15 Years: #14 of 15

14.   The Internet is the number one way you can grow or slow your business.
Fifteen years ago, I remember using DOS and WordPerfect and that plain-paper fax machines were the big new thing.  Fast forward and the Internet has changed how we do business.

Let me ask you this:  Did you look at the hotel's website of the last vacation you took?  Did you almost stay somewhere else?  Why?  Maybe it was because of rate, but I venture to say you probably selected your resort destination because it was beautifully represented on the web.  Am I wrong?

Forgive me if I get a little preachy, but chances are about 98% that most people reading this haven't done one thing for their website or on-line representation in the past two months.  (Chances are 100% however that no people are actually reading this.)  That unfortunate because two months is an eternity on the web.   If you haven't looked at your website lately, looked at your competitors website, or Googled or search for your business in the past two months, you are so far behind the eight ball you can't even see the pool table.  The Internet is the #1 way you can be making money for your hotel right now and the best part is, most of it is free.  How?

• Editing the way your entire hotel is described.... free.
• Adding new photos or links to your web-site... free.
• Monitoring your hotel's reviews on travel advisory sites like Trip Advisor or Yelp.... free.
• Making sure your address, phone number, map, and pictures are updated on search engine sites... free.
• Ensuring special offers or packages are listed on your homepage.... free.
• Sucking up to the local representatives at third-party sites like Hotels.com or Expedia.com to beg for better placement, if only temporarily.... free.
• Signing your business up for social media sites like Linked In, Facebook, or Twitter... free, but be careful that it's not a complete waste of time:  If you are a hotel, you have to give them a reason to care.

There is so much you can do on the Internet and it will actually make you money.  So take a break from sending your Facebook friends fairies, and do a little reconnaisance on how to improve your hotel's online representation.