Crianlarich Hotel Chooses Bookassist

Bookassist are delighted to announce that The Crianlarich Hotel in Perthshire(but more accurately at the branch of the A85 to The Trossachs and the A82 north to the West Highlands) have started using Bookassist Online Reservations ahead of Christmas.

The 36 bedroomed three star hotel approached Bookassist less than a fortnight ago and in that time have been convinced not only of Bookassist's approach to online reservation but the support given to them by supportive account management.

It's no longer enough to just add a booking engine into a hotel website and watch the reservations come in; the booking engine must be part of a strategy that combines content with design and search and then conversion will come.

Sue McCulloch, Bookassist Account Manager for the Highlands, explained. Since the first approach from the hotel we have explained exactly what Bookassist can do for them from control of their rooms, rates and availability through to an understanding of how our code embedded into Google Analytics will help them understand how their conversion rate is improving. We've liaised in the past few days with Pole Position and Aviemore Business Solutions - the hotel's web designers and SEO teams - to ensure that the booking process is full embedded into their website with no linking out or diminishing of their branded and designs and just as importantly is found."

"At Bookassist we see booking engines being embedded in to sites which then link out of the site immediately thereby reducing conversion and even losing the booking to local competition. We explain to all our hotel partners that the Bookassist strategy is to drive increased levels of Direct Sales from their own website and reduce the dependence - and cost - of third party websites. We have no interest in driving traffic through high commission travel sites"

The Crianlarich Hotel joins a growing list of satisfied hoteliers across the length and breadth of Scotland who recognise that Bookassist provides a cost effective solution to growing their direct room sales on-line.

Ian McCaig who heads up the Scottish operation from Ayrshire welcomed The Crianlarich Hotel onboard, "One of the first properties we signed up for Bookassist in Scotland was The Drovers Inn which is just down the road and it has proved to be one of the most successful converters of business in the country. We look forward to working with the team at The Crianlarich Hotel to build their on-line sales in a similar way.

For more information on how your business may benefit from utilising Bookassist visit www.bookassist.org/sco or contact 01292 521404

Another Article on Why You need to Focus on Direct Sales

Sometimes when you're publishing articles on online marketing fro the hospitality industry generally and online reservations specifically, the articales can sometimes be seen as lacking independance through vested interests. Our view has always been that the arguments for focussing on improving any hotel's direct distribution is not only important but critical and cannot be argued against in any circumstances.

In saying that however when a third party comes in and supports the argument so strongly (even if it is using US statistics) we don't ignore that reinforcement.

An article from HotelsMag.com does just that emphasising in a series of strong arguments and financial case studies just why the independant hotelier should be concentrating and investing in their own online distribution channels

The article is clear and totally unambiguous. Dependance on OTA's must be reduced and quickly.

So the next time you're doorstepped by an online marketing distributor ask them how they view the balance between direct and indirect online business.

Ask them where the online business will be coming from and what the cost of that business is really going to be. And make sure you understand fully what it is that they are going to do in partnership with you to develop your own website sales.

Are they more interested in sales through their own channels? Is the booking page going to link out of your own website?  Does the landing page look like it belongs to another website? If so do you think your customers are going to close the new window down? Worse does it offer availability to your competitors if you don't have any availability for the dates shown?

You know if the answer to anyone of these questions was yes you should start asking questions. If the answer to them all is yes then you really have to question your online marketing strategy.

The article may make you think twice about your approach. If you need some advice on turning your online marketing and distrobution around drop us an email.