Hoteliers rate website redesigns as best for return on investment 

Friday, November 26th 2010 by Kate Billinghurst

A focus on return on investment-driven hotel website redesigning and multi-channel marketing has led to significant gains in online hotel revenues, according to a landmark survey from Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS).

It was revealed in the 2010 HeBS Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices that website maintenance and redesign, alongside Web 2.0 initiatives, would be the two strongest revenue-generating initiatives this year.

Search engine optimisation providers are also being held in high regard and are particularly popular among hoteliers, while social media made significant gains over 2009 results in the same category.

When asked which internet marketing formats were believed to produce the best results and the highest returns on investment, hotels believed that website maintenance and redesign was the biggest development in the year, as popularity among respondents jumped from 56.3 per cent last year to 61.7 per cent in 2010. Search engine optimisation remained popular with 58.3 per cent of experts, while website optimisation remained strong at 70 per cent.

Max Starkov, the chief e-business strategist at HeBS, said: "In the most recent HeBS Benchmark Survey, results showed that hoteliers believed website design and Web 2.0 initiatives produced the best results and highest returns. HeBS is in full agreement and designs and conceptualises every website and multichannel marketing campaign with this in mind."

He added that the principle needs of clients centralise around driving up the number of hotel bookings in the most cost-efficient way, so long as it passes directly through the online channel. HeBS was quick to note that investments in this direct online channel "pay off handsomely".

One organisation to benefit from a full website redesign this month is that belonging to Middlesex University. The institution joined forces with SDL Web Content Management Solutions to create a cost-effective content management platform for an improved web presence, incorporating 34,000 local and overseas students while maintaining a consistent and clear brand.

Living Streams "Improving clients' profitability through better use of the internet".