Hotels using the Windsurfer Booking Engine saw a combined record 3.3 million visitors in June 2021 and 3.4% of those travelers converted into bookings.
HOUSTON, August 4, 2021 — Hotels using the Windsurfer Booking Engine from SHR, Sceptre Hospitality Resources, saw a record amount of traffic to their direct websites in June 2021 and converted 3.4% of that traffic, higher than most reported industry averages.
Hotels have seen demand – mainly from leisure guests – creep up slowly but surely since the beginning of the year. But very few hoteliers predicted demand would rebound so quickly to higher levels than ever before. The 3.3 million travelers on hotel websites across SHR’s client base was the most traffic since SHR began tracking visitors in 2018.
Despite a slight dip in April, visitors to SHR’s client hotel websites improved each month in 2021 – 1.7 million in January, 1.9 million in February, 2.5 million in March, 2.3 million in April, 2.7 million in May and 3.3 million in June.
“After the incredibly tough year hotels had across the board in 2020, it was a relief watching the numbers climb month after month for the first half of 2021. I don’t think anyone would’ve expected hotel traffic to be breaking records this early in the recovery stage,” said Rod Jimenez, CEO of SHR. “What’s especially encouraging to us is the fact that website conversions are at the levels they are. This means our customers are using the strategies that we suggest – including dynamic content, fenced rates and personalized offers – to not only drive traffic to their own websites but welcome travelers with tailored experiences when they arrive.”
With a complete revenue-generation engine that includes an industry-leading CRS and booking engine (Windsurfer), a revenue management application (Wave) and a Customer Relationship Management tool (Maverick), SHR customers are able to centralize, analyze and action data to convert more business and drive more revenue. Hoteliers on the platform have been implementing successful direct-booking strategies, such as:
– Creating cohesive strategies between different departments, such as revenue and marketing, to identify need periods and create tailored messages and promotions to deeply segmented audiences, such as local travelers.
– Implementing guest-recognition programs that increase the amount of a hotel’s first-party data and allow them to personalize each and every touchpoint along the guest journey.
– Recognizing guests that arrive on the hotel website and presenting them with personalized content and compelling offers, and then ensuring a seamless transition from the website to the booking engine.
