Make your Motel’s website the best it can be and avoid potentially harming your business’s reputation, reducing bookings, and hindering growth. People plan their travel meticulously these days and finding sites is not an accident so you need to prioritise your website. It is YOUR social media channel and once you get people there you have to capitalise and get them to make that booking.

Here are some key risks if your website is not up to scratch:

1. Loss of Potential Customers

• Poor User Experience (UX): If the website is difficult to navigate, slow to load, or not mobile-friendly, visitors may leave quickly, leading to a high bounce rate. Travelers typically want easy access to information like room availability, pricing, and amenities. If they can’t find this quickly, they’ll likely book elsewhere.
• Lack of Mobile Optimization: Many travelers search for accommodation while on the go, using smartphones or tablets. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, potential guests may have a frustrating experience and move on to competitors.

2. Lower Search Engine Ranking

• Poor SEO: A website that isn’t optimized for search engines will rank lower in Google results, making it harder for potential guests to find your motel when searching for accommodation in New Zealand. This results in reduced organic traffic and fewer direct bookings.
• Outdated or Broken Links: Bad website structure, outdated content, or broken links can hurt your SEO rankings, which in turn reduces visibility in search results.

3. Missed Revenue Opportunities

• No Online Booking System: If the website doesn’t offer a simple, secure online booking option, you risk missing out on a significant number of bookings. Guests may prefer to book directly online rather than calling or emailing to make a reservation.
• High Abandonment Rates: A complex or unreliable booking process can lead to abandoned bookings. If guests encounter difficulties during checkout, they may not complete the reservation, costing you potential revenue.

4. Negative Brand Perception

• Unprofessional Appearance: A poorly designed or outdated website creates a negative first impression, suggesting that the motel may be similarly unprofessional. People may question the quality of your rooms and service based on the state of your website.
• Mismatched Branding: If the website doesn’t accurately reflect the style, tone, or experience of your motel, potential customers may get the wrong impression of your offering, leading to disappointment or confusion when they arrive.

5. Increased Reliance on Third-Party Platforms

• Overdependence on OTAs (Online Travel Agencies): A bad website may force you to rely more on third-party platforms like Booking.com or Expedia to attract guests. While these platforms are useful, they charge commissions, which eat into your profits. A good website with direct booking capabilities can reduce this reliance.
• Limited Control Over Customer Experience: Without a functional website, you’re limited in how you present your business. OTAs dictate the layout and branding of your listing, whereas a well-designed website allows you to fully control how your motel is perceived.

6. Decreased Trust and Credibility

• Lack of Security Features: If your website lacks SSL encryption or other security features, guests may be hesitant to provide personal information or make bookings. This can harm trust and lead to lost reservations.
• No Customer Reviews or Testimonials: A bad website might not feature guest reviews or provide links to trusted review sites, making it harder to build trust with potential customers. Guests often rely on reviews to make decisions, and the absence of them can raise doubts.

7. Lost Marketing Opportunities

• Limited Analytics and Data Collection: A poorly designed website often lacks integration with tools like Google Analytics or other tracking systems. This means you miss out on valuable insights about your audience, their behavior, and booking trends, making it harder to refine your marketing strategy.
• No Content Marketing Capabilities: Without a good platform for posting blogs, local area guides, or other valuable content, you miss opportunities to engage with guests and drive more traffic through content marketing efforts.

8. Difficulty in Building a Loyal Customer Base

• Lack of CRM Integration: Without a good website that supports Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, you might miss opportunities to collect guest information, send follow-up emails, and encourage repeat visits or loyalty program participation.
• No Personalization or Special Offers: A bad website often lacks features like personalized offers or promotions, which can help attract guests and encourage direct bookings.

9. Competitor Advantage

• Losing to Competitors: Competitors with a more professional and user-friendly website will likely attract more bookings, even if their services are similar to yours. A poorly performing website could place your motel at a disadvantage compared to others in the area, especially in tourist-heavy regions of New Zealand.

In summary, a bad website can lead to lost customers, reduced bookings, a damaged reputation, and missed revenue opportunities for your motel. Ensuring your website is well-designed, user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and integrated with essential features like booking and SEO is key to thriving in the competitive New Zealand hospitality market – that’s what we do!

If you are a client of Paul’s Motels click here to claim your voucher that can be used to save $500* when Whitfield Consulting develops your new website or digital strategy. Mention Paul sent you!

* Terms and conditions apply – the voucher is only redeemable on new website development or digital strategy development with Whitfield Consulting and must be claimed by 31st October 2024.