Hotels are set to dramatically increase their digital marketing budget in 2012.
New research by TravelClick has suggested that the majority of hoteliers are waking up to the positive effects that online marketing can have on hotel reservations.
It suggested that 50 per cent of hotels would be increasing the amount they spend on digital marketing next year, whilst just three per cent will lower their spend. Social media content and mobile-optimised websites were reported to be the most desired forms of marketing amongst hotel owners.
It appears that many people are using social media websites like Facebook and Twitter to check for reviews or special offers before choosing which hotel would best suit their needs.
Commenting on the results of the survey to mobilemarketingwatch.com, Travelclick’s senior vice president of e-commerce, Jason Ewell, said: “Not only are hoteliers increasing budgets for mobile websites and marketing, but they are also increasing staff in areas such as social media.
“Hoteliers are recognising how important mobile and social media are to guests and they have begun to put more resources towards creating and maintaining these channels through staff additions and marketing increases.”
Hotelmarketing.com report that 30 per cent of those planning to increase their workforce would be hiring staff specifically to control their social media channels.
