Being a wise hotel owner or restaurateur means knowing how to manoeuvre the market, social media included. Google has a strong impact on your online reputation, which in turn impacts your revenue management strategy. Google’s functionality, including Google Hotel Finder, and relevance increases every day. So what’s the key to keeping your Google-forward presence positive? Well, it’s knowing how it works and who’s talking about you.
Travelers Turn to Social Media
Nowadays, people turn to social media for everything from family updates to news. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter no longer exist in a vacuum, and your friends aren’t the only ones you interact with on any given platform. When travellers look for hotels, restaurants and adventure companies, they often turn to their beloved social channels for more deets on a company. Who’s the face behind the brand? Is this a place worth staying? What’s the community like here? Without social media, you’re basically avoiding a lucrative revenue pathway for no good reason. But—like I said—social media is not a vacuum, and Google has a say in your reviews, too.
Google Is In Your Future
When a traveler searches a hotel by name, what shows up? More often than not, it’s online travel agencies (or OTAs, for short) like Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia. After all, they have the largest advertising budgets. Next up are meta search sites like TripAdvisor, Hotelscombined and Trivago.
Now, Google plays into these results with their own hotel finder. Instead of being seen as just a portal to external references, they’re playing into the idea that Google is the be-all-end-all. What’s this mean for hotels and restaurants? Your ratings on Google will make a drastic difference in whether or not you are found via search engines. And your Google ranking just so happens to be tied to your social presence.
All About Google Hotel Finder
Google Hotel Finder is definitely a valuable asset on the web (what can I say, I’ve dealt with it myself on more than one occasion). Here’s how it works:
- A traveler searches a hotel by name or hotels in a particular area.
- In an instant Google returns the hotel’s business box, where a prominent place is reserved for the Google review score.
- Next, above OTA and meta search site results, they’ll place a user-friendly search widget that allows travellers to compare rates by date (all of which can be done right from the search page).
- These results direct users straight to the hotel’s booking engine, where they can learn more about their stay. Note that it is of utmost importance to maintain rate parity, as otherwise the user will click through to one of the third parties.
If it seems straightforward, it’s because it is—which is exactly why Google Hotel Finders isn’t going anywhere. This platform sends far more traffic to hotel sites than they do to OTAs, which makes it super valuable for hospitality leaders like yourself. After all, you want to bypass the high commissions that third parties are charging for sending you bookings, don’t you?
Hotel’s Aren’t Their Only Strong Suit
Kayak is one of the largest names in the travel industry, but they’re no longer the top dog. According to Travel Metasearch, Google Flights now has more overall traffic and referrals than their biggest competitor. This just goes to show how much Google hotel and flight recommendations are here to stay.
The Takeaway? Leverage Google Hotel Finder
Your hotel’s social ratings and search engine rankings aren’t mutually exclusive. To have a successful revenue management strategy that wins the direct booking more often than not, you’re going to need to take a step back and see your travel business from all angles. Think for example organic ranking, Google ads, social media presence, online reputation, and rate parity. Whatever the perspective, Google Hotel Finder and social media should definitely have a part in your revenue management strategy.
