Hospitality

The Online Hospitality Experts

Online Now is the website development specialists for the Hospitality industry, we assist businesses that are looking to utilise the incredible power and reach of the web to communicate more effectively and efficiently with their customers.

With a clear understanding of the opportunities that exist within the industry we have created a customised package that looks to assist venues in areas such as function room marketing, email and e newsletter campaigns and promotions scheduling.

In creating this package we have focused heavily on enabling easy communication with your target market through photo sharing technology, email and SMS campaigns and cutting edge features that engage the consumer and drive them into your venue.

Online Now has undertaken in-depth research into online opportunities for the Hospitality industry, this research looks at key features currently available and ways that you consumers are currently interacting online.

Consumer Trends

It’s always important to understand your customer so that you can communicate more effectively with them and as the technology available on the internet changes so quickly this has never been so true. Below are some noticeable consumer trends that we have observed in the Hospitality industry.

• There has been a dramatic increase in online consumer planning; the main trends include menu viewing, function planning, generating directions and booking entertainment.
• Today people spend more time on the computer than watching TV and as the popularity of social networking sites sky rockets opportunities exist to communicate your venue offering directly with potential customers.
• Consumers are responding to relevant discounts and savings communicated through email and SMS campaigns more than ever.
• As a younger demographic seek out Hospitality services their method of generating relevant information is heavily internet focused.
• One of the phenomenal outcomes of the internet is the faith that strangers are having in strangers, this is evident through Wikipedia and also online restaurant review sites. A simple search for you business will probably bring up a review but leaving all of the online marketing to complete stranger is dangerous, a website will allow you to control the message.

Hospitality Website Features

The key function of a Hospitality website is to inform and promote your offering to as wide an audience of potential customers as possible. A basic website can be useful in communicating with customers online but as the web evolves there is opportunity to utilise new techniques to further engage with current and potential customers, some of these methods include;

• Function room marketing

  As more people go online to plan events and book function rooms you need to ensure that potential customers can easily find your offering. Online Now offers the complete function room marketing and management software; this will allow you to promote your function room, show availability and accept bookings online.

• Email marketing

  Email marketing offers instant low cost communication with your data base, communicate upcoming events, current food and beverage specials, function room pricing and what’s on at your venue. Some venues are sending out meal and beverage deals to different segments of their data bases to stimulate weekday trade.
  
  Fragmentation of the data base will enable you to only contact specific segments of your contacts; for example when promoting footy finals you may only choose to talk through your offering with males and if you are promoting a wine and food matching evening you may wish to only communicate with over 24 year olds within your database. Targeting your message will increase its relevance; this in turn will increase the value of your offering.

• Electronic events guides

  Post your events to a graphical calendar that will allow visitors to view photos, explore the venue, book tickets and even listen to a sample from the band. Laid out in a calendar form clicking on a date will show what is happening on this day, from bands to specials, your customers will always know what’s on at your venue.

• Online food ordering

  This feature is aimed venues that have a lunch offering and wish to market it to surrounding businesses; online ordering is a great way to promote your menu to an entire office and manage the lunch time rush.

• Photo galleries

  Drive traffic to your site by posting photos from past events, parties and functions. These photos are email-able and can also have a watermark of your web address to drive people back to your site.

• Online membership programs

  A marketing strategy that has proven very successful, membership programs help develop loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. Online Now allows you to create members only areas within your site to offer special deals and even allow members to reserve tables or areas within your venue, this feature is a great tool to reward loyal customers and show them that you appreciate their custom.

• Accommodation availability and online booking

  This software will enable you to promote your accommodation offering though detailed descriptions and photo galleries, show availability of rooms and allow customers to book a specific room online.

• Email-able menus

  Online menus allow prospects to view and evaluate your offering through your website, a major factor in choosing a dining location. Online Now also allows you to email the menu to your other dining companions to seek their approval, another fantastic tool to promote your venue.

• Online tipping

  Tipping competitions form the backbone of the winter trade, the larger the pool the greater numbers of people you get to your venue to watch the game. Maximise your potential competition by allowing people to sign up online and even submit their tips through your website.

• Online table bookings

  Allow customers the ability to reserve a table online, as people more come familiar with the internet this feature will enable your website to become a one stop shop, view menu, get direction and reserve a table all over the internet.

• Online promotional programs

  Online promotional strategies implemented by Online Now utilise random serving technology that enable you to serve date specific promotions throughout the website, the promotion is then automatically removed once the event has occurred.

• Staff only areas

  This enables the posting of information targeted at informing and educating staff. This could include your hotels code of conduct, supplier information and contacts, helpful links on issues such as responsible service of alcohol and binge drinking. The Rosters enable staff to log on and receive their shifts from home or any location with internet.
  
  Use the staff notice board to effectively communicate important hotel objectives, innovations and announcements.

• Online guest book

  This feature allows other customers to see positive testimonials about your venue and outline their experiences; testimonials are a powerful tool when trying to develop trust online.

• Social network linking

  The social network phenomenon only seems to be getting bigger, as more people interact on these sites it becomes increasingly important for your business to be involved. Online Now offers you the tools to allow for social network bookmarking, this means that viewers can choose to post a page from your site to their network of choice.

• Online Polls

  This tool will allow you to interact with your visitors, understand your customers and show them that your site is live and full of up to date content.