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With large conventions returning in the post-pandemic world, hotel revenue in Texas is booming. Although occupancy isn’t what it once was, the hospitality industry is rising up from what had been a devastating blow. The city of Austin, in particular, is home to a very strong hotel market. Despite these hotels being able to bounce back, it’s important to still consider how to appropriately market them. What is it that guests require out of their hotel experience? It goes beyond having a bed to sleep in at night. Learn how your hotel can stand out from the rest with customer-centric marketing and handmade 3D cards from Austin.
Build a website that is attractive and simple to use.
Websites are critical to businesses today. You cannot truly grow without a modern, reliable website. It offers a single space to relay all of your important information to internet users. With that said, you must ensure that you are being upfront about your amenities. But the information itself doesn’t lend a site to being convenient. If there’s too much to look at or interact with, people are going to pass up your hotel for another one in the area.
Today’s travelers are empowered to do comparative research. Yet, still, many hotel sites aren’t reaching their full web design potential. Planning a vacation is stressful enough without having to deal with a site that doesn’t clearly get them from Point A to Point B. Prospective guests don’t want to deal with additional complications. Make data-driven decisions about how to best organize your content.
You want your hotel to be easy to find online. If your hotel is located in Austin, this means focusing on Austin-related marketing keywords to attract travelers coming to the area. Other keywords should be based on what your audience is actually searching for. Include these keywords both on your site and in your advertising. Hotel-related searches are heavily monetized, so you need to rise above the rest by consistently incorporating best SEO practices. You should make sure that you are ranking well on sites like Tripadvisor, as well!
Make your unique value proposition clear.
People expect to know whether they are getting a good deal from your hotel. So, you need to obviously state your pricing and deals. If you are promoting a limited-time offer for guests to stay four nights and get the fifth night free, state it clearly. Another popular option is to provide discounts to any first-time guests. No matter the case, these should be displayed on your homepage for immediate viewing.
Now, think about who that ideal guest is going to be. Your hotel likely targets a particular type of traveler. This is going to determine what kind of marketing strategy you will need to execute. For instance, you might have extravagant rooms that serve well for guests in upper tax brackets. These could be notable businesspeople who like staying somewhere with a high-end experience. They may be frequent solo travelers on their way to national conferences. Essentially, they have different requirements than a family with young children.
But you shouldn’t solely angle your marketing towards the person. Focus on what the city of Austin has to offer. What is it that makes people come here? Are there any staples that travelers are recommended to visit? Integrate these into your marketing campaigns. Use a 3D card with an Austin icon, such as the Pennybacker Bridge.
Increase your marketing budget during peak seasons.
Going into the hospitality industry, you might believe that peak travel season automatically means more business. However, that isn’t necessarily the case. You are going to be competing not just with other hotels in your area, but also companies like Airbnb. Your job is to convince travelers to stay with you instead of the venue down the street. This may mean feeding into the priorly mentioned heavy monetization of hotel searches.
Keep increasing and evolving what you have to offer. Give guests a deal that they simply cannot refuse. This deal should be based on the data that you accumulated from previous peak seasons. That is what is going to help you plan ahead and budget your ad spend. Make sure that you are constantly updating your website, too. It needs to be full of fresh, relevant, and interesting content that caters to your client base.
Typically, peak seasons are during the summer. That is when kids and teachers are free from school, giving them more mobility to go on vacation. Keep in mind, though, that even during the off-peak seasons of the fall and winter, you should reach out to VIP guests. Send them 3D holiday cards to entice them on deals for Christmas holiday stays and to remind them to stay with you when the summer rolls back around.
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Don’t neglect the importance of remarketing.
Keep your hotel at the top of your audience’s mind. This can be a challenge considering the hotel bookings experience such a high abandonment rate. As you know, there are so many options to choose from, especially in a city like Austin. With remarketing, you are able to connect with prospective guests who have interacted with you previously. It’s your time to persuade them to take a specific action on your site or social media. Get your latest deals right in front of them. This may be the push that they need.
It isn’t difficult to set up remarketing campaigns. In fact, you can execute your hotel’s remarketing campaign through Facebook. It’s a great platform for promoting property-specific benefits and features. You can create enticing ads that directly target past visitors. Don’t miss out on securing those conversions because they weren’t impressed by your visual content.
Your previous guests should be able to help you with your marketing efforts, too. When they leave glowing reviews online, others are going to notice. It will make them feel more inclined to stay at your hotel.
Ensure guests feel valued every step of the way.
At the end of the day, it may not matter that you have the best prices. Your team needs to provide the best service, as well. Instill a customer-first mentality into the entire staff. You want customers to return when they have a vacation in the future. And you want them to recommend your hotel not only to internet users, but also to their friends, families, and colleagues. When you give them excellent service and show how much you value your guests, they are going to pay it forward. Remember, if people become repeat customers—meaning their buying value goes up—the cost of customer acquisition is much more attractive.
Guests should be able to express that you went above and beyond for them. They need to have a home away from home, and receive wonderful customer service whenever needed. Part of this is going to be anticipating what they may need. For example, say that you have a group of guests who are in a big wedding party. You can have the rooms stocked with pre-wedding essentials. Another example is that there may be a conference being held nearby. Have enough transportation arranged beforehand to maintain the flow of event attendees.
Deliver 3D cards from Austin to your VIP guests. This gives you the chance to establish contact with them following their stay in an interesting way. In the card, alongside a message that shares your gratitude for their business, you can remind them about your loyalty program. Give special rewards when they direct book with you again.
Examples of 3D cards for Austin hotels
One thing that Awesome 3D Cards is known for is our work with realistic architecture. We have the ability to construct anything from the Taj Mahal to the Neill-Cochran House Museum through the art of kirigami. Want to transform your hotel into a popup? We can do that, too! Here are three Austin hotels that have great 3D cards to base your own design concept on.
Four Seasons Popup Design
Despite your hotel being the focus of your marketing materials, you don’t have to solely display an accurate representation of your building. Show off the property surrounding your hotel in your 3D card from Austin, just like the Four Seasons did. Behind the collapsible hotel in this card are the grass, trees, and body of water. This adds a special pop to the otherwise neutrally-colored card. Something else to note is that this Four Seasons is in close proximity to the famous Congress Avenue Bridge, aka the Austin Bat Bridge. For this reason, a group of bats is illustrated in the corner of the backdrop. It symbolizes the ability to view the Mexican free-tail bats that can be seen arriving in early March and leaving in late October.
3D AC Hotel Model
Are you going to be opening up a new hotel soon? Consider highlighting what it will look like in a 3D card from Austin! This display of the AC Hotel by Marriott is sleek and modern. Its black and white coloring plays well with the silver of the backdrop. It also works with the dark blue of the cover, which bleeds over to the edges of the interior. The text on the inside is similarly written in that blue. It clearly showcases the address of the newly-launched hotel for easy access, which is perfect considering the card acted as an announcement to the investor community. Another memorable feature of the card is the text on the cover. Antonio Catalan is quoted to say, “Hotels have the opportunity to be something better than a home.” That is precisely what AC Hotels hopes to offer its guests.
Popup La Quinta Card
La Quinta Inn & Suites in Lakeway made a 3D popup card with an eye-catching wooden exterior and bright green interior. Upon receiving the card, you may not realize that it’s from the hotel. Instead of starting with its name, the La Quinta team used a quote by Walt Whitman. It reads, “Keep your face toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.” This quote encourages hotel guests to keep an optimistic frame of mind. In the same manner, by staying at the La Quinta, those guests will be met with a staff that seeks to provide positive experiences. On the inside of the card, you will see the hotel’s name twice—both on the side of the building and pasted on the paper.
Delight, impress, and surprise your hotel guests with the use of 3D cards in your Austin business strategy. By being more creative with your marketing efforts, they are sure to remember their stay with you in the long run. To achieve this greater sense of satisfaction, work with Awesome 3D Cards, another Austin-based business. Keep things local. Get in touch with our team to discuss your needs for customized cards.