Increasing your visibility on the GDS – Part 1
If you’re like everyone else out there at the moment you may be looking at increasing reservations so your’e looking for new ways to maximise exposure. Being an ex travel agent I understand only to well how difficult it is to make yourself stand out amongst other hotels in the surrounding area on the GDS system as it does not offer a lot in the way of stand out presentation. I thought I might spend the next few blogs giving you a little insight into the minds of travel agents and how they perceive your hotel on their screen. Scary I know….but useful.
Using their GDS system is the absolute easiest, most time efficient way for an agent to make a booking. Most wholesalers nowadays spend a lot of time and money on beautiful brochures and online booking systems but in most cases their systems are really hard to navigate through and because they are all different agents need to remember to many different entries. The GDS is easy and if hotels use it properly, it gives them all the information they need in which to make a booking.
This brings me to my first point…..make sure your information is up to date. Your system provider should be able to send you through a report which details exactly what information an agent sees in relation to your hotel. To be brutally honest in many cases if an agent has to ask a question they won’t, they will move onto the next hotel that gives them the answer on the screen. Here is a list of important information agents and guests will ask questions relating to before booking a hotel.
- Property description, facilities, services and room amenities.
- Cancelation, refund and no show policies.
- Payment types accepted.
- Directions to your hotel from major airports, train station and bus terminals.
- Local area attractions and facilities.
- Offer agents commission 10% is the general rule.
Try to keep these in mind when you next perform a property information audit.
