stopI actually would like to rephrase this. I recommend to stop all online marketing spend. Just kick it out of your hotel budget plan. Save some cost for a change. I simply would like to take back what I wrote in previous blog posts, and what I said during any of our seminars and workshops about hotel internet marketing and social media marketing. I now run a 100 room hotel and I have got it all figured out .

 

Here are 10 rock-solid reasons why you should never invest another Euro in online marketing:

    1. I am saving a lot of money by not spending on online marketing. Seriously, I am talking about tons of money! You can reduce cost by not investing in lonline marketing.
    1. suitcase_full_of_moneyInstead of investing upfront in online marketing, I figured out a solution. I am giving a bit more, actually all of my business to 3rd parties. My most important online provider only charges me about 300K a year. And my average commission percentage is only 19%. 560K a year…. Not bad for my 100 room hotel is it?
    1. Impossible to analyze. Web analytics are complex, and they are hard to analyze. Website functionality is impossible to understand. How would I know where people are willing to click? Who cares if I lose them on the 4th or the 5th click? On top, consumers keep changing anyhow, they’re always on the hunt for this new thing. Why put in the effort?
    1. Websites are hard to build, and I heard that you have to rebuild them every 2 years, because they get old-fashioned so fast. I have never been too much of a trend-follower anyhow. I can stick to what I know and do the same I’ve always done. It has always worked, there’s not a single reason why it wouldn’t work in the future.
    1. Websites are extremely hard to control. How would I know what type of website design works well?? And I will never be a programmer, so forget about me managing a website or a blog. I have enough on my plate.
    1. It’s fun to fill the pockets of big online players. Paying commission is good, and why try to do something myself what they can do so well already? They will be better in online marketing anyhow. And no way I can compete with these guys. At least I will pay them afterwards, not upfront. Less insecurity.
    1. I’d rather spend on paper brochures. Paper is the future. We should stick to a traditional hotel franchise model. The huge declines in sales that newspapers have seen for the past 5 to 10 years are temporary. The paper-business is rebounding one of these days.

ROI

    1. I’d be taking a huge risk by spending online. I do not know what happens to my money spent online, I can’t measure the ROI, nothing. They say online business has spin-off to offline business. I am not buying it. I never get phone calls from people who found me online.
    1. Social Media are a fad. I don’t want to move where consumers are moving. And I also don’t want them to follow me all the time. I find that it scary idea that people can find and follow me whenever they decide. I should be in control, not the consumer. If I could stop them from opening their mouth on Tripadvisor, I would. I have always encouraged them fill in guest satisfaction surveys, and they can simply hand them back in to us. That way I’ll get a good understanding of how they experience my hotel.
  1. Social media have nothing to do with business. It’s just a bunch of people, that probably don’t even know each other ,talking together. The information they’re exchanging is not trustworthy, so there are plenty of good reasons not to get involved.
OK, OK, none of the above things said is true or close to correct. I am just giving you a heads-up on some serious challenges you might be facing. Things you’re stuck on. New developments that are heading your way, and you’re not so sure which direction to take.
I know, today’s hotel business environment is becoming increasingly complex.

 

Traditional hotel representation models no longer work.

 

join the dark side

The internet allows you to market to and interact with those people that are only waiting to find you. Even without a big representation brand on your front door.
Want to work on drastically improving your business? Have a chat with us.
Careful though! We just might ask you to change to way you look at things.