Out of curiosity, I thought of booking one for my upcoming road trip. But it was an arduous task since I had a handful of options to choose from. 

That left me with a couple of thoughts – What happened to motels? Are they not in the picture anymore?

My curious mind got the better of me and found out about their pain points. One of them was motel marketing strategies. 

I am addressing that pain point here and sharing exclusive motel marketing hacks that can improve their visibility among guests.

What are motels?

Motels (Motor hotels) are accommodation facilities along the highways primarily for motorists and night travelers. 

Motels originated in the 1900s when the highway’s development and construction in the US were at their peak. This paved a way for travelers to go on interstate road trips.

However, traveling to some destinations required 2-3 days of continuous driving. In order to relax during the journey, motorists had to sleep in their vehicles, stay at rickety farmhouses or rely on scruffy cabin camps. 

In order to help them, Arthur S. Heineman opened the world’s 1st motel “Milestone Mo-Tel (Known as Motel Inn)” in San Luis Obispo, California, on December 12, 1925.

With time, there was an upsurge in motorists, leading to an exponential rise of motels across the world. However, motels had a short life span. 

In the 1980s, a boom in hotel chains and construction of freeways led to closure of many motels. As stated by Mark Okrant, in one of his famous works “No Vacancy: The Rise, Fall and Reprise of America’s Motels” – 

There were 61,000 motels present in America during 1964, which reduced drastically to 16,000 in 2012. 

Considering those figures, you can figure out the situations weren’t favourable for motels. However, after the pandemic, these ‘Mom and pop motels’, got traction in their business. 

How do motels differ from hotels?

Though motels are part of the hospitality industry, they differ from hotels on various levels. Here are 4 major differences between them.

• Location – The concept of motels came into existence primarily because of roadways. They are located away from the city along the expressways with a gas station or 24*7 convenience stores nearby. 
• Architecture – Motels don’t have a large construction, and luxurious rooms. They are generally single-storeyed, and have rooms that are accessible from parking. Some motels do have a provision of a kitchenette. 
• Amenities – Unlike hotels, motels are not loaded with amenities, they focus primarily on the parking space. The room design is quite simple and instead of fancy amenities, it is furnished with a bed, a small cupboard, a study table and toiletries.
• Staff – Since motels are small sized properties with limited rooms, they are manageable with a couple of staff members. With reception and housekeeping being the only operational areas, it becomes easier to run motels. 
• Purpose of stay – Guests approach motels for a brief stay. It is either for a couple of hours or overnight to rest after a long day’s drive. 
• Costing – Motels are comparatively cheaper than hotels because of low operating costs and minimum service to be provided to guests.

What are some essential motel marketing strategies?

Motels had a hype among travellers. The Historic Route 66 in the U.S. was once a popular location among motorists.

The route encompassed numerous motels over a stretch of 3900 km. However, most of them are now heritage properties, while the remaining ones are struggling with low guest count.

It’s not only in the US, but motels in other countries are suffering from the same situation. Let’s take a look at some unique motel marketing strategies.  

a. Be available on Google 

One of the prime reasons for motels to lose guests is the missing presence on Google.

It’s no secret that Google is the epitome of information. The development of Google maps and street view, made it easier to navigate and travel at any destination.

With the option of ‘search nearby’, one can easily locate motels in the vicinity. You should consider listing your motel on Google my business for better visibility. 

However, registering isn’t enough, you must optimise it for maximum results. You can refer to this blog to understand how to do that.  

Optimise Google My Business for your property

b. List your motel on OTAs

With OTAs, the hospitality industry saw a revolution in online booking. Easy access to properties across the world gave OTAs recognition among guests. 

Motels don’t have any specific OTAs where they can list out their properties. I would recommend going with popular ones like Booking.com, Agoda, GoMMT, and Expedia. 

It would be better to fill in correct information and geo-tag your location properly, since the probability of finding a landmark on a highway is challenging. Don’t forget to check that your location pinned on the Google map is accurate. 

Many motels have hourly tariff structure. While uploading rates, ensure you have them in correct format. 

Before completing the OTA listing, cross-check if you have selected proper amenities. I would advise not going gaga over them.

c. Invest in brand website

One issue that many individual motels face is ‘Brand recognition’. Having a website is an important motel marketing strategy. 

Many guests choose properties with a website. It serves as the most reliable source of information about the property, gives a virtual tour with the available images and videos, and is the main communication channel. 

A golden advice for you, start developing a brand website for your motel. Here’s a checklist you can follow:

1. White space
2. SEO
3. HD pictures
4. Booking engine
5. Engaging content
6. Site navigation
7. Mobile friendly

It’s important to keep your website updated from time-to-time. Don’t forget to link your website on Google my business page and social media platforms.

To know more about brand website, you can refer to this blog: 

Importance of brand website

Motels have always found their way in pop culture reference. If you are a fan of Hollywood movies, you can relate to what I am saying.

Many movies and songs are shot in motels across the States. In fact, many of them have names after the properties, such as Mountaintop Motel Massacre, Motel Hell (Actual name Motel Hello), and The Paradise Motel.

You might wonder, why am I talking about these movies?

Well, if your motel has such cinematic references, you can use them to promote your property by highlighting those clips on your website. Trust me, this motel marketing strategy works like magic.

d. Influencer marketing is the new way

These days millennials are fond of creating Vlogs and travel blogs about their trips. In fact many of them are influencers on various online platforms.

You can become a part of their journey by featuring your motel in the blogs or vlogs that travellers create. This will give you a promotion across the followers of these influencers. 

In case you are opting for paid marketing, ensure that the influencer you consult has enough followers to get you maximum traffic.

e. Social media is the ultimate key for motel marketing

In this digital era, social media is a formidable tool for marketing. This is where most motels lose visibility among guests, as they don’t have a listing on social media platforms.

Many motorists and solo travellers use social media, and they happen to be the target audience of motels. In order to garner their attention, it’s vital to reach out to them on platforms where they are active. 

You can get better engagement on these platforms by posting pictures, videos, offers, and using relevant hashtags. 

If you are lacking presence on social media, it’s time to create your motel’s page on them NOW.

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A post shared by OK Motels (@okmotels)

f. Try the old-school method

Some people might differ with me on this, but traditional marketing techniques are profitable. I would recommend you to invest in old-school marketing methods, such as:

1. Billboards
2. Standees
3. Local newspapers
4. Flyers 
5. Sign boards

It would be quite convenient for motorists to locate any motel on the way to their destination. 

Motels have limited acquaintances in their area for strategic partnerships. It can be employees working at gas stations, convenient stores, drive through QSRs, or toll booths.

But it’s better to partner with these employees, as they can work as referees for your motels. You can work with them on a fixed revenue share or on a specific commission basis. 

g. Digital marketing is a MUST

Last but not least – Digital marketing. The dawn of the internet era paved a way for travellers to book a hotel or travel to any corner of the world. 

But, to reach out to these guests, one needs to invest in digital marketing strategies. The first step is identifying your motel’s target audience. 

Once you have your guest segment, you can start with promoting your motel. This involves various tasks, such as creating newsletters, email marketing, WhatsApp campaigns, social media promotion, and so on.

But ensure that your motel’s marketing campaigns have relevant content to capture the attention of your target audience. 
If you are looking for some digital marketing strategies, here’s a blog you can refer to.

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