September 23, 2020
10 minute read
As hotel guests increasingly move to booking online, it’s vital that your hotel has a booking platform that not only offers a user-friendly experience, but encourages a higher spend. OneJourney is the brand-new platform that allows guests to purchase rooms, spa treatments, restaurant reservations, gift vouchers, and many different retail options and experiences, all in one place. It’s one-basket functionality means that guests can purchase all aspects of their hotel stay in one, easy transaction. Here are seven ways that we can help you to see a significant return on investment when you use OneJourney:
Upsell on every transaction
Traditionally, hotels use packages to bundle their products and increase the value of each booking. However, this can leave guests feeling limited by their options. With OneJourney, guests are able to custom-build their own package which will often lead to a higher booking value. A guest who may have traditionally booked your weekend spa package may have actually wanted to add on extra treatments or even extra nights, but could not do so easily through the booking engine. Now, guests will see all their options in one place, encouraging them to add extra services to their basket and giving you the opportunity to upsell.
Sell more than just rooms
For the first time, your guests can book everything they need in one online platform; we know that for years, hoteliers have wanted to add services such as restaurant reservations, golf bookings, gift vouchers and spa treatments, but now is also the time to get creative with your offerings. Guests browsing your OneJourney site could also book special events that you are hosting, or purchase merchandise. Perhaps your guests love the toiletries used in the bedrooms, or always admire the paintings from a local artist in your lobby; these are all potential partnerships that could be utilised to sell products through your website.
Offer a user-friendly experience
Any e-commerce website is likely to attract more sales if their website is easy to navigate and with all stock visible in one place. The same principle should be applied to hospitality bookings. Not only can guests now view all options in one place, but they can add all of their selections to one basket, removing the need for multiple transactions. We know that people are busy, and providing a simple, enjoyable booking service is sure to encourage a higher booking value. Not only that, but booking a luxury getaway should be an exciting purchasing experience, which can be aided by having a beautiful and user-friendly platform.
Drive repeat bookings and recommendations
A guest’s experience of your hotel does not start when they walk in the door; it begins as soon as they discover your hotel online. Therefore, every part of the booking process should be enjoyable, easy and designed to excite guests for their upcoming stay. Simply driving bookings is not enough to increase your revenue; it is equally important to maintain your reputation and create customer loyalty with good reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations and repeat bookings. By elevating the customer booking experience, you can boost your brand’s reputation and ultimately drive more revenue.
Free up your staff’s time
All too often, a guest will make a hotel booking online and then call the reservations team to add services and see what options are available. With OneJourney, guests can check availability and tailor their stay without needing to pick up the phone. This means that your staff can really focus on other duties, including taking extra care of guests staying in the hotel.
Utilise your current technology
A concern that I’ve heard from hoteliers is that they do not wish to re-train staff in using a new reservations system. OneJourney does not replace your existing back-end systems, but integrates with them, so you don’t need to change anything unless you would like to. OneJourney has been specifically designed to work smoothly with systems such as SynXis, Avvio, Core by Premier Software and ResDiary. The booking engine from the customer’s view will look modern, streamlined and in-line with your branding. However, the back-end view will not change for you, saving you money on re-training your team.
Rely less on Online Travel Agents
Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and third parties are undoubtedly important in securing bookings for your hotel. However, with a large chunk of revenue being lost to commission and guest data unavailable, most hoteliers are seeking to increase their direct bookings and take back control of the guest experience. All too often, a customer will visit a hotel’s website, commit to booking and then find a clunky, confusing booking engine. At this point, they’ll head to an OTA for a simplified experience. By making your booking experience as clear and user-friendly as possible, you can secure bookers who may otherwise head to an OTA.
