5 Ways Hotels Can Use Generative AI to Improve Their Direct Channel

Do you think AI is just for tech giants? Think again. Generative AI is revolutionising the hospitality industry, offering hotels the power to enhance guest experiences and streamline operations. From boosting guest satisfaction to slashing costs, this technology is a game-changer.

More than one-third of leisure travellers use GenAI to get destination ideas, plan trips, and book reservations, with 84% reporting high satisfaction with these recommendations. This surge in innovation is pushing the hospitality industry to rethink how they interact with customers online. Plus, it automates repetitive tasks, freeing up staff to focus on personalised service and optimising resource allocation.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how hotels can leverage Generative AI to improve their direct channels. From streamlining content creation to enhancing guest interactions with chatbots, optimising websites, breaking language barriers, and creating personalised experiences, we’ll explore the ways AI can elevate your guest experience and drive revenue growth.

How Generative AI can help you improve your direct channel

Streamlined content creation

The content on your website is crucial. It’s your way of telling your story and controlling the narrative, which you don’t get to do on OTA websites. Unfortunately, there are many things to consider when writing and displaying content on your website. For hotels without a large marketing team, it can be especially hard to keep up with the content necessities of the modern traveller and the digital age.

For instance, your content needs to be optimised for a short attention span. On average, website users dedicate only about 5.59 seconds to reading written content on a page. So your content needs to strike the perfect balance between informative and concise, providing guests with the details they need without the fluff they don't. On top of that, keeping your website up-to-date with fresh content, and in the good graces of search engine crawlers, can be a struggle. By employing the help of Generative AI, you can significantly reduce the time spent on content creation.

Generative AI tools you can use

Using tools like ChatGPT can help you in numerous ways to optimise your content. From brainstorming campaign ideas, to creating room descriptions, writing blogs, improving existing copy, and even simplifying clutter—ChatGPT can be your helpful second pair of eyes. Additionally, many marketing and design software now offer AI-powered tools. Here are some that you can consider using:

• Canva’s Magic Design tool for custom, on-brand, and attention-grabbing content in seconds
• Hubspot’s AI Content and Email Writers for more streamlined content writing
• Hotelchamp’s AI-powered Persuasion Writer for upgrading your offers using compelling conversion copywriting techniques and behavioural psychology principles.
• Jasper AI for image generation and copywriting
• Scalenut for SEO content and keyword planning
• Writesonic for writing articles, web search, summarising pages and more.
• ChatGPT for generating insights and content recommendations. Think of it as your digital brainstorming buddy, always ready with fresh ideas.

By using these tools, you can reserve more time to focus on strategic tasks, like enhancing the guest experience or devising creative marketing strategies.

Alleviating concerns with chatbots and virtual assistants

Indecision is one of the main reasons why guests drop off during their booking process. By alleviating concerns and supporting guests in making decisions more easily, you’ll make it less likely for them to abandon their booking. With reduced concerns and an improved guest experience, your conversion rates are likely to improve.

AI-powered chatbots can help you upgrade your online customer experience with round-the-clock assistance. Not only will you be able to answer frequently asked questions, but also give personalised travel recommendations. With less need for human intervention, Generative AI is a great tool for answering a wide range of travel-related questions in a natural, conversational way. Plus, all of these interactions can be used as training data to personalise services and offers in the future. Of course, make sure to have a human representative within quick reach in case the conversation gets too specific for the chatbot to handle.

Chatbots can usually answer anything from simple questions like: ‘When does your spa open?’ to more complex ones like: ‘What are your DEI policies?’. Pick a chatbot according to the needs of your guests. For instance, Stonly is a more interactive chatbot which resolves complex customer queries. On the other hand, if you aim to mostly focus on providing travel recommendations, a chatbot like Guru which provides instant knowledge access via advanced search might be more beneficial.

Data analysis for website optimisation

Generative AI can transform how you optimise your hotel’s website by analysing large amounts of data to provide actionable insights. By processing data from website traffic and guest feedback, AI can identify areas for improvement that might otherwise be overlooked. For example, AI can perform sentiment analysis on guest reviews to pinpoint recurring themes and issues. This helps you make targeted improvements to both your on-site and online customer experiences.

Plus, generative AI can analyse historical data, market trends, and competitor pricing to help you stay competitive. It can uncover patterns in social media interactions and guest behaviour that offer deeper insights into demand trends. These insights can inform your decisions about allocating resources, the services you might offer and even themes for the content on your website. Like this, you can more easily stay relevant and engaging to your audience.

Generative AI tools you can use

Using generative AI for data analysis not only streamlines the process but also provides a more comprehensive understanding of guest preferences and market dynamics. Whether you're looking to understand what makes your guests tick, or simply want to transform mountains of data into meaningful insights without needing a PhD, here are some AI tools that can help:

• Tableau: Perfect for turning your data into a visual story. With its comprehensive data visualisation and business intelligence capabilities, it helps you explore and present data interactively, making complex information easier to understand and act upon.
• MonkeyLearn: Ideal for sentiment analysis and text extraction. This tool can dig through guest reviews and feedback, revealing what your guests are truly saying and feeling, even if they're subtle about it.
• DataRobot: Great for predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making. Think of it as your crystal ball powered by advanced algorithms, helping you foresee trends and make informed decisions based on solid data.
• Microsoft Power BI: Excellent for interactive data visualisation and seamless integration with other Microsoft tools. It's like giving your data a professional makeover, making it not only look good but also highly functional.
• Google Cloud AutoML: If you're looking for a tool that lets you build custom machine-learning models without needing extensive coding skills, this is your go-to. It helps you analyse and optimise your data with Google’s powerful AI.

Whether you're a data novice or a seasoned pro, there's something here to help you make sense of the numbers and boost your hotel's performance.

Language translation to appeal to a wide audience

Losing guests because your website isn't in their language is surely undesirable—especially when there are so many tools to help you avoid that. To appeal to a wider audience, it's crucial to have your website translated. Quality translations of your website's offers are one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks. Yet, speaking your guests’ language makes them feel truly understood.

Did you know that 40% of people will never buy from a website that's not in their native language? With the help of AI-powered translation tools, your hotel won't miss out on reaching your guests. Tools like DeepL and ChatGPT can fully translate your site, ensuring all content is accessible and engaging for international visitors. These tools understand the unique grammatical and semantic styles of different languages, creating more accurate translation outputs. This helps in effectively communicating with guests, understanding their concerns, providing exemplary service, and obtaining their feedback—all of which enhance the customer experience at every stage.

For personalised offers, you can use Hotelchamp's AI Translator. This tool translates your website messages into the languages you choose, saving you time and money while adding essential personalisation to your hotel's website. Once you add a new language to your website message’s design, all the available text is translated—from the text within your offer to buttons and notifications. Plus, you can tweak each version without affecting the other translations.

By using these AI tools, you ensure your website is accessible to a global audience, boosting guest satisfaction and increasing direct bookings. Whether you're translating simple phrases or entire web pages, these tools will help you break down language barriers and connect with your guests on a deeper level.

Creating personalised guest experiences

Personalisation isn't just a buzzword; it’s essential for guest satisfaction and loyalty. In fact, 86% of consumers say personalisation influences their purchase decisions. Leveraging Generative AI can help you deliver experiences tailored to your guests' unique preferences and needs.

Generative AI allows you to analyse guest data, like previous stays and feedback, to create customised experiences. For example, if guests frequently browse spa packages, you can offer targeted health and well-being deals. This tailored approach can significantly improve engagement and conversion rates, helping you understand and meet your guests' needs better.

AI-driven marketing on platforms like Google and Meta can also help you target specific segments and create look-alike models to attract similar guests. This means your marketing efforts are more likely to reach the right people, turning browsers into bookers.

Plus, AI can craft personalised communications. Imagine sending a guest an email recommending activities they enjoyed last time or offering a discount on their favourite room. This level of personalisation enhances the guest experience and builds long-term loyalty.

How to effectively use generative AI for personalisation

1. Gather data: Collect data from booking history, preferences, and feedback forms.
2. Analyse data: Use AI tools to identify patterns and preferences. Refer to the data analysis techniques we discussed earlier for insights.
3. Generate recommendations: Use AI models like ChatGPT to create personalised recommendations and communication templates.
4. Implement and iterate: Apply these personalised recommendations in your marketing campaigns, emails, and services. Continuously refine based on guest feedback and new data.

By integrating AI into your personalisation strategy, you make every guest feel special and valued, turning stays into memorable experiences and fostering repeat business. This approach ensures your personalisation efforts are effective and always improving, enhancing guest satisfaction and boosting your hotel’s performance.

Wrapping up: using Generative AI for your hotel website

Generative AI is revolutionising the hospitality industry. It enables hotels to enhance guest experiences, streamline operations, and stay ahead of the competition. By leveraging AI for content creation, chatbots, website optimisation, language translation, and personalisation, you can boost direct bookings and drive revenue growth. Embrace these AI technologies to exceed guest expectations, foster loyalty, and elevate your hotel's performance.

To learn more about Hotelchamp’s AI-powered features, contact us via live chat or at welcome@hotelchamp.com, or book a free consultation.