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How to Give Your Hotel a Big Online Presence

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The hotel industry is fighting pretty hard right now for customers thanks to the success of private vacation rental companies such as AirBnb. There are some hotels around the world which are never likely to have issues because of the way in which they do things. Just last week for example I was in the impressive Bicycle Casino Hotel in California which has so much going for it from its casino and its entertainment suite that it will always have people coming through its doors. For smaller hotel owners however, the best way to fight against the new trend is to go big online and ensure that you have a solid online profile which will attract customers. If this sounds like something that you may need, here is how to go about it.

Social Media

One of the best ways in which you can market your hotel and give it a brand which people can warm to, is to be highly active on social media. At the every least you should have a profile with Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The key to using these channels is to constantly show off the cool things that are happening in your hotel, give guests sense of what they can expect if they stay in your place. You don’t have to be the bets hotel in the world, to look like the best hotel in the world and with smart social media usage you can really sell your hotel. Don’t be afraid to add a human touch to your social media account, the more that you engage with people, the more trust you can build.

Exposure

Very few people actually book hotels directly on the hotel website and the large majority of people are using sites such as booking.com and Expedia. In order therefore to boost how many customers you are getting in, you need to make sure that you are being featured on all of these websites. Be careful with this as all of these sites encourage reviews from people who have stayed at the hotel and before you put your hotel on these sites, you must ensure that you provide exceptional service and quality as a bad review can kill you.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a strategy which digital marketeers employ so that you can appear on the top pages of the search results for a certain set of keywords. And so if you have a hotel in Dallas for example, the best case scenario is that when people search on Google for ‘Dallas hotels; the idea is that your hotel features on the top pages. The reason why this is so important is because customers don’t look beyond the first page or two of the  search results and if you are’t first, you may as well not exist. Invest in SEO if you want your hotel to stand out from the crowd.

What to Expect from a Good Hotel and Casino

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Gambling is as old as time itself. Dice made from human ankle bones have been found in China, dating back to around 2500BC. The Egyptian pyramids had gambling tools inside them. Two Scandinavian Kings are said to have avoided war by placing a bet. Card games have been around for hundreds of years, traveling through the continents. And the roulette was invented in 18th century France.

Yet, for a very long time, gambling has been seen as a vice and a sin. This happened mainly when the Americas became colonized, and deeply religious people saw any enjoyable activities as temptations from the devil. Wild West saloons openly promoted poker and other gambling games, but this often had deadly consequences. People found to be cheating would be hung, and A Quick Look at Biorobotics and How it Can Help Make People’s Lives Easierpeople who weren’t happy with the outcome of their games were known to grab their pistols and start shooting. Suddenly, gambling was no longer publicly allowed. Naturally, this didn’t stop it from happening. Rather, it sent it underground.

Just as with the Prohibition, it quickly became clear that banning something didn’t make it go away. Rather, it made it more dangerous as an illegal activity. Hence, new rules were formed, when there was a greater understanding of the fact that gambling is something people simply do. America was behind this compared to the rest of the world, as the royal family of Monaco had long since legalized it, attracting some of the wealthiest people in the world. This continues to this day.

The casino hotel resorts we know today are a reasonably new development. Not long ago, only very few areas were allowed to have public gambling facilities, most notably Las Vegas, NV. Reno and Atlantic City quickly followed. After this, Indian casinos were opened, as they sit outside of the law. Today, so long as proper licensing laws are followed, hotel casino resorts are allowed in many different places, including in California.

The Bicycle Hotel Casino

The Bicycle Casino Hotel, also known as The Bike, is found in Southern California. The owners have thought of every detail, setting the establishment up as a role model for many others. They have thought of every detail, ensuring that their guests, whether they are using the casino or not, are comfortable and have every convenience they could image. The rooms are luxurious, valet parking is included as standard, and there is even a shoe shining service on site. And within the casino, people can enjoy chair massages as they play, and even head on outside into Freedom Court for a cigarette and continue to play their favorite games.

Today’s casino hotels cater to people of any background, ensuring they can feel like the wealthiest person on earth for the duration of their stay. Naturally, the hotels hope that people also want to enter the casino and spend their money, but the focus is far more on comfort, happiness, and the overall experience as a whole. If you are looking for a vacation with a difference, then this might be something to consider.

Changes To Make So That Your Hotel Attracts More Customers

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As a hotel owner, you may feel that you do not have the time to make changes in your hotel or to look at how you can push for new clients. This is the trap that many owners fall into and it is vital that you find a way to step back and take a look at the big picture when it comes to how your hotel is doing.

On you take this time out, you will be able to ensure long term success for your hotel and you will be able to avoid spending your day putting out fires. Let’s take a look at some of the changes which you can make to encourage more customers.

Accessibility

Disability accommodations are very often hard for disabled people to come by, so much so that there are actually specific websites for those who are disabled, so that they can find the hotel that is perfect for them. This is a huge market that you can tap in to and if it is not already, you must ensure that your hotel is fully geared up for people who are disabled and for people who use wheelchairs.

Online Presence

If you are not pushing hard online then you are going to lose out on a great deal of potential clients and you need to start right away and growing your online image. Most people book hotels these days based on what the internet says about them and if you want to generate more customers through your doors, you too will need to push when it comes to how you are perceived online.

Fixes and Engagements

Once you are working hard online, or even if you have an online profile already, you must engage and address any concerns which people may have after they have stayed in your hotel. As the owner, you should take at least a couple of hours out of your week to sit and read through the comments that people have made about your hotel. If they are unfounded, comment, if they are complaining, fix the issue and offer them a discounted stay, if people are happy, thank them and if someone had a terrible time, offer them a free stay and personally make sure that they enjoy it. Word of mouth is more powerful than it has ever been and if you are not responsive to this, you will see less and less clients in your hotel.

Audit

To ensure the best possible hotel experience, you should constantly be auditing each room and service area in your hotel. Ideally you should choose someone who is not linked to the hotel and ask them to come and audit for you. Doing this once a month or so can make sure that you are giving your customers the cleanest and most comfortable hotel experience that they could possibly ask for.

Take you head out of the daily minutiae and focus on pushing the reputation and service of your hotel if you wish to see more people through the door.

Three Top Tips for Planning a Luxury Hotel Stay

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When it comes to planning a luxury vacation, it’s important to make sure that you get the planning right. If you’re planning a luxury getaway and want to have the time of your life, then it’s important to get all the little details right – especially if you are going to be spending a lot of money on your special trip. Whether you’re hoping for a relaxing luxury beach vacation or a swanky city break, preparation is everything if you want to make sure that you have the best time ever. We’ve put together some top tips to help you make the most of your luxury vacation.

Tip #1. Choose Luxury Facilities:

No matter which luxury destination you are planning to visit, getting your accommodation right is everything. Since you’re likely to be spending a lot of time in your hotel room or villa, it’s a good idea to do as much research as possible beforehand to ensure that you have made the right choice. For example, the White Buffalo Club hotel in Jackson Hole has several luxury amenities and facilities that you can take advantage of during your trip, such as an on-site fitness and wellness center offering yoga classes, oversized bathtubs, and an intimate boutique spa for a relaxing zen experience. After all, you will want to be pampered as much as possible during your luxury stay.

Tip #2. Go All-Inclusive:

If the option is available, then it’s definitely a good idea to go all-inclusive when it comes to taking a luxury vacation. When you choose this option, there’s no need to worry about finding somewhere to eat and drink and paying any extra, since you’ll be able to have all your meals and drink at the hotel’s restaurant and bar. Although the option to go all-inclusive is almost always the most expensive, it’s definitely worth considering if you want a truly luxury trip. So, bear in mind that whilst researching potential hotels to stay all, don’t forget to take a look at the kind of food and drinks that they offer, too.

Tip #3. Read Online Reviews:

Before you head off on your luxury trip, it’s a good idea to find out what past guests have had to say about your potential places to stay. Before you make a booking for a hotel room, it’s a good idea to browse sites such as TripAdvisor, where you’ll be able to discover what others have been saying about the hotel or villa and get a better idea of what to expect when you arrive. Bear in mind that if you are booking online, accommodation that looks like a luxury stay might not be quite as good as you’d imagined once you get there. So, the best way to get an honest and realistic idea is by reading third-party reviews. If possible, try and find visitor photos of the accommodation including the rooms.

Do you have any tips to share on planning a luxury vacation? Let us know in the comments.