How to boost OTA Ranking, Online Visibility and Meta Search

Things to do on Meta Search

        1. Google Business Listing:

            Check website button, direction/location of the property and OTA rates.

       2. TripAdvisor :

           Check Ownership of Business Listing, Reviews Reply, Photographs and OTA Rates.

      3. Trivago :

          Check if the rates are floating for every OTA.

Things to do For OTA’s

1. Channel Connected must include Agoda, AirBnB, Booking.com, Cleartrip, Expedia, Goibibo, Makemytrip, Travelguru, Yatra and VIA.
2. Check Rates on each OTA website and Application.
3. Main Image of the property should be same in all OTA (suggestion to add room category image as the main image as it brings guest to the main page of property).
4. Make rates common for all around the year and run a discount on off season.
5. Create Minimum Length of stay on Long Weekends, High Peak Season and festive Period.
6. Use of channel manager to update rates and inventory regularly, Give access to staff for inventory management using user management option.
7. Check content score in each OTA and also set a competitor to get what prices they are selling at.
8. Reviews reply and question reply to the guest is a must.
9. Always ask the guest to post a review and make a better relation for a positive feedback.
10. Evaluation of last year booking with the current year, if there is a downfall gets expert advice from your relationship manager/person who is handling the OTA.
11. Ensure each room category and rate plan is created on every OTA and rates validity is for next 12 months at least.
12. Most important, Acknowledge all the bookings from the OTA and build a good relation with the Marketing Manager of OTA. 

Thing to do on Official Website

1. Relevant Keywords to be added like Hotels in City Name, Best Hotels in City Name, Hotels near Attraction Point and City Name.
2. Check a basic SEO on website like page speed test, fav icon, Google analytics code, Image Tags,Social Media Links and Postings etc.
3. Always provides best rates when booking directly from official website,Google, TripAdvisor and Trivago. 10% less rates from the OTA is feasible and also appropriate.
4. Booking Engine, Payment Gateway and Rate Widget (Comparison of OTA Prices on Official Website).
5. Queries from the website should be entertained on highest priority. Check query form of website and allocate someone who can respond to them. Build a lead management process within the organization or use channel manager offline tool to trace them.

AsiaTech Inc

10 Cons How Branding Chains Disrupted Hotel Business

The following are the disadvantages of get contracted with branding chains:

1. Google Business Listing 

They change the name of Google Business Pages and make it “Branding Chain Name”  "Hotel ID”, "Location Name" not only this they replace your contact number with their customer care number.

2. Switching Business

Since they do contracting with hotel on 50% occupancy, they route the business of one property (Say Hotel X) to another if the occupancy rate of Hotel X is achieved. It becomes very convenient because they have their own number updated.

3. Average Revenue per Room

You will soon realize that you are getting a low room rates from OTA because they slash the prices up to 40%. If rooms of worth INR 2500 get booked on INR 1500 then automatically you will get business. Business is increased by decreasing the room rates.

4. Local Travel Agent Relation and Offline Business

Since the property is show cased at a very lower price in OTA so will start losing your offline business. Have you received any mailers from Travel Agent saying book “Branding Chain Name” Room Hotel X with us for best rates??

5. OTA Ranking Degradation 

Hotel A is paying 25% and Hotel B is paying you 17.5% for same category of hotel to OTA. The OTA would promote the property which is paying higher commission.

6. Offline Clients

This is the pure business of the hotel and here also hotel needs to pay a commission to these chains.

7. Partnership

Hoteliers are already associated with OTA and have a fair offline business. Hotelier need to pay commission on the amount which they are already earning.

The above points indicates the revenue loss and moving up to branding loss these are some points

8. Brand Name 

The guest ultimately knows the name of branding chains not your hotel. If he wants to rebook your hotel he will call those chains not you. If your property is not listed with them at that point there caller are smart enough to mold your client to their new contracted property.

9. Separation Time

Once you start realizing that you need to discontinue the contract due to general issues like nonpayment of bookings, low occupancy levels, loss of business, or other reasons you would require at least 3 months time to self brand your property, changing name in portals, change of bank account, also you need to invest in SEO services to change the Google Business Name, Removal of Branding Chain Name etc.

10. Legal Contracting

Most of the hoteliers are not satisfied by these branding chains but they do not have any options. They have a legal obligation term of 1 year at least or hotelier has to pay off them with a handsome amount.