Hotels are one of the industries most affected by the current Corona crisis. And since the search for a hotel often starts with a look in Google and ends with the booking via the hotel website, the influence of Corona or Covid-19 also affects the numbers in our analysis tools.
We evaluated the development of click numbers on organic search results in the hotel sector, as well as organic traffic on hotel pages and Google My Business figures.
A few words about the analysis
Comparison period: March ’20 with February ’20
Data basis:
– Google Search Console
– Google Analytics
– Google My Business
The result is clear.
Impressions and clicks on search results (data source: Google Search Console)
Currently, we are severely limited in terms of travel and the need to stay in hotels. Companies use video conferencing instead of holding on-site appointments. Business trips have become less frequent; instead, we work out of our home offices. Business trips have become less frequent; instead, we work out of our home offices.
Website visitors and booking requests (data source: Google Analytics)
The clicks in the SERPs (on search results) then result in actual traffic or users on the website. Accordingly, fewer visitors are currently coming to the pages. Booking inquiries are also down, of course, up to 65% on average compared to February.
User engagement and search behavior (data source: Google My Business)
If hardly anyone searches for hotels anymore, user engagement is correspondingly low. Hardly any calls, calls for directions or clicks to the hotel’s website.
At 70%, the highest decrease is in searches for the hotels, their services and products, or related searches involving the hotels.
The longer the current situation with all its restrictions lasts, the greater the economic damage it will cause – and not only to hotels.
However, it is also certain that this critical situation, which is new for all of us and with which we must learn to cope, will eventually pass again.
From Martin Luther King comes the following very appropriate sentence:
In every crisis, there is not only an opportunity, but also a possibility.
Do you operate one or perhaps several hotels? Then feel free to contact us. We have already completed many successful projects in the hotel industry and can help you move forward with our expertise in hotel marketing.
