This week I was fortunate enough to host a talk on the Innovation Stage at IHS, and was so happy to see so many people sign up and engage with what we had to share. In case you missed it, some of our stats showed just how much the B&B and independent hotel industry is booming. In fact, there are over 25,000 B&B’s and independent hotels in the UK, with some 3.6 million room nights per year. This is huge! Together, you are bigger than IHG, Hilton and Marriot combined.
And looking at eviivo’s 6,000 customers over the past 12 months, we can see that their businesses have grown by an incredible 18% with average daily rate up by 10%, and online bookings by 26%.
And we know that your customers love you! Did you know that the average TripAdvisor score for properties with less than 25 rooms is 4.5/5 which is actually 11% higher than the larger hotel chains? And it’s because you always go the extra mile! So we know that you’re offering something special and unique and your attention to detail is second-to-none! Whether it’s getting the perfect sausages for the fried breakfast or the most comfortable pillows for the bedroom, it is these details that make all the difference and put you ahead of the game.
But, this level of attention-to-detail needs to be applied online. Right now we can see that independent hotels and B&B’s have an incredible product, but the packaging of that product online needs to show the same fine attention to detail you show in getting a room ready for a guest. From the below stats we can see just how much every detail matters:
And it’s your photography that matters more than anything else! We analysed over 2,000 properties and found that properties with the below photography criteria saw an increase in online bookings by the following amount:
- Those with professional quality photos had an increase of 26% in online bookings
- Those with pictures of all their bathrooms had an increase of 27% in online bookings
- Those with more than 7 photos had an increase of 12% in online bookings
- Those with all of the above saw an increase of 82% in online bookings
And what do your guests think? Well, a survey we conducted last year showed that potential guests are willing to pay £28 more for a well photographed room and one in three believe that poor photos means poor service!
We know that people already love staying with you and love what the independent industry offers, and we can already see the progress that eviivo customers are making, so now you need to pay attention to the details online, just like you do offline, to drive more bookings in 2017.
And if you’re not with eviivo yet, click here to find out more about how we can help you to sell your rooms and tell your story online. Or sign up for a FREE web demonstration or 30-day trial here.