Ryan Haynes, lead consultant of Haynes MarComs and host of Travel Market Life podcast, will be taking up residency in the Independent Hotel Show's Social Business Space this year.

The team have lined up a mix of hotelier and domain experts to really explore subjects and highlight the opportunities available to hotel businesses, giving hoteliers the chance to share their challenges and walk away armed with knowledge and ideas to implement into their business.

We caught up with Ryan for our Ask the Experts series to hear his insights on hospitality, marketing and the one change hotels could make to boost their online presence. 

Tell us briefly who you are and what you do!

I’m a marketing communications consultant, specialising in travel and hospitality technology. I also run the Travel Market Life podcast, exploring industry developments and how business leaders address challenges, and host industry events like IHTF and IHS’ Social Business Space.

What have been some of the biggest changes in hotel marketing over the past 5-10 years?

Websites, search and email marketing is now commonplace in hospitality- finally! Hotels recognise the importance of online visibility and direct bookings; helped by more affordable access to technology and an understanding of the revenue available. There’s also been a shift from hotel style and design to an overall hotel “vibe”. Today’s guests are seeking experiences, whether that’s simply an affordable place to rest, or a bustling lifestyle hotel to spend the afternoon in, or a luxury retreat for indulgence.

What do you think is the biggest improvement independent hotels could make to their marketing that many aren’t doing? 

Websites need to give guests a glimpse into the world that is your hotel. Independent hotels have unique stories which entice bookings; those stories need to come through in the website’s design and the user experience. The hotels which are doing well have a good marketing mix - their websites are easy to navigate with a simple booking process, but they also have a complete Google profile and wide online presence.

Hotels should also utilise personalisation in their guest communications, as well as working with a mix of trade including TMCs, travel agents, and corporate bookers. Every channel requires slightly different messaging - putting the time in to get that right pays off!

How important is social media in the hospitality marketing mix?

Social media is a ‘must have’ - but for some properties it is difficult to know what to say, as well as find the time to post. Social media channels should share the story of your hotel, what’s happening at the property both behind the scenes and guest facing, via stunning visuals. These don’t need to be professionally shot - but they should be engaging, in focus, and a real reflection of the guest experience. Social media entices someone to consider booking, but it also reminds someone why they booked and generates excitement for their stay, and is an avenue for sharing feedback. It’s arguably business critical in all stages of the marketing strategy.

Do you have any advice for hotels on managing customer data more effectively?

Have a secure and easy to use CRM. It needs to store customer contacts, a detailed customer history, and connect to email campaigns so you can send personalised booking emails at different stages of the customer journey, and special offers to support your need times. With a CRM connected to your PMS, hotels are able to get more insight on their customers, and begin using their marketing channels more profitably.

Our audience can often be overwhelmed by the volume and expense of tech products and services on offer, where would you advise a hotelier to start if they’re looking to streamline their back of house processes? 

It’s essential to first have an open discussion across the business about the difficulties your teams face with your existing technology or back-of-house processes. Understanding what frustrates them and listening to suggestions is the best way to determine what tech products or services your hotel actually needs. With this shopping list, hoteliers should start to have conversations with other hoteliers, PMS and website providers, and look to specific tech products that will solve your challenges.

What do you think is an exciting trend or emerging technology in the hospitality industry?

Hoteliers want to be hoteliers! Hospitality needs a resurgence and it’s better for hoteliers to do what they’re good at and focus on customer service and engagement, rather than get bogged down in nitty-gritty processes and administration. That’s why there’s increasing enthusiasm around automation, connected systems, and working with consultants that can help their business thrive. Use tech experts to help your business so you can put your energy back into guest relationships.