A 2006 study from Market Metrix ranks the #1 companies for customer service in hotels - airlines and rental cars.
While #1 rated airline Jetblue's recent unfortunate press seems ironic, hotel websites are continuing to strengthen their position against travel portals by providing a seamless booking experience.
Customers are more apt to make their reservation on a user-friendly hotel site than a travel portal - says the report. A few best practices for hotel websites from personal experience.
- Keep it simple.
- Save the flashy gimmickry for other parts of the website (example blogs, podcasts and video)
- Have a blog showcasing real customer testimonials and experiences (web 2.0)
- Sell the hotel first, and the destination second (since most travelers already know where they're going)
- Check-in and checkout times, cancellation procedures, rates for additional services should be spelled out clearly
- Update the site regularly with fresh content and promotional offers.
- Have multilingual site versions (to target your strongest markets outside of US)
- Run paid search and other online advertising campaigns to drive traffic to the site
- Employ a SEO specialist who will optimize the site for enhanced natural search result performance.
- Finally, make it easy for the customer to find and hit the Book button, no matter which page of the site they are on.
Vijay is Chief Operating Officer and part-founder of Apple Core Hotels- a chain of 5 midtown Manhattan hotels offering value and comfort in the heart of the city.
Member of the board of Directors - Hotel Association of New York. www.vijaydandapani.com 
