Travelers' Choice winner Central Hotel and Certificate of Excellence holder Forum Hotel are jointly-owned independent boutique hotels in Sofia, Bulgaria. Hear how Zhivko Zhelyazkov, Hotel Manager, has increased direct bookings at both properties with Tripadvisor Sponsored Placements.
Challenge
Because fewer travelers visit Sofia in the winter, demand for Central and Forum Hotels is much lighter. As Zhelyazkov notes, "January and February are difficult months, and we are very focused on driving more direct reservations during that period."
Solution
Zhelyazokov knows that he gets a lot of traffic from Tripadvisor and that his guests check the site for ratings and reviews before they book. He decided to try Sponsored Placements as a way to fill more rooms during Sofia’s slow season.
"I've had Business Advantage for three years," he says. "I've driven interest in my properties with Special Offers, and I'm able to be more strategic relative to competitors, with Analytics Suite."
"I believed combining Sponsored Placements with the success we’ve already seen with Business Advantage could help us reduce OTA commission payments — and ease occupancy challenges in the slow season," shares Zhelyazkov.
Results
150% Direct Bookings
"For the two months I've had Sponsored Placements, direct bookings for this January and February are up by more than 150% over last year. I am getting more direct referrals to my Business Advantage Contact Details, especially my website links," Zhelyazkov explains.
With the success of these initial efforts, he now plans to extend his ad campaigns for both hotels on Tripadvisor. "I plan to use Sponsored Placements for the rest of the year because it drives a lot of traffic and more direct bookings for my properties — without any upfront commitment.
