Knowledge Base

Importance of domain name

First impression of your hotel highly depends on the website domain name. The domain name is often the first thing customers see, so it can shape their initial perception of your hotel.

From the branding point of view, a good domain name can contribute to a strong brand identity and help differentiate your hotel from competitors.

Additionally, including keywords can improve search engine visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find your hotel online.

Basic rules

Select a domain zone

A domain name can be with different domain extensions like .com, .net, .edu, .org.

When choosing a domain name for a hotel, it's generally recommended to prioritize the .com extension. It's the most widely recognized and trusted domain extension, which can lend credibility to the hotel's online presence.

If the .com extension for the desired domain name is not available, considering the .net or .hotel extensions can be an alternative.

Alternatively, you can use national domain extension – it designates the country where the hotel is located. If the hotel is located in Italy, it makes sense to register a location-based domain with the extension .it.

Choose a simple name

It is important to choose a simple, short, easy to pronounce and spell, euphonious domain name. So it is easier for your guests to remember your website name and to find it on the Internet.

Make the domain name relevant

Include the hotel name and location into the domain name to make it relevant to potential guests and search engines. For example, if your hotel name was “Travel” and the located was in New York, it would be right to choose “travelNYC.com” as the domain name. Sometimes, it happens that the domain name you want is currently in use by someone else. In this case you may use similar domain names like travelhotelNYC.com, hoteltravelNY.com, travel-hotel.com.

Avoid hyphens and numbers

As hyphens and numbers can make the domain name harder to remember and type, try to avoid them.

Abbreviation in the domain name

In some cases, when the hotel name consists of several words, you may use the abbreviation in a domain name. Please note that long and complex abbreviations may be unuseful. For example, the abbreviation kpltwlm.com is too difficult to read and remember.

Brand consistency

Maintain consistency with the hotel's brand identity when incorporating the name and location into the domain (Business documents, Social Media, GMB, etc).

Check availability

You may check whether the domain is available for registering using a Whois search tool.

Domain length

The optimal character length for a domain name is generally considered to be under 15-17 characters. This length is easy to remember, type, and visually appealing.

A long domain name is generally not ideal. Long domain names can be difficult for customers to remember, type, share and more prone to spelling errors. Additionally, they can be counter-SEO due to keyword stuffing, poor user experience, and challenges in branding.

An example of an optimal domain name could be "SunnyBeachHotel.com". It's relatively short, includes relevant keywords, and is easy for customers to remember.

Who the domain should be registered for

Some business owners and managers often assign a domain registration task to one of their team members. This person might register a domain for his/her name and become the domain owner. If this person resigns for some reason, the domain name will remain at his/her disposal. That's why it is important to think it over before registering a domain.

Domain name formula

A simple formula for creating a hotel domain name could be: [HotelName][Location].com

For example, if the hotel is named "Sunset View" and is located in Miami, the domain name could be "SunsetViewMiami.com".

This formula is Search Engine Optimized because it incorporates relevant keywords (hotel name and location) directly into the domain name. This can improve search engine visibility and help potential guests find the hotel more easily online.

It's important to note that while the suggested formula can be SEO optimized, it's not compulsory. Other creative and brand-specific domain names can also be effective for hotels.