The average traveler visits over 20 websites before they make a booking. Mariana Mechoso Safer of HeBS Digital and Shalini Jariwala of Google will take you through a typical traveler’s journey to booking and what strategies play the largest role through the entire buying funnel. You’ll get inside strategies on: · How to boost revenues in Q2 through multichannel marketing · Where and how different marketing channels reach the consumer · How many steps it takes a consumer to make a booking · The customer perspective (i.e. a mom planning family travel or a family reunion) · Ways to recover abandoned bookings · Case studies to support recommendations Mariana Mechoso Safer is Senior Vice President, Marketing at HeBS Digital, overseeing advertising, marketing and public relations. Mariana heads the Las Vegas office, developing and implementing digital marketing strategies for HeBS Digital’s West Coast partners. She frequently conducts industry research and publishes her major travel and hospitality publications, and is also a guest speaker and presenter at hospitality events and conferences. Shalini Jariwala is Strategic Partner Manager of Channel Sales at Google. Shalini has been working in high tech for the past 10 years. She has held various marketing, sales enablement, and business development roles at companies such as Google, Ooyala, Salesforce.com and Evernote. Currently she is a Strategic Partner Manager on the Channel Sales Team based out of the Google NYC office.

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21.6 Touch points
The average traveler researches 21.6
websites before making a booking.
Search & Display
Together increase purchase
intent 43%
24 Days
Average length in days before
purchase
Important Stats

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Initiatives that Drive a
Purchase: Final Stages

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Last Touch Point-Interaction Initiatives
Organic
Search
Paid Search
Meta
Search
(DRM)
Direct

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Organic Search (SEO)
Google updates its algorithm up to 500 times per year.
Google officially announced Page Centric SEO Approach vs.
Keyword Centric Approach in 2013.
Google Panda
(2011)
Valuing rich,
engaging,
editorial
content over
keyword-
stuffed content.
Google Venice
(2012)
Focus on local
search
results, made
local search
indispensable.
Google Penguin
2.0 (2013)
Eradicate link
farms and
poor-quality
reciprocal
links, placed a
premium on
high-quality
links.
Google
Hummingbird
(2013):
Gather better,
more intuitive
results via
conversational
search.

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Quality/Updated/Relevant Content
Build packages around attractions
Add pages on your destination
Maintain a blog

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Claim listings on Google,
Yahoo!, and Bing.
Requires on-property
verification.
Standardize information
on main data providers.
Search engines often pull
information from data
providers.
Establish listings on local
business directories.
Develops a presence in prominent
local business listings. Keep these
updated!
Optimize for Local Search
As local listings take a more prominent position on search
engine results pages – such as Google Carousel – it is
important to fully optimize local listing profiles.
Claim and optimize local listing profiles, standardize property information across the
Internet, and cover more SERP real estate.

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Audit existing links
Disavow in compliance with
Google Penguin updates
Devise action plan for main
data providers and
reputable directories
Feed information to local
listing profiles
Reach out to local bloggers,
colleges, CVBs, etc.
Long-term plan to acquire more
local links
Quality Inbound Linking Strategy
Off-page factors such as the quality of
inbound links to the website are nearly
as important as on-page optimizations.
Increase page rank, avoid algorithm penalties, and remove potentially harmful links.

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Paid Search Marketing
SEM and
location extensions

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Account Structure
Branded Keywords (hotel name)
Highly Relevant Location Keywords (lower
nob hill hotel)
 Broader Destination Keywords (san
Francisco boutique hotel)
Paid Search Engine Marketing
Process:
Market level & demand keyword research
Compelling ad copy
 Desktop, mobile & tablet
Geo-target campaigns to focus on feeder
markets
Launch on Google, Yahoo/Bing
Branded
Keywords
Highly Relevant Location
Keywords
Broader Destination Keywords
C
o
n
v
e
r
s
i
o
n
s
Impressions/Search Volume
30%
oftheBudget

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More than one keyword?
Bid on brand terms, don’t rely on them 100%.
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A common mistake is to stop bidding on keywords that are
important in the research process.
Keyword: Location & ‘Hotel’ Keyword: Location & ‘Hotel’
& ‘Nearby Attraction’
Keyword: Branded
Term (name of hotel).
Book Now

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GAME-CHANGING:
Dynamic Rate Marketing

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Dynamic Rate Marketing (DRM)
Real Time Availability & Pricing = Higher Relevancy
• Meta Search
• Banner advertising
• Retargeting
20
• Google AdWords (in beta)
• Email marketing
• Promos on the hotel website

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Displays real-time rates
User will choose dates and
rates/availability will update
automatically
User chooses hotel website
User clicks on the property’s logo
and is directed to the property’s
booking engine
Increase direct booking
opportunities
Option to include direct links to
website with ‘Hotel Amenities’ and
‘Professional Photos’ links
MetaSearch Marketing:TripAdvisor
From October 2012 – May 2013, a Boston hotel saw a
1554% ROAS from this initiative.
Firmly being established in last booking stage.

14. Meta Search: Google Hotel Finder (HPA)
Appears within:
1 Google Maps 2 Google Hotel Finder
Beta
Google Search Results
Pages
3

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DRM: Banner Advertising
Will this move display further up in planning journey?

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Direct:
The Website & Three Screens

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Adaptive Design
TheThreeScreens
Consumers use each device differently to research and book travel.

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Serve the right content on the right device while ensuring the maximum user
experience, relevancy and conversions.

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Make phone
numbers and
maps easily
accessible.
Accommodates
touch- screen
navigation.
Slim down
content.
The Smartphone is a last-minute device.
Should be simple and booker-friendly.

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Tablets ideal for browsing,
research and even booking!
Used similarly to desktop.

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The Last Mile of the Hotel Booking Process
OTAs
Hotel Websites
Search Engines
Travel Research/Planning Decision Verification Booking
Friends & Family
Facebook, etc
TripAdvisor
OTAs
Hotel Websites
Voice
Case Study: TripAdvisor is establishing itself firmly as part of each
of the three steps in the last mile of the hotel booking process
Meta
Meta
Social Media

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Initiatives that Drive a
Purchase: Assist Stages

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Assist or ‘Planning Stage’ Interaction Initiatives
Social
Media
Display Email Reservation
Reminder

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How Can Social Media Drive Engagement?
Focus on building buzz and increasing brand awareness.
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Prompt users to “like” your Facebook Fan Page, follow the Twitter handle,
and follow the Google+ Page.
Increase fan base.
Prompt people to become a
fan on Facebook, a follower
on Twitter on Google+.
Brand your Presence
Facebook Cover Page,
Twitter & Google Header
Image, etc.
Customer Service
04
Run Contests &
Incentives
Offer a free welcome
amenity for next stays
or a chance to win a
free stay.
Book Now

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DISPLAY is one of the first
steps in the path to
purchase, SEARCH acts as
a last ‘push’to conversion.

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Online Display Campaigns
Smart targeting drives ROI.
Today can target the travel segment using first-party data
from airlines, hotels, and travel planning sources.
No longer need big budgets!
Targeting includes:
 Destination
 Feeder markets
 Customer segment
 Retargeting
Client Portfolio
HeBS Digital
750%
Average ROAS
The Google Display Network (GDN) offers in-depth travel targeting and is comprised of
millions of websites.

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Email Marketing
Email content can include:
Monthly Offers
Thank You for Signing Up
Real-time Availability & Rates
Countdown Clock

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A branded reminder email
featuring a booking link
back to the hotel website
with a special rate or
incentive.
Capture visitors in the
dream stage of planning.
Reservation Reminder
Remind me to book:
Guests request a reminder
within a certain number of
days.

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Scenario: Mom Planning
Travel

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Focus on these stages:
Dreaming: Social Media, Mommy Blogs, Videos
Planning: Online Research, Search Engines
Where does she begin?

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Dreaming Stage: Social Media
There are 27 million U.S. women who identify as
mothers on Facebook. (Time)

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Dreaming Stage: Social Media
Moms are 61% more likely to visit
Pinterest than the average American.
(Nielsen)

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Dreaming Stage: Blogs
14% of all American mothers with at least one child in their
household blog about parenting or turn to blogs for advice
(Scarborough Research)

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Search for “Four Seasons
Prague” (mommy suggestion)
with hotel on top of results page.
Search for ‘Prague Family Hotel’
Results: TripAdvisor, Hotels in the
Carousel, OTAs
Planning Stage: Search Engines
Organic Search Paid Search

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See how easy it is to reach
21.6?
 Facebook
 Organic Search
 Pinterest
 Paid Search
 Blog
 Expedia
 Paid Search
 Orbitz
 Kayak
 TripAdvisor
 Paid Search
 Organic Search
 Hotels.com
 Twitter
 Organic Search
 Pinterest
 Paid Search
 Blog
 TripAdvisor
 Hotel Website

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Scenario: Planning a
Group Getaway or
Reunion

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Focus on these stages:
Dreaming: Social Media
Planning: Online Research, Search Engines
Booking: Hotel Website
Where do we begin?

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Dreaming Stage: Social Media

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Planning Stage: Search

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Booking Stage: Website
SPEAK
To our key customer
segments on your website
OFFER
Planning tools & packages

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Putting it All Together

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WHO?
Who is the target customer
segment?
WHAT?
What campaign message will
resound with the target
segment and what channels
will effectively reach this
audience?
WHEN?
When is the best time to reach this
target segment for the greatest
impact and ROI.
Multichannel Campaigns
Reach travel consumers at multiple touch points
with one cohesive message across the web. Build
stickiness and traction across channels and
dramatically increase revenue.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

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THE MULTICHANNEL CAMPAIGN
Campaign
Google
SEM
Bing SEM
Google
Display
Network
Promo
Hero Slide
Flash
Banners
TripAdvisor
Special
Offer
Facebook
Promoted
Post
Email
Limited
Time Offer

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Multichannel Campaigns
Case Study: “Suite Yourself” Black Friday Travel Sale for a Multi-
Property Resort
This Black Friday
Travel Sale website,
incorporates
interactive parallax
scrolling that takes
users through a day
in the life of a stay in
one of the family-
friendly resorts that
feature condo-style
suites.
Campaign
ROI:
1048%

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Multichannel Campaigns
CaseStudy:DaylightSavings

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Bonus: Bring People
Back to the Booking

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Reservation Recovery
Bring guests back to complete the booking.
Why should you try to recover abandoned bookings?
• Typical conversion rates on hotel websites are 2 – 3%
• Approximately 1/3 of website visitors initiate a booking
• Only 5% of website visitors actually complete the booking
251
7,272%
Recovered Room Nights
ROI
Case Study: 30 Days

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Capture guest booking
details, send ‘recovery’
email with a link back
into the booking
process, and recapture
that booking!
Only 5% of initiated
bookings are completed.
Email Retargeting

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Understand Last vs.
Assist Interactions
Know how budget line items can work
together in the path to a booking.
Multichannel Marketing
Campaigns will reach consumers at all these
touch points.
Don’t
underestimate
The path to purchase includes
multiple touch points. Don’t review
analytics in silos.
KeyTakeaways

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Questions?