Hotel marketing can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to if you target the right customer segments. To do this, you first need to identify who your visitors are and what they’re specifically looking for at your location. Are they value seekers, luxury travellers, group or family travellers, solo travellers, frequent or business travellers?  Depending on your answers to these questions, you’ll be able to adjust your marketing strategy to better target each type of customer.

In this article, we will take you through why it’s important to target specific customer segments, and give you some key tips on how to do it for each type of traveller.

Why is segmenting your guests important?

As a hotelier, it’s important to understand the different types of travellers that stay at your hotel. By segmenting your audience, you can more effectively target your marketing and advertising efforts to attract the guests that are most likely to book with your hotel. Luxury travellers, for example, may be interested in amenities and services that are not as important to value seekers. Likewise, solo travellers may be looking for a different experience than group or family travellers. By understanding the needs and wants of each type of traveller, you can more effectively target your marketing efforts to attract the guests that are most likely to book with your hotel.

How should I segment my hotel’s audience?

There are a number of different ways to segment your hotel audience. Some common segmentations include traveller type (e.g., luxury, business, solo, family, etc.), travel purpose (e.g., leisure, business, group, etc.), and demographic information (e.g., age, gender, location, etc.). By understanding the needs and wants of each type of traveller, you can more effectively target your marketing efforts to attract the guests that are most likely to book with your hotel.

In this article, we will be focusing on some common traveller types. This makes it easier to target larger groups of people that share a common reason for their travel, rather than dividing them by demographics. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the different types of hotel travellers.

Value Seekers

As the name suggests, value seekers are looking for the best bang for their buck. They often book their hotels based on price and may be more likely to sacrifice amenities and services for a lower rate.

To effectively target value seekers, it’s important to have a strong online presence. More specifically, you should feature your hotel across a range of OTAs that market to budget travellers. Many value seekers will book their hotels based on price, and will spend their time searching for the best deal, so it’s important to list your rates prominently on your website and highlight any special deals or discounts that you may be offering. You should also focus on getting high placement in search engine results, as many value seekers will start their hotel search online.

Some OTAs value seekers typically use are:

• Expedia
• Hotels.com
• Travelocity
• Priceline
• Kayak

Luxury Travellers

Luxury travellers are looking for a luxurious experience and are willing to pay for it. They often seek out hotels that offer premium amenities, 5-star service and features such as upscale accommodations, Michelin-starred restaurants, and top-notch customer service.

Some common marketing strategies for targeting luxury travellers include featuring your hotel in high-end travel magazines, partnering with luxury brands, and listing your hotel on OTAs that focus on luxury travel. You should also focus on creating a strong online presence, as many luxury travellers will research hotels online before booking their stay. Make sure to showcase your hotel’s luxurious amenities and services on your website and highlight any awards or accolades that you have received. You should also consider creating a social media presence, as luxury travellers are often active on social media and may be influenced by what they see online.

Some OTAs luxury travellers typically use are:

• Mr & Mrs Smith
• Tablet Hotels
• Oyster.com

Family Travellers

Family travellers are often looking for hotels that can accommodate their large party. They may be interested in features such as spacious rooms, kid-friendly amenities, and close proximity to family-friendly attractions. While they have a higher income than the typical budget traveller, they tend to listen to word-of-mouth recommendations when choosing a hotel, as they want to be sure that their entire group will have a good experience. They’re also a group that will need childcare more than the average traveller, so offering this type of service can be a great selling point.

Some common marketing strategies for targeting group and family travellers include listing your hotel on OTAs that focus on family travel, advertising in parenting magazines or websites, and featuring your hotel on blog posts or articles about family-friendly attractions in your area. For this type of marketing, it’s a good idea to team up with local tourism boards or family-friendly businesses too. If you’re particularly tech savvy, targeting Facebook parenting groups with discounts and promotions can be a great way to get your hotel’s name out there.

Some OTAs family travellers typically use are:

• TRVLBEES
• Kid&Coe
• Vacasa

Solo Travellers

Solo travellers are often on the go, and they want a hotel that offers them plenty of options. Solo-oriented hotels focused around providing unique experiences can be perfect for these individuals because it will allow them to explore at their leisure while still getting some social time in with other travellers.

There are many ways you can reach solo travellers. To attract this type clientele we recommend focusing more heavily than usual upon marketing yourself as being able provide something truly one off – whether its tours or concierge services (or both!). You could list your hotel on OTAs that focus exclusively on this type of travel, partner up with local tour companies and offer them the chance for their customers access rooms at an unbeatable rate while they’re visiting town (or even book entire trips), or even just advertise in magazines and online that focus on being single and loving it. Social media can also be a great outlet to reach out to solo travellers, as they’re often active users of various platforms. They also love to attend different events, so it’s a great idea to advertise anything that is going on in and around your hotel. Remember, you should always keep safety front and centred when marketing to solo travellers, as they will be looking for a safe and secure place to stay.

Some OTAs that solo travellers typically use are:

• FlipKey
• RoomerTravel
• Airbnb

Frequent or Business Travellers

The frequent or business travellers are often looking for hotels that offer convenient access to airports, business centres and other transportation hubs. They may be interested in features such as free Wi-Fi, on-site amenities like meeting rooms (with Virtual Reality Technology), express checkin/checkout services, and plenty of parking spaces.

To attract these customers, hoteliers should focus their marketing messaging on providing easy location near major routes with quick pick up and drop off options just steps away from where they’ll need them most. Hoteliers can list their properties on OTAs that focus on business travel, advertise in business magazines or websites, or even offer corporate rates to businesses in the area. This demographic is typically older, so using methods such as targeted online ads or print ads in relevant publications can be a great way to reach them. For hoteliers that are looking to go the extra mile, sponsoring business events or conferences in your area can also be a great way to get your property’s name out there.

Some OTAs that frequent or business travellers typically use are:

• Travelocity
• Expedia
• Booking.com

Different travellers have different needs, and as a hotelier it’s important to be aware of what type of traveller you’re targeting in your marketing efforts. By understanding the different types of travellers and what they’re looking for, you can better position your property to attract the guests that are most likely to enjoy their stay and recommend your hotel to others.

Different travellers have different needs, and as a hotelier it’s important to be aware of what type of traveller you’re targeting in your marketing efforts. By understanding the different types of travellers and what they’re looking for, you can better position your property to attract the guests that are most likely to enjoy their stay and recommend your hotel to others.