The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the lives of many, including businesses. Therefore, most companies and business owners try to create innovative ways to market their business amid the COVID crisis.
The situation may not change anytime soon in 2021. So, hotels must adapt to the new normal to keep their businesses thriving.
Let’s look at 10 Latest Hotel Marketing Trends 2021:
Virtual Tour
Customers are limiting their travel because of their fear of getting infected by COVID-19. That’s why virtual reality is a useful marketing innovation for all.
Virtual reality tours provide an experience as if you’re in the actual place even if you’re not. This can also be a means of exploration and immersion to some degree.
More Sustainability
Hotels want to help make the world a better place by implementing sustainable ways. Some ways include:
- Providing vegan or vegetarian menu items
- Utilizing energy-saving technologies
- Non-usage of plastic in the hotels
- Encouraging sustainability with guests
- Using recyclable materials
- Composting kitchen waste
- Planting a garden
- And many more
Remote Work
Nowadays, many companies resorted to work-from-home routines as their way to adapt to the new normal. Face-to-face meetings are not encouraged while facing the pandemic. Hence, the never-ending video calls from your boss and colleagues.
Most hotels focus on improving facilities and amenities where people can conveniently work and study. This is done by providing reliable internet access, the availability of printers and scanners, etc.
Flexible Booking Cancellations
Hotels offer a range of price points that are worth the experience and customers are willing to pay more for quality service. Hence, most hotels offer a generous cancellation policy that enables returning customers to book again with less hassle.
COVID-19 always gives unexpected circumstances. This is why hotels need to be more considerate of this matter.
Mobile Hotel Reservation
Reservation of hotel rooms through phones or laptops has made our lives easier. This strategy has become increasingly popular, especially today.
Hotels utilize social media marketing to get a wider audience to book at their hotels. Most social media websites used by hotels include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Mobile apps and touchless technology have become handy, and this is not new to the hotel industry. Today, hotels revamp their mobile apps so that customers can check-in and check-out with less interaction from people. Marriott and Hyatt is one of the hotel chains that are known to have useful mobile apps for their customers.
Data for Hotel Trends
Analyzing and predicting customer behavior during these times leads to the use of data. Which data, you may ask? You can go over the hotel’s website and check the website analytics and bookings data.
From there, you will pinpoint what your customers look for in a hotel and adjust the hospitality marketing trends to garner more customers next time they visit.
Personalization
Marketing in hotels these days has become modern because they utilize advanced technology for customer’s accessibility to the services of the hotel. The demand for personalization will continue even if there’s a pandemic.
Personalized marketing delivers individualized and personalized content to target potential customers through automation technology and data collection.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Likely, you have already heard of artificial intelligence. AI is commonly used in marketing, including customer segmentation, customer service, etc. Using AI creates a faster system and robust transaction for booking services.
User-Generated Content
User-generated content has been around for quite some time already. Some examples of these are testimonials, blog posts, reviews, forums, etc.
This marketing trend is a useful source, and it catches the eye of a customer looking for the best hotel experience ever. Hotels veer away from paid advertising, and instead, they encourage customers to share their experience online.
Influencer Marketing
For some boutique hotels, posting on their social media may not be enough. By 2021, using the influencer marketing strategy will become one of the most helpful marketing trends in the hotel industry.
Influencer marketing is done by teaming up with someone who embodies your hotel’s branding goals and spirit to get a higher reach. Hotels partner with influencers who create and post content on their social media to promote your hotel services.
Adapting to the New Normal
These hotel marketing trends used by hotels are tweaked to meet expectations in the new normal. While “trends” may sound short-lived, they will surely remain in the long run even if the pandemic is over.
