Hospitality websites really have a lot to gain from adding a few elements to their sites. I’m talking about B&Bs, local restaurants and other businesses in the travel and hospitality area.
When visitors or even locals are looking for things to do they need information and if you have suggestions and answers you’ll be seen as a trusted source. That trust leads to sales and it leads to referrals, which really leads to more sales.
Here are 10 ideas for your hospitality website. I split it into 5 items I think are must-have items for your site and 5 you could probably do without…at least for now.
Must Have
1. Photos
I really feel strongly about including photos on your website. People are emotional and for the most part emotions drive decisions including sales decisions. It’s true even more so with travel and hospitality. Invest in a good photographer with a good camera that can showcase you, your business and your location. Also think about integrating something like Instagram and other photo sharing social media to let others get in on the photo content.
2. Stories
Storytelling is an important aspect of business and selling. Hospitality businesses are selling an experience. You’re selling the story people can create when they visit. Use testimonials. Tell a story about your business. People buy into stories.
3. Itinerary Suggestions
If people are staying at a small hotel or bed and breakfast they typically want suggestions on where to go, what to see and where to eat. You can put all this on the site and prepare people for their trip. You’re the expert so share your insight with potential visitors.
4. FAQ and Blog
Building on just itinerary suggestions are all the answers you provide guests. Put that content on your site. If people are asking you in person you can bet they’re searching for it online. This is a great SEO and social strategy and the best part is you already have ideas for the content.
5. Contact
You need a contact form or a phone number. If you have a preferred way for people to contact you make sure it’s easy to use and that people are encouraged to reach out.
Nice To Have
1. Online Booking
Beyond a simple contact form or contact method is online booking. It’s more of an investment, but it can save you time and some visitors prefer to see the availability schedule and be able to book right online. Other industries are doing it including golf and the airlines.
2. Weather
This would actually be pretty easy to add, but a weather widget for your area with a forecast is something people care about. They want to know what to expect when they visit. You could also use the weather for blog content. You can talk about the usual weather during certain times of the year again sharing your knowledge with potential visitors. You know they’re searching for it.
3. Social Media
Depending on how much time you have it is beneficial to invest in building your social profiles. Social is having an impact on search and a few other areas. It’s not essential just yet, but is getting closer.
4. Guides
If you really want to go all out with a content strategy you can complete guides. An example would be something like “The Complete Guide to Eating in San Diego”. If you’re a business owner in a city or town you know all the best places to visit and to eat. Put that in a guide and give it away for free on your site. Grab email addresses and earn trust by sharing knowledge.
5. Partner Booking
You will get into this a little bit with your recommendations, but you can go beyond by partnering with other hospitality companies to make suggestions and even make it easy for people to book everything in one location. An example is the Stay and Play concept in golf. You can book tee times and lodging and even eating all in one place.
As more people go online to find information about traveling it’s important for you to have a good website. By putting information on your site you make it possible for potential visitors to find you and you make it easy to close the deal.
