Personalised local recommendations drive booking conversion and guest satisfaction. But personalisation is a waste of time if the basics aren't being done.
When we review content on live hotel websites or apps we often find broken links, outdated information and references to events that have come and gone.
The local area and nearby experiences are one of the main factors considered by guests when choosing which hotel to book. Research from Google further highlights the importance, stating that travellers are more likely to book with brands that provide local information.
Sixty-seven percent of travellers are more likely to book with a travel brand that provides relevant information for the destinations they’re interested in
Showcasing the neighbourhood in its best light and personalising this information so its as relevant as possible, drives bookings and guest satisfaction.
Are you accidentally leading guests astray?
For example, we recently reviewed the website of a household-name hotel brand operating in multiple countries. Their website (launched in 2023) contains some great local neighbourhood content designed to inspire.
However, upon closer review, we found that 10% of the links given to places mentioned were broken and led to 404 error pages. Not only does this provide a bad user experience and put people off coming to the hotel, it also harms SEO and search rankings, an area that has been heavily invested in by the group.
We also found that the opening hours were wrong for several places being recommended and several venues showcased had even ceased trading.
Highlighting a fabulous local wine bar or nearby attraction could be the reason somebody books. Inaccurate information might be the reason they don't.
Similarly, if a guest is to take this local advice and shows up to the restaurant you've highlighted, they will be sorely disappointed if it's no longer there. That negative experience will be attached to their host who gave them the recommendation.
Starting with the basics
Ensuring these errors don't occur and potential guests are shown accurate information should be the baseline. Having a small amount of high-quality, researched content that is regularly checked is a good starting point.
Only then is it worth adding rich and visual content, broadening the depth of what is highlighted to cater for all types of travellers and occasions.
If you're striving for a great experience, getting the basics right has to be the start.
Creating a great guest experience with dynamic content
How do you ensure your content is up to date and relevant for all guests, all the time?
Manually creating rich and detailed content is a full-time job. For more than one destination, it becomes completely impossible.
Obvlo uses AI to learn about a destination and then produce content that is maintained and personalised for each guest. By embedding this content onto a hotel website or app with our widget, evergreen local recommendations replace static content. Implementation can even be done in under five minutes, with just two lines of code added to the page.
Relevant local information drives booking conversions and great recommendations enhance guest experience.
New technology like Obvlo makes this possible for the first time at scale.