How COVID-19 Should Change Your Hotel Marketing Strategy

Whether you’re trying to revamp your hotel marketing strategy or you’re wondering how to market a new hotel, COVID-19 requires you to take stock of certain guidelines.  


The hotel industry has been changed forever. With social distancing measures becoming commonplace and society valuing the importance of new health standards, the only way for hotels to survive is to adapt. In terms of physical location, there’s not much hotel owners can do, but the real impact comes with hotel marketing and the way you build trust with customers. 
If you’re struggling to navigate COVID-19 and how to build success, here’s how the pandemic should change your hotel marketing strategy:

Focus On Your Reputation

One of the biggest challenges that all businesses are facing right now is how they handle their brand reputation. 
Since COVID-19 struck, businesses a part of all industries have been struggling with how they respond to the disaster. Rather than trying to rally for sales and “business as usual,” the better response involves asking yourself, “How can I be a part of the solution?”


For instance, look at the various CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who are donating their salaries to help keep their employees afloat. The same goes for companies adjusting to working from home and providing better service to their customers. The idea is not about how businesses are going to remain successful during COVID-19, but how can they help fight the outbreak and serve both their employees and customers. 
People on social media pay attention to this sort of behavior, so making sure to spotlight what your hotel is doing to contribute to the cause is what every hotel marketing strategy should consist of. 
To achieve this, you can try…
  • Posting on social media about how your hotel is adjusting to the outbreak
  • Release an official statement about your changes and mission to serving the community
  • Donate any proceeds you can from bookings to charities and organizations that are fighting COVID-19
  • Offer a discount for healthcare workers traveling to fight COVID-19
  • Work with your city to donate rooms at your hotel to serve as a quarantine area for infected citizens or communities
There’s a lot you can do to make a difference. So, for right now, don’t worry about how to market your hotel, focus on what you can do to position your hotel as an ally that customers can support and get inspired by. 

Build Trust with Your Customers

Once you establish your position, your next step is to build trust with your customers to let know them that you’re taking new health measures seriously. 


Even you don’t have any bookings or are currently closed down due to state-mandated stay-at-home orders, you can still let customers know what precautions you’re implementing. For example, you can showcase on social media that you’re following through with…
  • Social distancing measures by only booking rooms that are spaced apart
  • Ensuring your hotel staff wear masks and gloves at all times
  • Provide daily cleaning services and fresh towels for any hotel guests
  • Provide contactless check-in online and have room keys ready for customers when they arrive
  • Remove any kind continental breakfast for the public, but convert to room service options
Anything you can do to instill safety in your customers’ minds is the right decision when it comes to your hotel marketing strategy. Especially if you’re not sure how to market a new hotel, COVID-19 gives you a roadmap to follow to ensure success. 

Invest in New Technology

Finally, to boost your hotel marketing strategy during COVID-19, you should always invest in new technology. 
Although extra money may be tight, whatever finances you can reserve for new technology to make your customers’ lives easier is worth it. Like with checking into their rooms, perhaps you can invest in new mobile technologies to eliminate room keys and encourage wireless room access. The same goes for setting up a mobile app for your hotel so customers can gain Wi-Fi access, request assistance from hotel staff, or order room service. 


Successful hotel marketing relies on new technology, so whatever you can do to keep customers smiling is key. You may even want to explore a hotel photo booth for customers to take fun pictures during their stay. With a device like BuzzyBooth, hotel guests can take fun pictures that they can instantly share on social media to enhance your brand.

BuzzyBooth brings excitement to your hotel marketing strategy and comes with lots of other benefits to engaging with your audience. If you want to thrive during COVID-19, explore these ideas above, and try your best to make a positive impact. 

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