Hotel websites – The ultimate welcome mat

Nowadays, almost every business has some degree of online presence and we are all accustomed to searching the Internet to find exactly what we want. For many travelers, the Internet is the first go-to place when researching possible vacation destinations and hotel options.

For this reason, hotels must have an informative, user-friendly and engaging website to entice guests. A bad website says far more than poor technological skills; it suggests hoteliers aren’t keeping up to date and don’t care about the image that the site presents.

Conversely, a streamlined and attractive site acts as the ultimate welcome mat, enticing potential guests and adding to the allure of a hotel.

Hotel websites can be laid out in many formats, and whatever option is used it’s crucial that the various visitor options available are obvious and simply advertised.

For example, a hotel might have the most informative and well laid-out pages about their rooms, but if guests can’t easily navigate to the pages, they may as well not exist. For this reason, one of the most essential things for a hotel homepage is clear and easy to use the navigation bar.

Second, having seamless navigation, are excellent photographs. The adage certainly applies – a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of a hotel, images do set the scene and sell rooms. It’s worth investing in a professional photographer to take high-quality pictures, not just of the rooms, but additional services, such as the restaurant, bar, health facilities, and lobby areas.

Also, choosing a background for an entire site is important. For this, there are many stock photos available from places such as Dreamstime.

Choosing a suitable website background must be given careful attention. Get the image right, and it can set the perfect tone for a hotel’s business. Get it wrong, and not only can it set an incorrect tone with potential guests, but it can create a bad impression.

Plain backgrounds without too much clutter are ideal, whilst using landscapes can be a good way of creating the right atmosphere. For example, a beach resort might want to use a coastal scene, whilst an inner-city hotel could use a busy street image to entice guests to the hustle and bustle of city life.

Another feature that’s especially important for innovative hotels that want to engage with their guests is social network links. In this day and age, most people are on at least one platform, whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. Highlighting clear and obvious links on a hotel homepage allows customers to get in contact, ask questions or share their experiences. This can be great positive branding for hotels, helping them to engage with guests and to create loyalty.

Modern hotels have to be online if they’re looking to attract guests and compete with some of the large hoteliers on the market. To stand out from the crowd, it’s vital to have an engaging and attractive website. And, by using clean navigation, inviting images and easy contact options, hotels can build themselves the ultimate online welcome mat.

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Credits

Written by freelance writer David.

About the author

Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast