Since 2010, homestays and bed and breakfast accommodation have seen a dramatic growth due to the push by the government during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. States like Uttarakhand and Kerala introduced the Homestay scheme to provide employment opportunities to the local population especially in rural areas. While providing an income to the homestay owner, it would also enhance tourism in the area by encouraging tourists to learn about the local culture, cuisine and customs of the village or city.Â
THE IMPORTANCE OF A WEBSITE
While hotels of all sizes and categories have understood the importance of having a website presence online, many homestays in India do not have a basic website to promote their property.
The reasons for not having a website mainly include a lack of knowledge about websites as well as the cost factor. Since homestays are mostly family-run operations, keeping costs down to the minimum is understandable. The cost of even the most basic website starts at Rs. 3000 onwards. While some prefer to promote their Airbnb listing as a website, others use the free website design provided by Google Business Profile. Homestay owners are also more comfortable promoting on Social Media which requires no investment and is good for lead generation. However, if a property depends only on one channel for sales, they could be losing out on potential business through other channels. Social Media Marketing, while being cost-effective is also time consuming as you need to keep posting on various groups to ensure visibility.
It has been acknowledged by many industry experts that having a website for your property is the most important marketing strategy that a homestay or hotel can have. Having a website increases the property’s visibility on search engines and brings other benefits as well. A website also builds trust with the guest. With many people facing incidents after booking through social media, they are hesitant to trust a homestay unless they can be sure that they are dealing directly with the owner or can visit the website to contact the owner directly.Â
THE BENEFITS OF A WEBSITE
With the proliferation of hotels and homestays since 2020, it is becoming even more difficult for homestays to stand out in their markets. They are not just competing with other homestays but hotels and private villas as well. On most OTA’s, the homestays tend to get lost in the crowded listing unless they develop themselves as brands and have good guest reviews. Therefore, having a website is important to stand out and get noticed.
While listing on OTA’s does help in creating visibility and generating bookings online, the content available to a homestay is controlled by the OTA. The homestay has to follow the template provided by the OTA and cannot showcase more than rooms and dining. On the other hand, a website gives greater freedom to the homestay to freely showcase the homestay to a potential guest. In addition to promoting the rooms and F&B, the website can also highlight other aspects of the property. There is more scope to promote packages which cannot be done on OTA’s. A website also offers greater flexibility and control over content. You can decide what information you want to share with your guests and you can keep updating on a regular basis with updated photographs.
The second important benefit of having a website is that homestays have greater control over the pricing of their rooms. Since little or no commission needs to be paid, hotels can earn more through their own website than through an OTA. Homestays which are dependent on OTA's for business end up spending much more on commissions which eat into their profits. As mentioned earlier, homestays can also sell packages through their website and can include many more add-ons like free check-in/check-out or upgrades or meal discounts which they may not want to on OTA’s since they are also paying a commission to the OTA. Having a booking engine on the website ensures that guests can book directly and quickly and make a payment to the homestay immediately.
A website with a booking engine can help boost direct bookings for the homestay. Google offers Free Hotel Booking Links which can be found on the Google Business Profile listing. With this, Google showcases the homestay’s rates along with the rates listed by OTA’s. If the property has competitive rates, there are greater chances that guests will click on the homestay website link and book through the website. While homestays cannot match the discounts that are offered by OTA’s, they can upgrade guests and offer value add-ons on their website to ensure that guests book directly on the website. The website can also be used effectively to include airport transfers as well as sightseeing if the property has its own vehicles. This will add to the experience that you are providing to your guests. Guests can also be given discount vouchers for future visits or for referrals.
If a homestay has an active Facebook Page, the property can add a Book Now button/link to the Facebook page or post which would allow a guest scrolling through the Facebook page or post to click on the link and book immediately.
A website also helps in generating leads for the homestay. Many guests who visit the website may contact the property by leaving a message or sending an email through the website contact page or form. Even if the guest does not end up booking a stay, the homestay can store email id’s and contact numbers of guests who have contacted them through the website. They can then send promotional emails and SMS to these guests for future bookings!
Most websites are also able to integrate guest reviews from either TripAdvisor or Google which will enable potential guests to see feedback from guests who have already stayed at your property. This will help them in deciding whether to book your property or not. It will also deter them from visiting an OTA to check on reviews and booking through there.
With more and more visitors researching online through smartphones and tablets, it is also important to have mobile-friendly websites which ensures that it is easy to read and scroll through. It is also important to have an attractive and up-to-date website which provides accurate information to the visitor. An outdated or poorly designed website will lead to visitors leaving the site if they are not able to get the information that they need. Having a website also allows the homestay to continuously update the content and add new content and photographs to engage the visitor. The website can also include testimonials of guests who have stayed previously. This will provide objective feedback regarding the homestay and its services and allow for faster decision-making by the visitor.
Lastly, a homestay website also allows the homestay to promote not just its own services but also partner with local attractions and promote upcoming festivals and events in the area which may be of interest to a visitor. Partnerships with local retailers and restaurants are also possible and cross-selling and cross-promotions can be arranged.
CCS Hospitality Marketing is a Digital Marketing Agency which works with Homestays and boutique hotels to grow business through online and offline marketing strategies. Our website design templates can be modified and updated to cater to individual requirements. Our booking engine partnership enables homestays to get direct bookings by paying less commission than through an OTA.
Â
Â
Comments