Google My Business For Hotels In HK: Tips to Increase Bookings  

Google has left no stone unturned when it comes to providing unparalleled services. The brand has expanded its suite of services and established itself as a sales partner for many businesses; the hospitality industry is no exception.

 

With Google Hotel Links, Google Hotel Ads, Book on Google, and Google My Business, hoteliers can engage and interact with their customers, maximise their room occupancy rates and drive a considerable amount of booked room revenue.

 

However, among other offerings, Google My Business brought a revolution in the hospitality industry. Now, travellers can get accurate information regarding bookings, reservations, the hotel’s ambience, the hospitality of the staff and everything via GMB profile. And whenever they need to book a hotel in the nearby vicinity, they simply search on Google and book a reservation in minutes.

 

So, if you already have listed Google my business profile for your hotel, or perhaps you’ve not done that yet and want to know how to go about it, read this guide.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business (GMB) is a free business profile that lets business owners create their unique identity and manage how their business shows up on Google Search and Google Maps. Its objective is to bring every business online and drive lucrative profits from local searches. With its various features, such as: customisable themes, metasearch, reviews, posts, FAQs, etc., companies can gain a competitive advantage. Moreover, an optimised GMB profile can improve local SEO, assist users with inquiries and increase visibility on Google.

Why is GMB important for hoteliers in HK?

Whenever someone searches for your hotel in Hong Kong, a Google My Business profile appears on the page’s right side (in a box). It serves as the first impression that helps your guests to know about your hotel and make a reservation.

 

In addition, it helps you to establish your brand presence, gain more visibility in local search, secure calls for bookings and build trust and authority with guests.

How to increase bookings and get more guests with GMB

To boost bookings, you should take advantage of the GMB profile. As per research, 96% of people travelling for leisure purposes initiate their travel planning with a Google search. For this reason, many hotels, restaurants, and bars use Google My Business to dominate local search and appear on Google Maps, enabling customers to make reservations online.

 

If you also want to improve room bookings and hotel revenue, try these Google My Business listing tips.

1. Optimise the profile for local SEO

A Google My Business listing helps you optimise for local SEO, ensuring your hotel info (including website) appears in search results when users search for hotels like yours in your location. A GMB profile also appears on Google Maps, and whenever someone searches for an ideal hotel to stay in your area, your hotel will make a list.

Make sure to provide your guests with all the vital information, such as:

  • Your business description ( make sure to add a catchy description with focus keywords)
  • Business Category (so it’s crystal clear that you are a hotel) 
  • Opening and closing hours
  • Phone number
  • Location (add exact pin location on Google Maps)
  • Official website
  • Covid-19 precautions
  • Updates on recent events 
  • A lot of crisp images to attract more guests

See, how Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Hong Kong has highlighted all the amenities in its GMB profile.

2. Promote Your Unique Selling Points

If you list all the amenities of your hotel in google My Business Profile, travelers will find your property more easily. For instance, if someone searches for “hotels with SPA in Belgium” and “hotels with gym in Luxembourg” Google will show only the properties that have these amenities. These relevant search results will help customers to make booking decisions easily.

So, if you want your hotel to appear in the search results, list all amenities you have, such as free internet, food & drink, policies & payments, activities, spas, pools, parking & transportation, gym, pet-friendly and children-friendly environment, medical facilities, etc.

3. Focus on Reviews

The hospitality industry relies heavily on reviews as potential guests love transparency. As a result, many people are likely to check Google reviews (through Google Maps and Search) before making a hotel booking.

Google hotel reviews are more immediate and snappier than Tripadvisor. They provide helpful and accurate information for customers to make a decision and help hoteliers to stand out. 

Always ask your guests to share a review once they check-out. These reviews will serve as powerful adverts for your hotel through which you can build trust among people and get more business without spending money.

 

Respond to all positive or negative reviews in your brand voice while being light, constructive, and professional. It will show other potential guests that you are concerned about the guest experience, take criticism with an open heart and strive to provide solutions.

4. Showcase a special offer or discount

People love to compare prices before booking any hotel. So, when a potential guest searches for a hotel, Google shows price comparisons of different hotels.

 

If you put a special offer or a reduced rate on your Google My Business Profile, and when a customer looks for “best hotels near me,” Google displays a list of hotels with price insights for customers to compare prices in the area during their date range.

 

In this way, your hotel is also shown to them as it may have a lower rate or special offer, potentially gaining you more bookings throughout the year.

5. Add a booking button

Booking buttons can help hoteliers to stand out from the crowd. When customers see a booking button on your Google My Business Profile, they are likely to book a reservation directly from the link – and you make it easy for them to become your guest.

 

You can sign up with one of Google’s scheduling partners and add a booking button to your listing. If you have a Google-supported scheduling provider, your booking button will automatically be added.

 

Otherwise, enroll with a booking provider, check back to see if the button is active, and start tracking your bookings. 

 

Here, you can see “book a room” button that lends directly on the booking page.

6. Build up your FAQs

FAQs appear on your GMB listing under the reviews. These questions do a handy job during quiet times on reception. Also, because anyone can reply to the questions, you need to check for misinformation. Upvote the questions that seem important, and you think they would benefit other readers. Your upvotes will move them up in the listing and help other potential customers.

Answer the questions that people ask about your hotel, as shown in this example.

7. Use Google Map Ads to get more bookings

Google Maps Ads can be an effective tool for increasing hotel bookings. By promoting the hotel listings in a particular location, you can improve the visibility and drives more bookings.

Moreover, Google map ads also provide insights on targeting specific demographics and allow you to create a custom page with special offers and deals. With custom category pages, you can improve the chances of targeting people nearby who are more likely to be in need of your hotel.

8. Track your GMB profile’s performance

Google My Business also provide insights on how your customers find your business and how many times someone calls you, click on the book now button, view your catalogue; how reviews help them choose your hotel over others.

Moreover, you can discover the keywords people use in the search bar to find your hotel. You can also get insights on how your competitors are performing on the same keywords. In this way, you can optimize your listing better to connect with your customers.

Maximise your hotel performance with Hypabeez

If you want to increase revenue and profit from your local market without overspending, a Google My Business profile will be a good option. It will help your potential guests to find and book your hotel for their next trip within minutes.

Hypabeez is a leading digital marketing agency with proven experience of helping hoteliers like you get more guests with local search marketing. We use the right techniques and tools to optimize your local GMB profile to improve your brand image and ultimately revenues. So, if you want to set up a performant Google My Business Profile for your hotel, or need to utilise more Google Tools for hotels, contact us today.


3 thoughts on “Google My Business For Hotels In HK: Tips to Increase Bookings  

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