In the hotel industry, working with an online travel agency is a good way to get more bookings. Also known as an OTA, these are agents and companies that only exist online. The days of visiting a travel agent in your city and asking them to book all of the amenities and things that you need are a thing of the past. Most OTAs are aggregate sites that provide details and information about multiple hotels to help visitors pick the right ones for their trips. Working with the top OTAs is one of the best ways to boost your hotel’s overall bookings.
Booking Holdings
Start with Booking Holdings. Many people know this company for the many websites it operates, such as Priceline and Kayak. Priceline has a Name Your Price feature that allows visitors to enter the minimum amount they want to pay for a hotel room and bid on a room. Only if the site finds a room for that price can the visitor book it. You don’t need to worry about someone booking a room for less than you need them to pay. Working with Booking Holdings allows you to share your hotel on multiple sites and get tourists who may not visit your official site.
Expedia Group
If you visit Google and search for hotels in a specific city, the chances are good that you’ll get results from Expedia Group. This corporation owns many different websites that help tourists compare hotel rooms to find the right ones for them. Orbitz and Hotels.com are just some of the sites within this group. As you check out the latest hotel industry updates, you will notice that experts recommend you work with this group. Expedia Group can move your hotel to the top of the search results and help more tourists find it.
Trip Advisor
Many people turn to Trip Advisor when planning a vacation because they know that they can get help finding things to do in a new city. While you might think of the site as just a place for users to post reviews, it also has a large and helpful hotel section. You have the option of listing your hotel on the site and adding a link back to your website. Tourists can either book online or simply learn more about your hotel. If you also work with Expedia Group, that site can facilitate the bookings for you.
HRS
Not everyone travels for fun or pleasure, which is why HRS is a handy OTA. This website focuses on helping business travelers who often need different amenities, such as an on-site business center and an airport shuttle. HRS works with more than 300,000 hotels and guarantees that travelers will not pay any fees if they need to cancel their trips. This site helps you highlight the amenities that business travelers need and get them excited about staying with you. Many travelers use HRS to find sites that are close to train stations and in major cities around the world.
Airbnb
More than 5.6 million properties are available to rent from Airbnb. The site started as a way for travelers to book rooms in private homes and later expanded to include vacation rental homes. You can list your hotel on the site as long as it meets certain criteria. Airbnb looks for hotels that are unique and offer special things for travelers, such as themed hotels in major cities and independent B&Bs. If you own a major hotel or are part of a chain, you usually cannot list it on the site. It helps you appeal to people who prefer staying off the beaten path.
Choosing an OTA
When you choose an OTA, make sure that you look at how it works and the overall costs. While some charge a monthly or annual fee, others take a percentage of each booking made through them. You also want one that offers some flexibility and lets you make changes to your listings as well as keep track of your available rooms. Instead of working with just one of these sites, try to work with as many as possible. Boosting your hotel’s bookings is easy when you choose the top OTAs of today.
