Online bookings have become the norm for hotel stays. That’s why good hotel booking websites are more important than ever. There are many competitors and little time to leave a lasting impression on guests.
While the industry average is 2.2%, the best hotel booking sites boast as high as 5.6% conversion rates. And consider this: a 1% increase in conversion can result in thousands of dollars in additional revenue for your hotel.
All good hotel booking websites have certain elements in common that help them stand out from the rest. Today, we’re going to go over:
- The importance of good hotel website design
- What you need to aim to accomplish with your site
- Elements of good hotel booking websites
With that in mind, let’s start…
Why Is Hotel Website Design Important?
Your hotel website is the digital equivalent of your property. It’s an extension of your brand and needs to reflect the same high standards.
Your website is often the first point of contact between you and potential guests. It needs to influence booking behavior and help your hotel address the expectations and desires of your visitors.
Good website design will enable you to:
- Rank high in search results for location-specific keywords
- Establish your brand as an authority in your industry
- Maximize your conversion rate and online bookings
- Deliver a good ROI for your marketing efforts
That’s the only way your hotel can function at its full potential in today’s digital age.
What Your Hotel Booking Website Needs to Accomplish
Your website won’t just be judged on its good looks. It’ll also be evaluated on how well it performs. Users will expect your site to be:
1. Make the Booking Process Simple
The booking process should be the focus of your good hotel website. You want to make it as easy as possible for users to find available rooms and make a reservation.
2. Present Search Results Clearly
The search results page is where potential guests will decide whether or not to book a room at your hotel. Be sure to present the information in an easy-to-digest format.
3. Show Perks and Upgrades
Make sure to showcase any special amenities or services you offer. You can also upsell potential guests by highlighting room upgrades.
Design Elements of Good Hotel Booking Websites
Let’s take a more detailed look at some of the key elements that good hotel booking websites have in common:
1. Quality Photos, Videos, and Maps
Of course, you need to show off your property. The guests want to know what they’re getting themselves into.
Make sure to have high-quality photos and videos that accurately reflect guests’ experience at your property. Last year, visual content spending increased between 21% and 30%.
In addition to photos and videos, adding an interactive map to your site can be an excellent way to show off your location. You can also use it to help guests find their way around once they’ve arrived.
2. “On Brand” Website Design
In your guests’ journey, your website is usually the first touchpoint with your brand. It must present a consistent image that accurately reflects your hotel.
Your website design should:
- Be cohesive with your offline marketing and branding efforts
- Include your logo prominently
- Use brand colors throughout
- Display consistent messaging
- Have a clear call to action
3. Simple Navigation
The navigation on your website must be easy to understand and use. All the information should be easy to find, and the booking process should be simple. Proper navigation increases the duration of visits, chances of a sale, and user experience levels.
Your good hotel website should:
- Have a clear and concise navigation menu
- Include a search bar to help visitors find what they’re looking for
- Use drop-down menus sparingly
- Include breadcrumbs to help with navigation
4. User-Friendly Layout
Having a good flow between your pages is crucial for delivering a good user experience. While you might want to add as much information as possible, you don’t want to overwhelm your visitors.
The layout needs to be easy to scan so visitors can quickly find the necessary information. Use headlines, bullet points, and whitespace to break up your content and make it easy to read.
5. Easy-to-Find Information
You want your guests to be able to find the information they need without any hassle. That means your good hotel booking website should:
- Include a search bar on every page
- Make contact information easy to find
- Have an FAQ section
- Use clear and concise language
A solution like ChargeAutomation allows you to give your guests an area where they can access check-in instructions, reservations, and receipts.
6. Reservation Details
The aim of your website is to generate bookings. To do that, it needs to provide potential guests with all the information they need to make a reservation.
Explain the difference between room types, make sure cancellation policies are clear and provide an easy way for guests to make a reservation.
Having a central hub for all this information will make it easy for guests to find what they need and make bookings.
7. Room Prices
While you don’t want to be the cheapest hotel in town, you want to be competitive. The prices of rooms have dropped significantly in the last ten years. You need to make sure your prices are in line with the competition.
When listing room prices on your good hotel booking website, make sure to:
- Include all taxes and fees
- Be clear about what’s included in the price
- Offer discounts and promotions
8. Social Proof
Building trust with potential guests is essential. One way to do that is by using social proof. Social proof is when we see other people doing something and think that it must mean it’s good.
There are different types of social proof, but some of the most effective hotel booking websites are:
- Customer reviews and testimonials
- Ratings from third-party websites
- Awards and accolades
- Media mentions
Including customer reviews on your good hotel booking website is a great way to build trust with potential guests. You can also use ratings from TripAdvisor, Expedia, and other third-party websites.
9. Multiple Payment Options
Your good hotel booking website should offer multiple payment options to potential guests.
The most common payment options are:
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
While credit and debit cards are the most popular payment options, offering alternative methods will give your guests more choices.
10. Mobile Access
In the 2020s, mobile is practically mandatory. Nearly 80% of last-minute hotel bookings are now made on smartphones. Being user-friendly isn’t enough—you need to be mobile-friendly.
Your good hotel booking website should be responsive, automatically adjusting to different screen sizes.
ChargeAutomation’s smart guest portal is mobile-friendly, so your guests can easily access their information on the go. They can access manuals, find access codes, and purchase upgrades from their smartphone.
Good Hotel Booking Websites Work With ChargeAutomation
Your website is the face of your hotel, so it’s important to make a good impression. So you must do everything you can to ensure it’s up to par.
ChargeAutomation is the perfect solution for good hotel booking websites. We offer a smart guest portal that automates your workflows and makes it easy for guests to find the information they need.
If you’re looking for a good hotel booking website solution, look no further than ChargeAutomation. Contact us today and sign up for your account.
