Hotel Opening during Covid - 19 Case Study
Hotel Opening during Covid - 19 Case Study
Our client is a newly opened, independent 4-star hotel with a fine dining restaurant, wellness & pool, and a nutritionist center.
The new hotel opened in February 2020 but was closed in March due to the Covid - 19. The hotel reopened in May so this not a typical hotel post-Covid re-opening because it is a completely new hotel with no previous brand awareness.
The new hotel opened in February 2020 but was closed in March due to the Covid - 19. The hotel reopened in May so this not a typical hotel post-Covid re-opening because it is a completely new hotel with no previous brand awareness.
The Project
The project was fun and challenging because the hotel opened at the start of the COVID19 crisis. It was a bad time, especially with travel and gathering restrictions. A time when a lot of hotels closed down. This was different.
If we can help get guests to a newly opened hotel during the pandemic, then we can achieve almost anything!
The Approach
The first step was to learn what makes the hotel unique, what is their story, what they offer, what are the brand guidelines, and communication guidelines, and what makes this hotel stand out from the rest.
The second thing to do was to learn and research the destination, competition, and target customers.
The hotel has a unique theme, philosophy, lifestyle, and offers. The destination was a traditional well-known destination visited by a majority of domestic tourists.
Our vision was clear: to represent the hotel in the best possible way online to new and existing tourists and with the use of storytelling give them the idea for their next holiday. To disrupt the traditional hospitality service with the unique, new hotel in the area.
The Process
1. Hospitality consultancy;
2. Social Media Management;
3. Influencer marketing;
4. Facebook Advertising;
5. PPC, SEO, and Website User Experience Consulting.
We started by upgrading the website (see below) to increase conversions and present the hotel the way it deserves.
Social media is a big focus for us as it's the most engaging channel. Storytelling is very important for us and hotels in 2022.
SEO and PPC are great sources of qualified people. People who are actively looking for hotels on Google. While PPC gives instant traffic, SEO is more focused on long-term rankings.
Hotel Website Consulting
The hotel needed to upgrade its website to represent its branding and services better. A more conversion and mobile-first approach were needed since we were getting a lot of visitors on mobile. We used Google Analytics data and visitor tracking to make design recommendations.
As a result, the site is much more conversion-focused and has more content that follows the hotel's brand guidelines. The content is descriptive and informative for guests. This is an ongoing process of website, content, and user experience improvement.
SEO RESULTS
Here is a screenshot of some of the top keywords movement after 6 months. There is a Volume (monthly search volume for that keyword in Ireland on the right).
We were actually surprised by how good the results were. The hotel is booked up on the weekends during August.
Growth in hotel brand searches this year:
Here you can see the hotel visitor growth online:source: Google my business insights
Greenline - website visits;
Yellow line - requested directions to the hotel;
Blue line - phone calls.
Yellow line - requested directions to the hotel;
Blue line - phone calls.
SOCIAL MEDIA RESULTS
We started by highlighting the most important features that the hotel has. What stands out here is that one of the most extensive Wellness centers, with large rooms, and suites, all the rooms have balconies and the hotel is the only Slow living hotel in the region.
1. We created a Social Media Strategy based on these traits;
2. We were collaborating with Influencers in the region to gain more brand awareness. Each influencer was chosen with a specific target audience in mind.
3. We were running Facebook campaigns, installed Pixel, created custom, and saved audiences based on specific interests and behaviors.
ONGOING WORK
We are happy to update this case study with the fact that we have been working with the hotel for 2 full years now. We implemented a lot of new strategies and services:
1. Email marketing;
2. LinkedIn marketing;
3. We are focusing more on reels and video marketing. We are working with photographers and videographer on a monthly basis where we create a brief on what needs to be created based on the strategy we established at the beginning of every quarter.
4. We are focusing on Book Direct and we are working with the hotel on their pricing strategies.
5. Blogs - we are writing blogs to increase Brand Awareness and to create a connection with our audience.
"If it weren’t for Honest Marketing, we’d have a huge problem on our hands. Their social media activity has definitely increased our brand awareness. People are talking about us more, and we’re seeing higher bookings.
On top of that, they’ve been able to communicate our hotel’s offerings well. We have a very specific concept that not a lot of hotels in Serbia do, so it was important for us to convey that idea accurately to the public so that people could connect with our story. "
Contact us for an online meeting
Send us your website link or business name and what you want to achieve. We will take a look and come back to you. 🙂