After a few years of working closely with several key influencers in tourism (travel journalists, media owners, travel bloggers etc.) we have an awesome series of high page rank tourism sites, with authentic publishers who can really promote your destination better than any other form of advertising out there. You should read more about our unique content marketing service to see how we can help you. Below is a recent example of how we helped a boutique hotel owner overhaul his entire marketing strategy:
Results snapshot:
Revenue results: The client experienced a 90% Revenue increase over 16 months and reduced their client acquisition cost significantly
Strategic implications: The client now has a more diverse source of revenue with an additional luxury segment they did not serve before, skimming more revenue in quiet periods due to new activities tied in with their existing offers. Boosting year round occupancy rates really helped redefine the positioning of the hotel.
Client budget: To grow from $280K/annum to $455K/annum within 16 months, the client spent around $1000/month to hire me as a part-time consultant in their business.
Case:
When I worked in luxury tourism development, I was introduced to a client who earned reasonable income during peak seasons, however their business was vulnerable since a) the hotel did not have a strategy for off-peak, b) the revenue streams were not diversified and c) they missed out on a crucial luxury segment.
Action plan:
a) Firstly, the client agreed to let me help them with the introduction of 4 more revenue channels which they did not have before. This was a simple “digital marketing” task which I did within 7 days.
b) Next, we agreed that the client would reform only 3 rooms and allocate that at a premium of 300% more all year round, given that these rooms had superb views and the client never copied the “business class / economy class” concept used by airlines and other hotels. We then helped to list these rooms with specialist agencies that pulled in more revenue in the quiet times and peak season.
c) We added a user-generated system to the clients’ own website to improve reviews and genuine engagement with customers. This increased customer loyalty and made the client less reliant on Tripadvisors’ monopoly over their reputation. That said, we also encouraged a “split segment” of the guests to keep using Tripadvisor and Likedreviews.
d) Finally, I connected the client with more than 18 service providers (yachts, day trips etc.) which earned them an additional commission of around $9K per month (the client had to hire a new member of staff @ approximately $1.5K per month).
Key enablers:
- The client was really open to change
- The client had a low budget but good decision making process
- Working with similar situation, I was able to provide proven solutions
- Local partnerships and online platforms were used extensively
Project notes:
Helping a hotel business to turn around their operation with innovative solutions makes for a great project. This can easily be implemented with up to 15 hotels in the same area given that there are so many variables and alternatives. Simply switching segment allocation, broadening revenue streams and adding new channels can make a huge difference.
As a marketing consultant for hotels, I typically help larger hotel groups to run in-house Google PPC & remarketing campaigns whilst helping smaller hotels to alter their core strategy and positioning. I had the opportunity to do this for hotels in Barbados, Spain, Switzerland, Mauritius and Paris and really love working with this sector!
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