6 Habits of Hotels with good Direct Booking Business

You cant move in the hotel without seeing their website address.
Its everywhere, on the signs outside, on the reception desk, in the lifts and the rooms, even in the toilets. On the Signin Forms, Key Cards, Invoices and Menus. This property wants you to remember the website and book direct next time!

They check and make sure they are offering best value direct through their own website.
Many hotels think they do and are shocked when the make a test booking on an OTA and find out that they are signed up to some special discount scheme lost in the mists of time!

They have incentives to book direct on their website.
Late Checkouts, Early Checkins, Free Wifi, Free Parking even Free Breakfast can be a cost effective way to get people to book direct on the website instead of the OTA's

They restrict the amount of inventory they give to the OTA's.
Why give away all the gold? Do you really need to open up availability on weekends this summer?

They have their own Google Adwords Campaign running.
Its simple, customers search for hotels online. If the hotel doesnt have their own Adwords Campaign then their business will be syphoned off by other Adwords from other parties ie the OTA's.

THEY DO THEIR OWN MARKETING.
Yep this 'old chestnut' often repeated by GuestDiary.  If you want to sell something guess what? You have to do Sales and Marketing!