How to outsmart competition in post-Covid hotel market?

The sad reality of Covid is that it is spreading quickly and will continue to spread for a while. All the more, not even WHO (World Health Organisation) knows how many people will be infected (or will pass away), or when this will come to an end.

Clearly, the impact of Covid on the travel, and eventually, the hotel industry is as deadly as the virus. Air travel, transportation, and borders are shut. Bookings have been cancelled, people are continuously asking for a refund and there are no new bookings currently. Also, the world's most crowded destinations are now seen as empty. As most of them have postponed their travel plans or are not even thinking about going anywhere for now.

And, the peak seasons have turned out to be the weak ones as the world is under home quarantine. Hence, by the time this pandemic recedes; you should be well prepared to have your business back on track. Presently, while you are in home quarantine, it is the best time for you to plan, strategize and prepare yourself for a post Covid-19 era.

Well, at the beginning of this year, you might have worked on your peak and weak seasons. It is now time to use your weak season strategies. You must have already been listed on many Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). But there's no harm in getting listed on a few more if they match your property type and get you bookings at a good cost. Your reviews and ratings would take a centre stage more than ever before post Covid.

So, make sure you closely monitor how your brand is being projected and perceived by existing guests as well as potential guests. Working on your reputation most definitely helps with long term benefits. So, even if you haven't started with it until now, it is not late to do so.

Do keep an eye on updates from OTAs when travelling resumes – they may push out new rules and protocols for promotions or bookings and you'd be able to get a clear idea on what steps to take.

Meta search engines help travellers compare hotel room rates on different OTAs; and make a purchasing decision. This is not going to change after Covid-19. Getting enrolled on meta-search engines will help to drive you more direct bookings, expand your reach and enhance your revenue. Below are some popular meta-search engines you can enroll into: TripAdvisor, Google Hotel Ads and Trivago.

Email marketing has proved to be one of the best ways to engage and nurture readers. Currently, you can reach out to your past guests via emails and stay connected with them. And, post the crisis, you can focus on emails like your hotel reopening date, special offers, deals, promotions and more.

Adopting a systematic pricing strategy is the key to get your hotel business on track. So, at present understand and focus on your guests' conditions. A proper and fool-proof cancellation policy is a must before rolling out your availability on your website as well as other channels. This is going to be an important factor to get bookings after this outbreak.

Social media is the best way to get more bookings, improve brand value as well as connect and attract more guests. More than 60 per cent of internet users research online before they make a booking or purchase travel plans. So, it is important for you to be socially active and regularly post about your offers, combo packages, and deals on all your social media profiles. While staying at home during this lockdown, your hotel website and SEO is one thing you can start working on. An optimized hotel website can improve your hotels' ranking and visibility on Google, Yahoo, and other search engines.

Now and even after the Covid-19 era, your staff is the ultimate point of contact for your guests. Thus, it is very essential for you to make them aware and train them for delivering excellent guest experience. During or post this outbreak, the first and foremost priority of your guests would be proper hygiene, sanitation, and cleanliness.

For this, do educate your staff about the preventive measures that they should take on your hotel premises. Moreover, sanitize your hotel thoroughly. Install the alcohol-based disinfectant hand rub dispensers at maximum areas of your property.

Travel agents are a source of extra income when bookings from OTAs, meta-search engines and other such likes don't work out well. Getting connected with them will not only help in showcasing your presence to your guests' but will also reap you more reservations. The time is now to fight the deadly virus that has affected the world mainly due to international travel and community transmission.