Considering that 67% of travellers are more likely to book with brands that provide relevant local information, how often should you update it to to stay fresh and accurate?
Providing local area content helps sell your destination and ensures that a potential guest doesn’t have to leave your site during the planning stage to possibly never return. However, anybody that has had to produce this type of content knows that it goes out of date almost as soon as it goes live.
Your destination is a living, breathing entity. It shifts with the seasons and upcoming events and evolves as local businesses come and go. Those static, one-size-fits-all neighbourhood guides added to your website when it was built? They may be doing more harm than good.
Our analysis of local guides on hotel websites consistently finds challenges like:
- Broken links leading to 404 errors (11%)
- Incorrect or missing opening hours (72%)
- Showcasing closed businesses (3%)
There is no silver bullet to getting this right, instead, focus on adaptability and getting these funadmentals right.
Factoring in the impact of seasonality
This isn’t as simple as highlighting "beach in summer, cosy pubs in winter." Think about the nuances of each season. Spring might mean street food stalls opening, while winter could bring Christmas Markets. Individual restaurant offerings often differ between the seasons, with patios and roof-top bars, or roaring fireplaces.
Consider how the atmosphere of your destination also changes. Does the local park host outdoor concerts in the summer? Do people congregate in specific areas that are desolate and not worth visiting in the winter? These seasonal shifts create unique experiences. Weather is also a fundamental factor in most guests' travel planning. The recommendations you give should take into account weather and time of day, along with seasonality.
Keeping a local pulse
While major attractions are important, the majority of guests now crave authentic experiences. This is particularly true of younger travellers. Guests want to explore the hidden gems, the local hangouts, and the off-the-beaten-path spots. If staff are young and not local, they may not be aware of all the hidden gems your destination offers, so it may be necessary to crawl local blogs, social media accounts, and community forums to stay in tune with local happenings.
Local options should cater to every single guest and factor in their individual interests and preferences. Just because someone can afford a high end hotel room, doesn’t mean they want to eat in Michelin Star restaurants every night. Having a broad range of options is important and it might surprise you if guests at your five-star hotel seeks out a local noodle bar over fine dining more often than not.
Another tactic is in building relationships and partnerships with local businesses. Chat with shop owners, restaurant staff, and event organizers. They might be able to share insider information that would otherwise take vast time to uncover.
Maintaining basic details
Possibly the biggest mistake we see being made with hotel and travel websites is inaccuracies in the fundamental details. In fairness, this is incredibly hard to stay on top of manually unless you are checking all of your past blogs and local guides at least weekly.
Details like opening hours can change seasonally or for operational reasons, and the fantastic bakery you mention in your blog may not be open during the same hours now as when you created the blog.
Double-check all contact information, hours of operation, and pricing regularly. Nothing is more frustrating than outdated information, and it could do more harm than good, despite your best intentions creating the content. Verify transportation schedules and routes. Changes can occur frequently, and guests rely on accurate information and will be frustrated if it’s wrong.
Accessibility is also key. You need to provide information about wheelchair accessibility, parking availability, and other relevant details if you are going to share information on places, experiences and events.
Solutions
Ultimately, this is all about providing the start of an incredible experience. Your hotel website’s local guides are an extension of your hospitality. Keeping them up to date shows that you care, and that you are invested in providing the best possible stay for your guest.
Content created using Obvlo’s solutions are dynamically maintained, meaning fundamental details like opening hours are verified every day while seasonal changes and new business openings are checked monthly.
By implementing Obvlo’s solution to create content and display it within your website or guest journey, you tap into evergreen content that inspires and delights your guests for years to come, without the manual effort.
