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Definitely Doug 11/17/23: The Hotel TV Dilemma
Posted: 11/17/2023

In case you missed the memo, people no longer watch television the way that they did ten years ago. Not at home, and not at hotels. Nielsen reported that streaming services cornered 34.8% of TV screen time in July 2022, when they overtook cable for the first time.

Property management systems (PMSs) fundamentally have changed very little since the 1980s. And many hotels still use systems that were built in the eighties, nineties, or aughts. Since then, massive technology changes have occurred: the mobile revolution, cloud computing, distributed ledgers, AI-based large language models, Web 3.0, and other innovations have fundamentally changed both the technological capabilities of software, the way it is designed and built, and expectations for user experience.

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Definitely Doug 10/20/23: Gluing It All Together
Posted: 10/20/2023

Hardly a day goes by that hotels do not express frustration about the inability to tie together key data sources and technology systems. This is not a new problem; it has been around for decades. Progress has been made on many fronts to be sure, but digitalization has created new issues much faster than solutions.

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What’s the Buzz Among Today’s Hoteliers?
Posted: 10/17/2023

What’s on the minds of hoteliers? What’s keeping them up at night? And what makes travelers happy and eager to return? Some of the best places to have these candid discussions are at the industry’s conferences and events, and this year’s lineup has not disappointed. From AAHOACON and BITAC, to HITEC and The Hospitality Show, I’ve been traveling steadily, attending 13 events since January.

Technology has become an indispensable part of the guest experience. As travelers increasingly expect tech-enabled convenience, hospitality businesses must continue innovating to meet these demands. While WiFi was once the primary tech offering for hotels, today's guests want more. Integrated proptech solutions are becoming the new standard.

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5 Characteristics of Websites That Convert Visitors into Customers for 2016

12/07/2015

by Nimesh Dinubhai

Your conversation rate is simply the percentage of visitors that make a reservation through your website. You need to understand that having a large number of visitors is one thing and convincing them to make a reservation is an entirely different thing. It is not enough to focus on how to increase the number of visitors to your website, but you also need to pay serious attention to things that help convert visitors into customers.

A Conversion Rate Optimization Report by Econsultancy shows that companies that take steps to optimize their website for better conversion are twice as likely to see a substantial increase in sales.

Every online business needs to understand that they have zero to eight seconds to convince visitors to stay on their sites. The majority of visitors leave after eight seconds. Hubspot conducted a research and found that about 96 percent of people who visit your website are not ready to buy. It means you have to do something to win their trust and make them buy. Here are some of the most common signs you will find in websites that effectively convert visitors into buyers.

1. They Have Clear Navigation in Place

The design and content in your homepage navigation matters a lot and is sometimes the difference between a bounce and a website conversion. Be sure to give your visitors a clear path into your site. Make it easier for them to access other pages on your website from the homepage. You will get better results by making your navigation menu visible right at the top of the page with links organized in a hierarchical structure. Always work with information architects who know how to organize content in a way that goals of your websites are met by integrating business needs, user needs and content categorization. Navigation structure that makes it easy and intuitive for visitors to find what they have come looking for on your site will increase your conversion rate. That is what all top sites do, and you should follow suit.

2. They Clearly Mention their Unique Selling Points

In other words, websites that have a good conversion rate always make their unique value proposition clear. Visitors will leave if they cannot clearly see why they should do business with you and the benefit of it. Top websites advance their value propositions through a list of benefits. They always have their benefits focused on the user – they do not only talk about themselves. What it means is that instead of saying, "we have 99.99 percent uptime", you will be better off saying something like, "Your websites will enjoy 99.99 percent uptime".

3. They Have Effective Calls-to Action

Hubspot featured a company that experienced an increase in their conversions by 105.9 percent simply by having a clear call to action.

Calls-to-action (CTAs) are vital. Understand that psychological trickery will not lead to serious gains in conversions. You need to understand what your customers need and then give it to them using the language that resonates with them. A great example about the importance of using clear CTAs is that Mozilla experienced a clear increase in the number of people downloading their popular Firefox browser by having a strong CTA. They changed "Try Firefox 3" to "Download Now – Free". The change looks simple but it really makes a difference.

4. They Have Killer Headlines Throughout The Site

The headline has the potential to make or break a website. You have to create an impression in the first eight seconds of a visitor landing on any page of your website, and your headline will play a big role in that. Websites that have good conversion rates know what resonates most with their visitors and they use that carefully to create a great impression. It will take some testing to identify what works for your business and with your audience. Just ensure that you have a clear headline with a unique value proposition. It is even better to use a headline that compliments an image. Another good idea is to use a short, attention-grabbing headline and back it up with a sub-headline.

5. They Build Trust

They do it with trustworthy testimonials, which are usually the most important trust signals. They have testimonials from real people, including experts and celebrities. You can make these testimonials more personal by featuring pictures, names, positions and even companies. Some top websites make use of a rotating carousel of testimonials with each of them having a name, a picture, a video and a clear discussion on how the service helped them. You can also build trust by giving customers a guarantee, which helps them feel reassured while on your website. All this goes a long way in improving the likelihood of a conversion.

In addition, you can try several other techniques if you are interested in improving your conversion rate. Using product videos is a great idea, as it can increase purchases of that product by 144 percent. Some companies have implemented a "Chat Now" button to see a 31 percent increase in free sign-up form fills. Similarly, a security seal on your website, having social proof and credibility indicators, and using natural language on forms can all help. It may require some testing though.

Consider working with a professional website design expert to know what works and how to improve your conversion rate.

About The Author

Nimesh Dinubhai
President
Websrefresh

Nimesh Dinubhai completed his studies in 2003 and launched Websrefresh to help businesses grow their ROI. He also owns two Arizona hotels, one of which earned the Historical Hotel Award in 2014.