The path from social media to the booking
Someone sees your post, opens your profile, taps a link, books. Every extra step loses people: a link that goes to the website homepage instead of the calendar, a page that looks bad on a phone, a form that’s too long.
- The bio link goes straight to your booking engine, or to your availability page.
- The page loads fast and reads well on a phone: that’s where most clicks land.
- The direct price is clear, with what’s included.
Give guests a reason to book with you
Since the French law of August 6, 2015, known as the Macron law, a hotelier remains free to grant guests any discount or price advantage, and a clause to the contrary in a contract with a platform is deemed unwritten (article L311-5-1 of the French Tourism Code). So you can offer a better deal direct.
The perk doesn’t have to be a lower price: free breakfast, early check-in, late checkout, a local bottle of wine. Say it in your posts and on the booking page.
Messages and comments
Many requests come in by direct message or in the comments. A quick reply, with the price or availability and the direct booking link, keeps the request with you. A post can invite people to write a specific word to get your rates: every request lands in the same place and nothing gets lost.
Without a booking engine
Many B&Bs and vacation rentals take bookings by phone or message. The link can then lead to a simple page: your phone number, WhatsApp, your email address, your availability if you keep it up to date. What matters is that the guest knows how to reach you in one tap.
Knowing which post drives bookings
To connect a booking to a post, add tracking parameters to your links (“utm” parameters, which Google Analytics can read) or use a different link for each post. Your website stats then show where visits and bookings come from.
Keep what’s confirmed, a booking you can find in your calendar, separate from what’s estimated, a click that may have led to a call.
And on Google
Hotels can also appear for free in Google Hotels results with a link to their own website, through free booking links in Google’s Hotel Center. Your booking engine or channel manager can often set this up: ask them.