Jorge Marginet, Emperador Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Alberto Martinez-Fonts, Jr., Saddlebrook Resort, Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Ron Rugowski, Forrester Research.

A growing number of hoteliers are using online merchandising tools to differentiate their property from competitors.

"When we talk about the e-market and e-commerce, we put our eye on the future every day," said Jorge Marginet, revenue manager of the Emperador Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "That's a difference between us and our competitors."

A year ago, these changes focused on representative, 360-degree views of the 265-room luxury property. But of late, Marginet has been implementing search engine optimization tools that direct changes in how their Web site's landing page appears depending on which search engine directory or partner site the prospective guest is coming from.

This month, the Emperador's Web site is working with TravelClick to implement a booking engine that will determine which keywords on search sites customers are using to find the hotel's Web site, and then what behavior (pages visited, length of time spent, which order the pages are viewed) the customer engages in when they are on the site. 

Marginet allows for the strong possibility of tweaking the Web site content to maximize this info.

"None, or very few, of our competitors have this tool," he said.

Not that Emperador is waiting for these results to come in before taking the next steps. Every week to two weeks, additional pages are added to the Web site that tout new services and special promotions.

As a resort property with an emphasis on conference clients rather than transient guests, Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla., has long emphasized packages, according to Alberto Martinez-Fonts, Jr. director of marketing, advertising and public relations at Saddlebrook.

"For a long time, we did not have (Web site) access to sell packages," Martinez-Fonts said. “Part of the problem was a lack of ability to configure multiple options for each member of an incoming group. Some, for example, might want the golf package, some the spa, some neither.”

So in the fall of 2006, the company upgraded its site to allow guests to also book a golf package or spa package online.

"The results have been tremendous," he said.

Saddlebrook also added e-commerce features for merchandising. Martinez-Fonts says this feature perpetuates brand loyalty beyond the initial visit.

Next on the Web site merchandising agenda will be using search engine optimization techniques to enhance the site's findability and productivity.

Saddlebrook Resort, Wesley Chapel, Fla.

The Wildwood Lodge Hotel of Greater Des Moines, Iowa in Clive, Iowa, added some new merchandising features in the last year, including the ability to book the property's romance, family and golf packages. Guests also can sign up for additional services at the time of reservation, including breakfast in bed, a shoe polishing service and even turn-down service for the guestroom bed.

Wildwood Lodge Hotel of Greater Des Moines, Clive, Iowa.

Tony Allen, g.m., and Scott Math, regional manager for Wildwood parent Heart of America Restaurants and Inns, agreed that online bookings increased between 5 to 10 percent of all monthly bookings to between 12 and 15 percent of all room nights after adding the functionality to the Web site. While they are unable to say exactly how much of this increase is specifically related to these new capabilities, they feel these new online services are nothing but a positive.

"I think these (capabilities) have both added some dollars to a reservation, as well as creating a feeling on the part of that guest to return," Allen said. "They want to return because they've become accustomed to that level of service."

The ease of booking stay-enhancing quality extras helps create a visit that becomes a positive memory, leading guests to ultimately rebook.

Creating a positive online experience

So, which of these new merchandising options should hoteliers consider? Ron Rogowski, a Forrester Research analyst who covers the lodging industry, offered some recommendations.

"When hoteliers think about their Web sites, there are a number of opportunities," Rogowski said. "First and foremost, people need the information necessary that is important for them to make a booking. If you are a business traveler, and you want a well-equipped gym, just don't say that your hotel has a gym, but provide details about what is in that gym.”

"What format that content takes is another matter," he added. "Understand that when people make booking decisions based on visual content, they want to see what the room looks like and not be fooled. “

Then, there is the actual booking process. Rogowski said there are financial advantages in offering online booking. The cost for an online booking through a call center is about $1 online, compared to $6 over the phone to an on-staff CRS.

That being the case, there are problems and limitations with using an HTML-based online booking engine that, as Rogowski said, only offers a linear, form-based process: name, address, click.

Rogowski recommended that the best under-the-hood strategy for an easier booking experience would be to implement a form-based process into a single screen or "accordion-based" presentation that could allow a number of informational features and options to be displayed simultaneously in a prospective guest's Web browser.

These comparatively new capabilities are enhanced by some new Web-based scripts and platforms such as Ajax.

Not only do these platforms allow the guest to absorb lots of information without having to visit numerous site pages, but they greatly reduce the risk of data (and maybe even the in-process reservation) being lost. For example, if a guest makes a typo while making a reservation, then hits the backspace key to correct, it is entirely possible to lose all the other information previously entered.

Rogowski noted that for certain classes of hotels, rich interfaces can serve up additional promotional and booking capabilities, such as paying for parking up front or booking a spa treatment.

Despite these cool new Web site tools, Rogowski urges hoteliers to keep the overarching goal first and foremost.

"It's the (Web site) content that sells your brand. First and foremost, you want your content to be reflective of your brand." he said.