When your hotel brand is regional compared to the larger global “mega” hotel chains, it can feel harder to compete. It seems that large chains can do so much more with the extensive resources in sales and marketing they have.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to successfully compete. Remember, having “more” isn’t always better. Here are a few things to consider as you strategize to be a top hotel brand in your market by combining what works for everyone with what will work for only you.
Play to your strengths
As a regional hotel brand, you have the ability to build a real business personality that is more memorable than the cookie-cutter brands who have to cater to every demographic. Instead, you can play up your strengths in the goods and services that you offer and create a standout experience that finds a happy medium between niche and generic.
Emphasize your specialities in your marketing so potential guests know you’re more than the standard hotel experience, and focus on following through on that experience once they book with you. Consumers like a brand that offers them something a little extra special that they’ll remember and keeps them coming back. They like having “their” brand that’s a little different from the rest and inspires their loyalty.
Utilize social media
As a regional hotel brand, you can really personalize your social media posts by crafting content pertinent to your brand as well as your location. Mega hotels struggle to infuse this kind of personalization into their branding since they operate in such varied markets. You, on the other hand, can really capitalize on the specific character of your region and combine it with your brand to build unique hotel marketing social media campaigns.
Social media is a great venue to give your brand more visibility and engage with potential guests. By posting compelling content on social media or buying ads, you capture customers’ attention. You have the opportunity to let them know who you are and to share your business’s story. All of this gives your brand value, keeping you fresh in people’s minds when they need a hotel.
Partner with other tourism brands
This is an ideal way for regional hotel brands to offer something special that the mega chains won’t have. When guests come to stay in your hotels, they’re not coming for the hotel. They’re coming to do activities in the area and need a place to sleep at night. By strategically partnering with other travel businesses, attractions, restaurants, DMO’s and services that cater to tourists in your region, you can become part of and contribute to a more immersive experience. Strategic partnerships are one of Connect Worldwide’s specialties for this reason.
You can get creative with how you work with partners in your market. Build all-inclusive travel packages that include passes and coupons for entertainment and dining when guests book with you. Stock local products in your hotels while partners offer discounts to their services and attractions for your guests. With this kind of symbiotic relationship, you can contribute to the tourism economy of your region and build your own brand and loyal customer base at the same time.
Deploy a sales team in your key source markets
There’s no doubt the global mega hotels have a big chunk of the hospitality industry, but they can’t accommodate all of the more than a billion tourists who will travel internationally this year. You can partner with CWW to set up your dedicated salesperson or sales team in core source markets. This will allow you to compete head to head with major hotel brands with a specific message and strategy for your regional hotel brand. If your strategy is tour operator sales, meetings and incentive sales or simply corporate sales, you can improve market share with a tailored sales and marketing plan in these important source markets.
Interested in learning more about our hotel sales representation? Contact Connect Worldwide to schedule a free consultation today.
