We interviewed Daniel Lopez Sinués, creator of diversityhoteles.com, a valid alternative from customers and employers point of view. To find deals on luxury accommodation, and also, reach customers predisposed to lower costs for the Spanish hotelier.
C4T:¿What is Diversity Hoteles and how does it works?
Daniel López Sinués: Diversity Hotels is a tool for users to contact hotels on line.
On the one hand there is the relationship we have with the internet user. We bring them the best hotels, directly to their websites, where he may choose the hotel that suits him better.
On the other hand, we propose a new formula to hotels; to only pay for the traffic we will generate through our website, quality traffic (only people looking for hotels), having constant control of the budget they want to invest to work with us.So, Hotels have a powerful tool where basically there are only advantages and no inconvenient.
C4T: ¿What kind of hotels will I find?
DLS: Due to Diversity’s positioning and visibility formula, we had to opt for a screening method. From the beginning we only accept 3-stars hotels and above, but with a special charm or something to stand out the ordinary; its location, design, or any other reason.
Therefore, when users visit Diversity Hoteles, apart from visual design work, in which we have invested many hours, there is the satisfaction of having an average time spent in our website of more than eight minutes. Here, the prospective client enjoys searching between the hotels we work with.
C4T: ¿Which is the benefit of becoming a member of Diversity Hoteles?
DLS: As I said, there are many advantages without disadvantages. Hotels that use Diversity to generate more traffic to their website get:
• Control over their budget; no surprises about ulterior intermediary costs.
• Previous knowledge of click value in each visit.
• To be linked in a quality webpage, of growing potential.
• A tool adjustable to every hotel necessity.
• Option to immediate promotional deals.
• No extra work in changing rates; the only thing necessary for hotels is to have an updated website.
• Self-managed tool for changing any information, from campaigns to photos or descriptions.
• Money invested doesn’t expire; every user’s click is subtracted from the initial amount.
• It generates traffic on hotel’s website.
C4T:¿What’s the benefit for final costumer over other reservation options?
DLS: The client is the biggest beneficiary of this matter. When hotels become aware of the fact that they don’t need to spend that much on intermediaries, they’ll be able to adjust benefit margins and offer competitive prices for consumers.
On the other hand, is safe to say that nobody offers better prices than us because of the fact that the user makes his reservation directly on hotel’s website, who, as a matter of fact has the best price over his facilities. If not so, we fight to change it.
C4T:¿Which one is for you the biggest problem on today’s hotel commercialization method?
DLS: Commercialization problems certainly exist in hotel business, and from my point of view, the biggest ones are:
• Overcrowding of Media: thousands of tools, formulas, systems where hotelier, who always has a limited budget for this matters, ends up being lost in the immensity, diluting the original efforts made for commercialization.
• Lack of professionalism and short knowledge, not about the product but about adequate techniques and how to apply them; need for well define plans, with their respective budget figures and qualified workers.
C4T:¿What areas you think need urgent improvement?
DLS: Personally I think hotel companies should use outsourcing more often in commercial department. Just like linen or catering, an outside company should be in charge of hotel commercialization. Not only for the knowledge they may be able to contribute with, but also with an external vision of the product that, added to hotel’s staff, can deliver an effective modus operandi in every case.
C4T:¿What Growth Strategy does Diversity Hoteles put in practice?
DLS: At the moment we aim to reach the entire Spanish market and build a good image in it. Our growth is being accelerated compared to our internet competitors; it has reached maturity. We are aware that having a new product in the market implies competing with those who are already placed in it. But for that matter, we provide new formulas, leaving immediacy aside and inviting the user to experiment hotel options from our website; building a new niche in the market.
We have also proposals from hotels outside Spain who want to work with us, places in Europe or outside, like Australia. We’ll have to wait some time for all that… not much for sure.
C4T: In your opinion, do you think hotels are technologically prepared to the new commercialization modalities?
DLS: Obviously the sector needs to be restructured, but not necessarily a drastic revolution. In every hotel facility there has been a change to computerized systems, paper culture is obsolete and less and less used. We have recycled workers but also new people coming with studies, and occupying positions of management.
These records are an advantage to assume the restructuration.
Internet offers today free tools or low cost utensils for disclosing a product. It is necessary to have also, the knowledge and planning skills to assemble these tools into a Marketing Master Plan, and the people prepared to do it effectively.
The returns of any investment done in this direction will be fruitful, that is the case of other countries that are ahead of us in this matters.
C4T: Thanks Daniel for shearing your knowledge and passion for hotels commercialization matters; we wish you great success for diversityhoteles.com and go on generating value in the sector.
|
