay booking sites. My pages for hotels and homestays go into more detail.