For proprietors of small hotels, competing with larger brands to entice international guests, particularly the burgeoning market of Chinese travelers, is a perennial challenge. Here are some strategies to broaden your international appeal, with a focus on attracting Chinese guests to your boutique establishment.
Where to Begin:
To access the international market, consider:
- Forge Partnerships:
- Establish alliances with tour operators and travel agencies catering to international clientele.
- Utilize platforms like LinkedIn to connect with travel groups and associations, where industry professionals gather.
- Engage with trade associations to stay informed about opportunities for collaboration and supplier needs in new destinations.
- Leverage Online Presence:
- List your property on local Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and integrate with platforms like TripAdvisor, a trusted resource for travel agents.
- Understand the preferences of potential partners and tailor your outreach accordingly, demonstrating how your unique offering aligns with their clientele’s needs.
Enhance Your Web Presence:
Ensure your website is optimized by:
- Highlighting your unique selling points, such as location, history, or distinctive features that appeal to international travelers.
- Showcasing high-quality images and testimonials to build credibility and trust with potential guests.
Maximize Distribution Channels:
Expand your reach by:
- Distributing your inventory across multiple OTAs to mitigate reliance on a single platform.
- Utilizing a modern online reservation system like Little Hotelier, which streamlines inventory management across various channels while minimizing the risk of double bookings.
Attracting Chinese Travelers:
Capture the attention of this coveted demographic by:
- Incorporating traditional and digital channels into your distribution strategy, including popular platforms like TripAdvisor and Airbnb.
- Increasing visibility in Chinese travel guides, both online and offline, to ensure your property is included in their research.
- Partnering with Chinese OTAs such as Ctrip, the dominant player in China’s OTA market, and others like Zanado and eLong.
- Tailoring your offerings to cater to Chinese preferences, such as providing Chinese-speaking staff, TV programs, and menus.
- Capitalizing on opportunities to upsell services like shopping tours and language assistance, catering to the penchant for luxury shopping among Chinese travelers abroad.
Tools like PMS (Property Management System) and CM (Channel Manager) only assist lodging establishments in operating more simply, saving time, and being more efficient compared to not using them. However, that is not the root of growth or the challenges faced in the accommodation business. If you want to effectively manage OTA channels and create stable growth, you should have a clear understanding of how OTA platforms operate, such as their nature, operational models, and how they display, calculate displayed prices, and collect prices (after deducting commissions). Of course, larger hotels that want to approach it systematically will do it synchronously from the beginning, but smaller lodging establishments wanting to reduce operational costs should overlook it and focus on optimizing display and providing outstanding customer care.
Synthesized by: OTA Lyst
