How La Passion Hanoi Hotel & Spa Increased Direct Bookings by 100% for the Peak Season During Off-Season

About La Passion Hanoi Hotel & Spa

La Passion Hanoi Hotel & Spa is a boutique hotel located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam. The hotel is close to key attractions like the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater, Hoan Kiem Lake, and Trang Tien Plaza. Guests can easily explore a range of landmarks, including St. Joseph Cathedral and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, within a brief walk from the hotel.

The hotel offers 35 uniquely designed rooms that cater to travelers looking for a relaxing weekend getaway. Guests can enjoy the restaurant, the rooftop coffee bar, and the spa. Moreover, the hotel offers exclusive cruise tours, allowing guests to explore the beauty of Hanoi from a different perspective.

Goals

• Double direct bookings

• Double the traffic on the website 

• Decrease dependence on bookings from OTA (Online Travel Agencies)

• Expand the guest base by obtaining guest details through direct booking

• Pay off the marketing investment (Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) >2)

In Hanoi, June is the low-season month. It rains throughout the month, and the weather is extremely hot. During this season the number of guests in the hotel is significantly reduced, resulting in decreased hotel revenue. The primary goal for La Passion Hanoi Hotel & Spa was to increase revenue and boost website traffic, even during non-profit months. 

One of the main aims was to get more people to book directly on the hotel's website. The hotel wanted to increase its direct bookings and reduce the share of bookings from OTAs. By focusing on direct bookings, the hotel could make more money and build a loyal guest base.

Solution

The Exely Customer Success team suggested an ad campaign to attract more guests during the low season. Together with hotel representatives, we developed a step-by-step plan and assigned a manager to monitor the metrics and optimize the campaign. 

Google Ads Campaign 

• Brand Search Campaign: In order to attract potential customers to the hotel's website rather than to the OTAs, Exely ran ads to push the link to the hotel's website to the top of the Google search results. Exely launched the ad in the top 4 countries with the highest tourist traffic in English and Vietnamese for local tourists. 

• Google Performance Max: Exely launched the ad to reach a broader audience that searches for a hotel in the same location and on the same parameters as the advertised hotel. Ads were displayed across all Google sites using an AI algorithm, including contextual media, search engines, YouTube and Maps. This real-time campaign optimized performance based on the conversion goals the hotel set. The campaign helped the hotel increase the website conversion.

Both campaigns, Brand and Google Performance Max, reinforced each other by covering as many Google websites as possible and increasing traffic volume.

Campaign Strategy

Step 1: Improve the hotel website and create a unique offer for potential guests. Exely audited the website before launching ads and fixed the problems that could affect the booking process. 

Exely Marketing team identified the hotel’s USP (unique selling proposition) and UVP (unique value proposition) for the advertisements. Then Exely and La Passion Hanoi Hotel & Spa created an appealing special offer available only via the website.

To ensure that the guests would choose the website offer over OTAs, the hotel settled the price parity - aligned Booking Engine price with rates in distribution channels to settle the price parity. 

Step 2: Create an ad strategy to aim goals. To increase the website’s visibility and gain more website traffic, Exely Marketing team used a 4-step funnel in Google Analytics and set up Hotel Ads. Exely Marketing team analyzed which campaigns to run for more effective results. Exely identified the top four target countries, collected keywords and content, and created an attractive offer. 

Result

Exely focused on driving traffic through Google Ads Campaign to maximize visibility and engagement. 

By fine-tuning the hotel's website, optimizing pricing, and identifying unique selling offers, Exely Marketing team encouraged more users to book directly on the La Passion Hanoi Hotel & Spa’s website.

• The number of bookings from the hotel website has increased by 95% (x2) compared to the peak month.

• Room nights increased by 185% (x3) compared to the peak month.

• Revenue from direct bookings grew by 102% (x2) compared to the peak month. 

• Booking Engine traffic increased by 100% (x2). 

• Website traffic grew by 200% (x3).

• The marketing campaign recouped the investments and sold rooms at a ten times higher value (ROMI x10).