In the hospitality industry, your website is more than just a digital touchpoint; it’s your business’s welcome mat, inviting guests to explore a world of comfort and escapism.
But, how can you ensure your hotel’s website offers the best first impression and gives guests a clear insight into what to expect from their stay?
We’re here with 5 essential tips to kickstart the guest experience, right from the very first click!
1. Make your brand the heartbeat of your hotel
Your website is an extension of your hotel’s offerings. That’s why a consistent brand identity is crucial for helping you stand out amongst the competition and build trust and familiarity with potential guests.
Whether your hotel promises complete luxury or a more family-friendly feel — your hotel’s brand should be clearly visible across each one of your touchpoints, but especially across your website.
To do this, we suggest placing a focus on:
- Design: Align website colours, fonts, and visuals with your branding for the ultimate sense of professionalism
- Tone: Match your website copy’s tone with your brand’s personality — giving potential guests their first taste of the vibe they can expect
- Imagery: Choose images that reflect your brand’s character and essence for a more impactful website experience
- Messaging: Include clear, value-driven messages across all content (right down to your call-to-action buttons and social media integration) to strengthen brand presence and engagement
Tip: Remember, a consistent brand voice not only communicates professionalism, it also creates a sense of authenticity and reliability, enticing guests to explore further and make a booking. For hotel website design that remains effective, establish a long-term relationship with a web designer who’s happy to make edits to your site as your business grows.
2. Clearly communicate your value proposition
Your hotel is unique, and your website should shout it from the digital rooftops! Whether it’s your award-winning restaurant, prime location, or sustainability efforts, make sure visitors understand what sets your hotel apart from the moment they land on your website.
We recommend:
- Placing your unique selling points front and centre: Pinpoint the standout features that differentiate your hotel and make sure website visitors can’t ignore the value staring them right in the face
- Leveraging visual storytelling: Use high-quality images and videos to support your text and give website visitors the assurance they need to make a booking
- Creating sections to highlight the guest experience: Showcase your hotel’s special amenities, unique experiences, and irresistible offers with dedicated sections and subsections
- Highlighting guest testimonials: Let satisfied guests do the talking by incorporating genuine hotel reviews that highlight what guests loved most about their stay
- Using interactive elements: Engage visitors with interactive elements like virtual tours or interactive maps to highlight your hotel’s distinct attractions
- Starting a blog: A hotel website blog can be a great place to help set the scene for your hotel and draw prospective visitors into the experience early. Help guests build a connection with your hotel, staff, and the local area before they’ve even booked their trip
Tip: When it comes to content writing for hotels, hiring a reliable content team can be a game-changer. From helping you craft compelling narratives to optimising your digital content to appear higher in search engines, the right content team can make your online presence shine in a competitive landscape.
3. Avoid over-promising (be true to your offerings!)
While it can be tempting to promise guests the world, it’s important to make sure your guests’ experience aligns with their expectations. This is why when it comes to writing copy for your hotel website, honesty is your best friend.
Guests will be looking for transparency in areas such as:
- Hotel room features and views: Provide accurate details about the amenities available in each room. Whether it’s a view, bed type, or other in-room features, ensure the information you provide is as accurate as possible
- Proximity to local attractions: Be honest about the distance between your hotel and nearby attractions, landmarks, and points of interest. People like to plan their trips down to the finest detail, so use clear descriptions or maps to help guests visualise important locations
- Policies and fees: Communicate any relevant policies and fees transparently, such as cancellation policies, resort fees, or additional charges. This helps avoid any unwelcome surprises and builds trust for repeat visits
- Dining options: Clearly present the dining options available on-site. If you house multiple restaurants, specify their cuisines, opening hours, and reservation policies (as well as which dietary requirements can be catered for in each venue!)
- Accessibility and facilities: Disclose the accessibility features and facilities your hotel provides, including wheelchair access and autism friendly environments. This ensures all guests have a clear understanding of the services available to them
Tip: A great hotel website will also contain honest reviews, giving potential visitors the peace of mind they need to make a booking. But be warned — guests are likely to do their own research on your hotel, too, so be sure to conduct some social listening exercises and get ahead of any negative feedback found in online reviews.
4. Streamline your website navigation
A cluttered and confusing website can be an instant turnoff for visitors. This is why we always recommend keeping your website layout as user-friendly as possible. This makes it easier for guests to find what they’re looking for and quickly arrange their booking.
Best practice for this includes:
- Organising information logically, e.g. guiding visitors through their decision-making process with content that’s structured in a logical flow
- Utilising clear headings and subheadings to separate sections more clearly (this can also help you prioritise a single selling point to highlight in each section!)
- Using a user-friendly navigation menu to categorise sections and help visitors find what they want
- Partnering with a reliable booking engine provider to make the booking process fast, clear, and hassle-free. Tip: It’s also a good idea to provide clear information for guests to make direct bookings via the phone, especially for non-standard bookings!
- Ensuring your website is fully functional across mobile devices (this can also involve consistent user-testing to ensure loading times don’t put guests off)
- Making your website copy SEO-friendly to ensure your search engine ranking is as high as possible
- Clearly outlining contact details (especially if you want website visitors to make direct hotel bookings — accessibility is key!)
Tip: Look out for content agencies that include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as part of their services to streamline your content marketing strategy and ensure the content you’re creating is being seen.
5. Be careful of your language choices
Emotion is a powerful tool in persuading potential guests to come stay at your hotel. That’s why it’s always a good idea to use storytelling techniques to paint a vivid picture of the hotel experience your guests can look forward to.
Whether you’re describing the feeling of relaxation by the pool or the excitement of exploring local attractions, your website copy needs to resonate with your target audience.
That said, it’s also important to highlight that language can be a powerful tool in alienating audiences too. From complex terminology to cultural insensitivity, how you communicate with your guests can make all the difference.
To avoid alienating certain guests, consider the following:
- Ensure the language you use is as inclusive as possible, and try to avoid stereotyping guests
- Keep your language simple, but remember to lean into your brand’s tone of voice to attract the type of guests you want
- Use language to create a sense of belonging by helping guests feel like they’re already a part of your community and that your hotel is a safe space for all
- Stay informed about evolving language trends and regularly update your website in line with best practices
Need help crafting the perfect website copy for your hotel or hospitality business?
Creating a positive first impression on your hotel’s website requires in-depth knowledge of messaging, the user experience, and marketing best practices.
At The Content Lab, we specialise in creating SEO-optimised copy that engages your audience and showcases the true essence of your hotel.
Let us help you make the right first impression and turn website visitors into guests who can’t help coming back for more…Ready to talk content?
Get in touch with our team today!
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