Do's and Don'ts of OTAs

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Do:Take advantage of

the sheer amount of traffic on OTAs.

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Don’t:Ignore OTAs and hope

they will go away.

Travelocity and Expedia are household names, and they show up near the top of most travel-related Google searches. They’re here to stay. Be present and put your best foot forward.

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Do:Understand the

importance of OTAs in the travel industry.

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02Even with a top-notch website and a strong

social media presence, you can use your presence on OTAs to drive visitors to book with

you by offering a consistent visual story.

Don’t:Assume your visitors

will find you without the help of OTAs.

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Do:Include as many photos as you need to in order to tell your hotel’s story.

Travel shoppers researching your hotel want to see multiple, current photos.

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Don’t:Withhold images on

OTAs.

You might think it’s wise to hold some “good stuff” back on your site, rather than use it on an OTA. But the truth is, people are landing on OTAs earlier in the shopping journey – if you hold images back, there’s a chance prospects won’t ever see them.

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Do:Include OTAs as part of your hotel

marketing strategy.

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04Even with a top-notch website and

a strong social media presence, you can use your presence on OTAs to

drive visitors to book with you by offering a consistent visual story.

Don’t:Turn a blind eye to these valuable

channels.

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Do:Keep your

content fresh and consistent.

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Don’t:Upload your photos

and walk away.

Shoppers want to see that you’re up-to-date. If it’s summer, display summertime attractions; in winter, show local ski hills. Visitors will appreciate, and remember, that your property is current and connected to what’s going on around it.

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Do:Understand that travel

shoppers are all different and have varied priorities when choosing a hotel.

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06Some travel shoppers use OTAs to research

hotels; others use them to scan for deals, comparison shop or even daydream.

Recognize that consumers on OTAs are at different stages of the shopping journey.

Don’t:Assume all online traffic

is the same.

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Do:Cater your message to your target audience on

OTAs.

Travel shoppers researching your hotel want to see multiple, current photos.

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Don’t:Send an irrelevant

message on a channel it’s not intended for.

Some channels, such as Concur, are specific for corporate travelers. Take advantage of specialized OTAs by providing information that appeals to that customer target.

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08

Do:Use multi-media.

Use virtual tours and videos – in addition to photos – to showcase the experience of visiting your property.

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08Photos on their own aren’t enough – it’s how you

use them that will make your OTA presence stand out from the competition. Make your story known

by including engaging videos and virtual tours along with your photos.

Don’t:Add a gallery

of random photos to your OTA site.

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Stand out from the competitionby telling a unique, targeted hotel story

across the OTA channels.

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