Among the many challenges that hoteliers face, being able to quickly amend content on their direct channels ranks high on the list.

By definition, the mission of a hotel is to host visitors and make sure they get the best out of their stay, so those same visitors continue to return. Hoteliers are first and foremost experience merchants.

As such, operating a website does not usually fall within the specifications of the key operational departments of a hotel. In most cases, hoteliers delegate management of their digital infrastructure to an external company with legitimate experience in the field.

However, at that moment, hoteliers choose to sacrifice their digital identity on the altar of practicality! And that sacrifice has consequences. Lack of responsiveness, long wait times and, worst of all, an inability to collect and learn from visitor data.

That's when a tool like Message Porter comes in handy.

Case studies: Turning insight into revenue

The wonderful thing about Message Porter is the way it allows you to modify the content of your website and booking engine in an instant - perhaps just minutes after you step out of your Marketing & Revenue meeting!

As a Direct Booking Coach, my job is to help our partners boost their conversion rate. The best way to do that? Use a tool that allows you to send the right message to the right person at the right time. Read on to hear about some of my favorite applications of Message Porter.

A few weeks ago, I was working with a hotel group to boost their booking engine performance. Due to the location of the properties - Mauritius island - their clientele was almost exclusively leisure-oriented. After analyzing their year-to-date data on the Triptease Insights dashboard, I found out that for the same season last year, stays booked 22-29 days in advance were popular with European visitors. However, despite a high number of searches, conversion rates were low.

In order to convince these interested but hesitant visitors, we created a full-screen exit intent campaign highlighting exclusive benefits that could not be found on the hotel's OTA listings: unlimited use of a jetski(!); complimentary 1-hour massage; exotic cocktails upon arrival. After two months, the campaign was showing a conversion uplift of 12% for that specific audience segment.

Another effective application of Message Porter is Nudge Messaging. Unlike exit intent campaigns, Nudges fire synchronously with the loading of a page. The best way to highlight your promotions and benefits is to identify on Google Analytics your most-visited URL, then simply set up a Nudge on that page. For example, Nudges are a perfect way to bring your F&B promotions to the attention of local visitors. Why not promote your 'Afternoon Tea' on the Restaurant page of your website? You'll expose a local audience to new ways of spending time at your hotel.

In another example, I worked with an English hotel group which enjoyed an excellent booking engine conversion rate for domestic tourism. However, despite a large number of website visits, overseas visitors were converting at a significantly lower rate. We decided to create a targeted campaign for visitors from the United States and Canada, offering a late check-out and upgrades upon availability. A month after launching the campaign, the conversion rate of these two audiences had increased respectively from 1.1% to 1.8% and from 0.8% to 1.5%.

There's so much you could be doing to optimize your website - the data is sitting there ready to be used. Get in touch with your Coach or reach out to us today for tailored advice and creative inspiration!

Stéphane Matute is a hospitality passionate and Direct Booking Coach at Triptease.