
INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Facebook is fast becoming more than a customer relationship tool for many independent properties and chains. Many hotels now offer room-booking technology on their Facebook pages, which is leading to incremental sales.
“There is real commerce that is starting to grow on Facebook. Companies like Delta (Airlines) are putting booking engines on Facebook, and Sony just started a deal where consumers can rent movies,” said Michael Hraba, owner of Hraba Hospitality Consulting in San Mateo, California.
Facebook conversions growing
“Over the course of 2010, we saw the volume of direct referrals from Facebook to vacation websites grow. The conversion rate was higher for Facebook than it was for TripAdvisor and other travel review sites,” said Gary Young, President of Universal Vacations, a property management company in Fort Myers FL, specializing in vacations accommodations along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The conversion rate on direct referrals from traveler review sites to accommodation supplier websites ranged from 4% to 6% in 2009, while conversion from Facebook to hotel websites was 8%.
Universal Vacations has provided a booking function within a tab on Facebook for all of its properties since it has been on Facebook.
While Universal Vacations primarily uses Facebook to “engage” with its guests, the company’s executives realize the valuable e-commerce potential on the global social-networking site.
“What we are seeing now is an emergence of technology that that we didn’t see six months ago. There is an opportunity for ourselves and other accomadation brands to enable these type of transactions within Facebook,” Young said. Continue reading “Facebook Leads to Vacation Accomadation Revenue” »