How Hotels Use Competitor Data on Metasearch
Learn how hotels leverage competitor data on metasearch platforms to enhance pricing strategies, ad performance, and direct bookings.
Hotels can boost bookings and stay competitive by analyzing competitor data on metasearch platforms like Google Hotel Ads, TripAdvisor, and Trivago. Here’s how:
Quick Tip: Use high-quality photos, clear descriptions, and highlight unique amenities to stand out. Competitor insights can guide better pricing, ad strategies, and content improvements, all while maximizing ROI.
How to Make a Hotel Pricing Strategy in Time for Peak Season
Analyzing Competitor Performance Metrics
To run a successful metasearch campaign, you need to keep a close eye on competitor performance metrics. This data helps hotels make smarter decisions, improve their market position, and boost direct bookings.
Pricing and Rate Parity
Tracking rate parity across metasearch platforms can reveal pricing patterns. Here are some key areas to monitor:
Metric
What to Monitor
Why It Matters
Base Rates
Daily rate changes
Understand pricing trends and adapt to seasonal shifts
Special Offers
Promotional rates and packages
Identify opportunities to stand out
Rate Disparity
Inconsistent pricing across booking platforms
Ensure a consistent pricing strategy
Since competitors frequently adjust their rates based on demand and occupancy, real-time tracking is essential.
Ad Performance
Ad performance metrics like Impression Share (how often your property appears) and CTR (click-through rate) are critical for gauging visibility and engagement. Pay close attention to:
These insights can help refine your bidding strategies and improve ad copy, keeping your campaigns competitive.
"Hotels use data analytics tools to help analyze and interpret competitor data, ensuring data accuracy by regularly updating their data feeds"
Conversion Rates
Analyzing conversion rates shows how well your metasearch listings perform against competitors. Focus on these metrics:
Tools like Seekda and Mews, along with AI-driven platforms, can offer detailed insights into these metrics. AI solutions, in particular, can uncover trends and opportunities that might go unnoticed with manual analysis.
Once you've reviewed these metrics, the next step is to fine-tune your metasearch campaigns to achieve even better results.
Improving Your Hotel's Metasearch Listings
Analyzing your competitors' metrics is a smart way to refine your hotel's metasearch presence and stand out in a crowded space. Optimized listings can boost engagement by 138% and increase booking inquiries by 225% [1].
Enhancing Descriptions and Photos
Great visuals and clear descriptions are key to grabbing attention. Focus on these areas:
Content Type
Best Practices
Use high-resolution images of rooms, amenities, and common areas.
Include details about amenities, room size, and standout features.
Highlight location perks, signature services, and recent renovations.
Check out competitor listings to spot gaps and create better descriptions. For example, if other hotels focus only on business amenities, you could emphasize both business and leisure features to appeal to a wider range of travelers.
Once you've polished your content, shift the focus to what makes your property different from the rest.
Highlighting Amenities and Differentiators
Showcase what makes your property special and how it meets travelers' specific needs.
To increase visibility:
Regularly review competitor listings to find new ways to stand out. For instance, if others aren't promoting sustainability efforts, this could be your chance to shine on metasearch platforms.
With an optimized listing and clear selling points, you're ready to use these insights to fine-tune your campaigns.
sbb-itb-de1328c
Using Competitor Insights for Campaigns
Turn competitor data into actionable strategies by focusing on key performance metrics from metasearch platforms.
Adjusting Bidding
Fine-tune your bidding approach by keeping an eye on competitor performance. Here are some strategies to consider:
Bidding Factor
Strategy
Raise bids during high-demand periods to stay competitive.
Lower bids while maintaining visibility to control costs.
Adjust bids to align with local events and trends.
Adapt dynamically based on real-time competitor pricing and actions.
Use tools like Google Hotel Ads to automate bid changes based on competitor prices and demand trends [2]. Once your bidding strategy is in place, shift your attention to refining your targeting and ad messaging for better results.
Improving Targeting and Ad Copy
Identify market gaps through competitor analysis and use these insights to improve your targeting and create compelling ad copy. Focus on these key areas:
Studying competitor ads can help you sharpen your messaging and stay ahead in a crowded market.
Using AI Solutions Like Sail
AI platforms can simplify hotel marketing by automating complex tasks. Sail, for example, uses AI to manage bidding and targeting, helping hotels boost direct bookings with a pay-per-booking model. This eliminates upfront ad costs while optimizing campaign performance across metasearch platforms.
Some key advantages include:
Conclusion: Staying Competitive with Insights
Using competitor data from metasearch platforms has become a must for hotels aiming to stay ahead in today’s digital marketplace. This access to market data helps hotels make smarter decisions and fine-tune their marketing strategies.
Key Areas to Focus On
To get the most out of competitor data analysis in your metasearch efforts, concentrate on these areas:
Focus Area
How to Implement
Benefits
Regularly track competitor pricing and performance
Smarter pricing decisions and better rate parity
Study competitor amenities and selling points
Stand out with unique listings and ad copy
Use real-time data to tweak bids and targeting
Higher ROI and better conversions
Adopt AI-driven automation tools
More efficient operations and smoother workflows
"The future of hotel reservations lies in the power of meta search. As competition intensifies, hotels must leverage the transparency, flexibility, and data-driven insights offered by meta search platforms to remain competitive"
By focusing on these strategies, hotels can build a stronger position in a crowded market. Pricing trends, bidding adjustments, and ad performance data provide the tools needed for a solid metasearch approach.
Combining competitor analysis with a clear value proposition is the secret to success on metasearch platforms. With the help of channel managers or integration partners [3], hotels can expand their reach across multiple platforms while reducing reliance on OTAs. Staying data-driven and playing to their strengths will help hotels succeed in the ever-changing digital space.
FAQs
How does competition affect the hotel industry?
Competition plays a key role in shaping pricing strategies and overall profitability in the hotel sector. Here's a breakdown of competitive factors on metasearch platforms:
Influences direct bookings
Keep a close eye on competitor rates
Impacts pricing flexibility
Emphasize standout amenities
Affects conversions
Fine-tune listings and content
Hotels with strong reviews and high-quality photos can often charge 10-15% more, proving the importance of competitive analysis.
To stay ahead, real-time tracking and performance metrics are crucial. These tools, paired with competitor insights, help hotels fine-tune their campaigns and stand out in crowded markets.
Key strategies for using competitor insights effectively:
AI-powered tools streamline data analysis and campaign optimization, giving hotels a competitive edge. For example, Sail's platform helps hotels make informed decisions about pricing and positioning while managing campaigns across multiple metasearch platforms with ease.
