We often see occasions when hotels can sell more online, without any expensive technology, or dancing round the maypole at midnight, but the simple application of a little 'love'.

One of our customers really needed to grow their online sales, and in March, after years of leaving the management of their different Online Travel Agents to 3rd parties, decided to have a good look at just one of these channels, namely Booking.com. This channel had delivered just a couple of a hundred euros in April 2009.

• The first things they did was send to Booking.com their latest improved photography (you will be amazed at how things have improved digitally over the last 4 years), and updated their text to include some of the new facilities and products they are now offering with local attractions providers.
• Secondly they increased the room types from a Double/Twin to the standard 5 (Single/Double/Twin/Treble and Family).
• Next they contacted the OTA representative and asked what else could be done. This yielded a suggestion to load the currently popular 'Advance Purchase' product;
• Then they took back control of the inventory updating, and used a Channel Manager linked into their own website booking engine.
• Finally they put in place a proper 'Demand Management Strategy', ie When the hotel is less than 25% full reduce the price by 30% etc, etc.

All in all this has resulted in the property improving its bookings by 2000%.

None of the above involved any rocket science, just the simple application of 'a little love'.

This is a vaguely amusing story, but we see all too often hotels have an opportunity to grow their online business with some simple attention to detail. If you would like us to review your Inventory Distribution Strategy please contact us.