How Ovolo Hotels used Tripadvisor’s Business Advantage and Metasearch to build their brand and increase traffic by 300%

You know you’ve made it as a brand when you hear competitors say you’re the one to beat.

Building a solid brand — one that comes top-of-mind for travelers looking to vacation in sunny Bali or bustling Hong Kong — isn’t easy. Luxury boutique hotel group Ovolo Hotels is known for great hospitality and attention to detail, with several properties winning Tripadvisor’s coveted Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best in 2023. But award-winning service only goes so far when it comes to visibility, especially attracting travelers from around the world.

That’s where Tripadvisor comes in. The team at Ovolo Hotels partnered with us in 2021 to build a stronger online brand and drive more direct bookings.

“Ovolo Hotels has a strong brand and experience, which supports strong organic and direct traffic, but we can’t rely on this alone,” says Stephen Howard, Group Director of Marketing. “As any hotelier or traveler will know, Tripadvisor often plays a role in the decision-making journey. It’s critical to have a presence on Tripadvisor.”

In the last two years, their efforts on Tripadvisor led to a 300% increase in traffic to hotel listings and 170% increase in direct referrals across eleven properties in the Asia-Pacific region. Here’s how they did it:

Stand out from the competition with Metasearch and Business Advantage

The boutique hotel group first opted for Metasearch, our hotel auction product, which shows rates and availability for an accommodation on hotel list and detail pages. With our Metasearch product, hotel partners benefit from having their competitive direct room rate in a highly visible location among Online Travel Agency offers.

Having a strong presence in Metasearch results is critical for business. If you’re not in the top results for any search engine or meta platform, you can say goodbye to one of the biggest channel drivers.

Stephen Howard, Group Director of Marketing

In addition to Meta, our partner activated Business Advantage across their multi-property portfolio which gave Ovolo Hotels an edge on Tripadvisor. Business Advantage gives them much more control over their properties’ online presence, showcasing the best of what each property has to offer in a way that matches their brand in real life.

Business Advantage unlocks special listing enhancement features that turn your Tripadvisor listing into an immersive experience. Your future guests can feel like they’re ordering their first poolside drink or meeting friends in the lobby for a day of adventure. This includes features such as:

• Creating an eye-catching Storyboard of photos, videos, and review snippets that show your property at its best
• Adding Contact Details to the top of each hotel’s listing
• Featuring a Favorite Review that truly captures what it’s like to stay at the property

One feature that has been especially useful for Ovolo Hotels is Special Offers. This gives prime real estate to promote direct bookings ahead of any OTA offers. For example, Ovolo Woolloomooloo is currently offering a special cozy-themed package just in time for the winter season in Australia:

What makes Special Offers great for luxury properties like Ovolo Woolloomooloo is that it doesn’t mean you have to play with prices — that is, unless you want to offer a discount. Instead, you can choose from a variety of deals designed to nudge travelers to choose your property, such as upgrades, loyalty points, food and beverage credit, free parking, and more. Special Offers guides potential guests to book directly with you.

“E-commerce is heavily price-led, and if you’re not in the top results for any search engine, you can say goodbye to it as a channel,” says Howard. “Ovolo needs to balance this [price-driven model] with what’s best for the brand, and connect with its guests emotionally. Listing our Special Offers is just one way we’re using Business Advantage to entice direct bookers.”

With Tripadvisor,  direct referrals increased by 170%

Howard and the team at Ovolo Hotels are committed to providing their guests with the best experience, but before then, they need to get them through the door. To do that requires creating a connection — can a traveler really see themselves at the property? Says Howard, “Tripadvisor Business Advantage allows Ovolo [Hotels] to stand out from the competition in one of our most important and competitive channels.”

In just two years of partnering with Tripadvisor, Ovolo Hotels has already seen major results. So far, they’ve:

• Increased traffic across 11 properties by 300% between 2021-2023
• Increased referral clicks across 6 properties by 170% between 2021-2023

“Partnering with Tripadvisor allows for us to connect with the potential guest earlier in the decision making process,” says Howard. “Ovolo [Hotels] values brand and brand experience so we expect these trends to continue as more new guests stay at Ovolo [Hotels].”