This is a list of things to think about when you are reviewing the on-line presence of a small hotel, guest-house, bed-and-breakfast or similar.
Most businesses shouldn't try to set up everything all at once. If they try, they won't learn the skills to keep it all up to date.
A businesses on-line presence is a work in progress: it is only "finished" when the business closes. No one can or should do everything on the lists below. Just do what will contribute most to meeting their business goals short / medium / long term.
This list is a work-in-progress too - it grows / changes at on-line platforms come and go.
Most businesses shouldn't try to set up everything all at once. If they try, they won't learn the skills to keep it all up to date.
A businesses on-line presence is a work in progress: it is only "finished" when the business closes. No one can or should do everything on the lists below. Just do what will contribute most to meeting their business goals short / medium / long term.
This list is a work-in-progress too - it grows / changes at on-line platforms come and go.
Phone
- Landline
- Cellphone
- Skype
- Non-personal address (mary@myHouse.com or myHouse@gmail.com are fine, mary@gmail.com isn't)
- Regularly monitored and responses sent
Booking engine listings
- Air BnB
- Booking.com
- Hotels.com
- Tripadvisor.com
- Hostelworld.com
- Others, depending on the market - look at where the competitors are listed.
- For each one: entries set up, rates and availability regularly updated (approach varies depending on tools used), bookings accepted.
Website
- Exists
- Owner controls the website and the domain registration
- Attractive on desktop
- Works well on mobile
- One really attractive photo of the property
- Photos of the room and other facilities
- Logo or other identity graphic
- Information about the rooms and facilities: rooms, parking, Wifi, breakfast included / menu, smoking policy, pets policy, suitable for children (cots / beds), lounge or sitting room access, guests, parties, group bookings,
- Room rates displayed - comparable to booking engine prices
- Info about payment methods, cancellation policies
- How to book - Book-now button
- Uses a booking engine, not an insecure form / email
- Link to Tripadvisor listing
- Google map with exact location
- Customer testimonials / references
- No irrelevant links
- Local attractions / activities / events / restaurant / shopping information is up to date or timeless
- Multi-lingual
- Industry association links / ratings (eg Failté, 3-star)
- Inbound links from other relevant business only
- Copyright statement (not legally necessary- just to put off naive people)
- Google Analytics set up and regularly monitored
Google Maps listing
- Correct name, phone number, website and location
- Good description (includes other keywords - BnB, B'nB, hotel, guesthouse, hostel, lodge etc)
- Good photos
- Business is claimed
- (Currently no mechanism for owners to respond to negative reviews. One is likely to come.)
Tripadvisor
- Business is claimed
- Regular response to some of the customer reviews - including all negative ones
- Responses are professional - don't be a pushover, do apologise where it's due. Show that you'll put it right for future guests.
In some markets, the same may apply to Yelp or Squarespace.
Social media
For each channel do the have clear guidelines about- who may (ie is allowed) to post
- who must (ie is responsible for) post,
- what to post (eg celebrity guests / privacy, local events to highlight or not)
- when to post it
- what tools to use (eg their own feed, stories, reels, threads, local pages or communities,)
Communities to think about (arranged from older target customers to younger)
- Website / blog
- Facebook Page (not personal profile) - administrators include the owner / manager, not just staff
- LinkedIn business listing (if target guests are small / medium business people)
- Instagram account
- YouTube channel
- Snapchat
- TicTock
- Local-market specific channels
Overall
- Whose job is it to use / update each tool. What's the backup if they are sick / on holiday.
- Get and keep photo clearance for any pictures of guests that are used on-line or in print materials, or stock-photo purchase details.
- Is there a regular review of the website and what competitors are using.
