Look, we know there are things you’d rather be doing.

You’ve got a hotel to run. There are guests to help and a team to coordinate with. More than that: you’ve got a life to live. You’ve got friends, family, and things you enjoy a whole lot more than sitting in front of a computer.

That’s exactly where this gets interesting.

What you’re reading now will win you more time — and that means less time in front of the computer. As an added bonus, it probably leads to a few more direct bookings every month.

So don’t let those lovely eyes of yours glaze over. Setting up automation ain’t the sexiest thing ever, but it is something you only do once… and then it saves everyone heaps of time and trouble from then on.

Why leave potential guests wandering lost in your website?

A moment of perspective (aka the “real world”).

Look, take a moment to consider your actual job in hospitality. You take care of people, and you get things done. The more smoothly and pleasantly you can accomplish that, the better. Right?

But you don’t really consider online hospitality in the same way, do you? That’s okay: it’s a daunting concept. By some measures, it’s a whole new job description. I’m not going to convince you to put lots of time and energy into hospitality towards your online guests-to-be (although it is a really good idea). I’m just going to impress one takeaway upon you: it’s… somewhat important. For most people, your online presence is the first impression they have of you. So it’s kinda nice to be, you know: present.

Here’s how we put it on the page for our chat service…

Kinda puts it into perspective, right?

You know the questions.

You hear them again and again: questions about wi-fi, airport pickup, weather, attractions… all kinds of stuff. By anticipating your visitors’ needs in advance, you earn their trust and admiration. Those answers help to conquer their doubts, and to become guests.

It’s not just about saving time. It’s about helping.

Yes, this will save your team heaps of time. On top of that, your potential guest has a sense of immediacy. They have their wallet out, they are ready to book at some hotel in the area, and the hotel that can answer their question answered right now is the one that wins the booking.

Here’s how.

Answer questions with real-time charm.

1. When your potential guest comes to visit your hotel website, they are greeted by your beautiful, welcoming, and ever-so-helpful chat feature. Bravo, you charming hotelier, you.

2. The guest asks their question, and they get a helpful automated response (drawn from your handy knowledge base). Your bot offers some answers based on a search of the terms they used in their question.

3. The visitor is able to click the button for more details, get the information they are looking for, and then make the reservation. Voilà! You have won yourself an extra direct booking. (And they almost left your site and booked with your competitor, so that’s a relief.)

Congrats!

Top hotels use chat effectively for good reason.

Travel + Leisure lists Le Meurice as #1 in World’s Best Hotels of Europe, and they use chat because it works. Just one of the many examples we like to reference.

Don’t stop there!

There are a lot more ways to drastically improve your online hospitality with little effort. And if you need any help or advice in setting it up, we are immensely psyched to help you — with your hotel chat feature, or anything else!

PS: Special thanks to Crown Lanta Resort & Spa Koh Lanta for being our beautiful model, showing off our hotel direct booking chat — in style. Thanks, guys!