MICROS, the provider of technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, has published its 2012 eCommerce in Independent Hotels Report.
The report, which was produced by the MICROS eCommerce Services unit in the UK, provides a snapshot view of how independent hotels are using web and mobile technologies to engage with guests.
Sales not being maximised during booking
The research found that although 90% of the hotels had an online booking facility on their own websites, only 38% were offering the guest any optional extras, such as flowers or champagne, to maximise sales during the online booking process.
The other key findings include:
- 37% were responding to every TripAdvisor review of their hotel, whether positive or negative
- Only 6% allowed the guest to book a table in the hotel restaurant during online room booking
- 10% had a website that was optimised for mobile phones
- 85% had a Facebook page
- 35% responded to a question submitted to them on Twitter
- 39% did not appear on the first page of Google results for their keywords
The report evaluated independent UK hotels on 33 questions related to search engine marketing, web design, user experience, and social media.
A lot (more) can be achieved
Paul Finch, Vice President of Hotel Sales at MICROS, said:
“The findings of this research make very interesting reading. We were impressed to see so many independent hotels using social media – 85% had a Facebook page and 74% were on Twitter, although only 35% actually responded to our tweet. The fact that 37% of the hotels take the time to respond to every review on TripAdvisor was also very positive.
“However, there is still a lot that can be achieved, especially where revenue generation is concerned. 62% of the hotels weren’t offering any additional extras during the online booking process and that’s a missed opportunity.”
“At MICROS, we’ve been extending our products and services so that we can help our hotel customers to embrace eCommerce, whether it’s mobilising our property management systems or adding web design and online marketing capabilities to our service portfolio. We’re very excited about what eCommerce can do for hotel businesses and we’re working with our customers to take full advantage of what web and mobile have to offer.”
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