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Using changing digital habits to boost your direct bookings

Hear from Direct Booking Summit Bangkok speaker, Chetan Patel, on how hotels can capitalize on changing digital behavior to boost direct bookings

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The world of digitization has accelerated, and hotel service can’t afford to decline when ADR targets and guest expectations are at an all-time high. Customers now expect to be able to do everything from their phone, whether that’s ordering food, choosing personalized entertainment, paying bills or getting quick answers to their questions. But how can hoteliers adapt to these changing customer needs and leverage their new digital habits to increase direct bookings?

Hoteliers joining us at the Direct Booking Summit Bangkok will learn all the answers when Chetan Patel, Vice President, Marketing at Dusit Hotels and Resorts, takes to the stage to share his expert knowledge on how to boost direct bookings by better understanding customers’ changing digital habits.

 

Meet Chetan Patel at the Direct Booking Summit Bangkok

Ahead of the Summit - which takes place on 14th-15th March, 2023 at the Siam Kempinski, Bangkok - we spoke to Chetan to hear more about the key challenges hoteliers are facing in 2023, the fasted change they can make to improve mobile strategy and why personalization matters so much.

Still need to grab your tickets for the industry’s leading event where every session is created for hoteliers, by hoteliers? According to Chetan, the Direct Booking Summit is a ‘unique chance to learn from industry leaders and experts about the latest trends and best practices in direct bookings. It gives hoteliers a chance to connect with each other, share ideas, and learn new ways to improve their direct booking efforts.’

If that sounds like something you and your colleagues would benefit from, get your tickets today.

 

What is the number one challenge that hoteliers should focus on solving in 2023?

In 2023, the most important thing for hoteliers to work on is personalization and giving guests a seamless, personalized experience throughout their trip. This includes giving each customer personalized promotions, personalized communication, and a personalized stay.

 

What's the quickest change a hotelier can make to improve your mobile strategy?

The easiest and fastest thing a hotelier can do to improve their mobile strategy is to make their website even more mobile-friendly. Make it easy to look around, scan, and research. More guests still book on desktop, but mobile makes a big difference in the top of the funnel.

 

What's been the most surprising change you've seen in customers' digital behavior recently, and how can hoteliers adapt to accommodate that?

Customers' attention span and how that impacts a hotelier’s content delivery strategy is the most surprising change. Hoteliers need to design content to get attention, stop the scroll and get the desired action from customers. OTAs can’t provide this kind of property specific content, so that can be a competitive advantage to pull business to the direct channel.

 

What one thing should all hoteliers do to increase direct bookings in 2023?

All hoteliers should pay a lot more attention to their Google strategies in 2023, whether it's SEO, SEM, Meta, Maps, or Business Profile. This will help them get more direct bookings. Stop obsessing on social media all the time and pay attention to where your business comes from. It is a matter of mindshare - don’t get swayed so easily.

 

What digital or mobile strategies are no longer having the same impact and could be dropped if a hotelier is limited in terms of resource?

Paid advertising on third-party websites and apps that isn't targeted, and investing in generic mobile apps that don't offer a personalized experience are two digital strategies that aren't as effective as they used to be.

 

Got more questions for Chetan on the subject of changing digital habits, mobile optimization strategy and how to leverage changing customer behaviour to boost your direct bookings? You’d better join us at the Direct Booking Summit Bangkok so you can ask him yourself…



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