When you post your property on a channel manager, you are essentially trying to convince potential guests to stay with you. They have thousands of options in front of you, but they will only choose one. So how can you ensure that your property is almost always the one they pick? Well there is no ‘secret sauce’ method, otherwise everyone would be doing the same thing. There are, however, five things that will deter a potential guest from booking.
Poor listing content
If you’re really trying to sell to these guests, then you have to make sure your listing content is engaging! Why should a guest stay with you? Are there aspects of your property that stand-out compared to others? Write your content as if no one has ever seen your property before — that is, what special things do you have to offer and are you positioned in a prime location.
Poor images
What’s the point of having a great property if the images don’t match. If your pictures are low quality, visibly unattractive or just outdated, you’re probably going to lose a guest. Clean, high quality pictures that show off your property not only illustrate your property in a better light, but also change the way the potential guest thinks about your property. If the image is poor, the guest may think your property is too.
Outrageous pricing
If you list your property with ridiculously high prices comparative to others nearby, guests won’t book with you. Although you may think your property is worth it (and it might be), you may have to reduce the price. We recently wrote about price optimization, and how it can maximize your property’s revenue while also staying competitive.
False advertising
No one likes false advertising. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and just makes you regret whatever you’ve just done. Listing content is the same. If you’re using stock images or images from Google, chances are guests won’t book with you as they may think you’re trying to scam them. Take photos of your property, and only use stock images if it enhances your property (i.e your property is located within walking distance of landmark xyz).
Slow response times
If a potential guest is in quite a hurry to book a room or property, they are going to want fast response times. And chances are if you take too long they won’t hesitate to book with someone else. By improving your response time through software or just staying on top of it better, you are increasing your chances of getting a booking.
