Back to lorem ipsum

April 28, 2023

How this Bangkok-based hotel expanded their reach and increased direct bookings with Tripadvisor

Mandarin Hotel by Centre Point increased unique visits to their hotel listing by 4x and drove more than 50% of their direct website referrals with Sponsored Placements and Business Advantage.

The words “modern” and “luxurious” come to mind when describing Mandarin Hotel by Centre Point in Bangkok. Accommodating both business and leisure travelers, the hotel offers 367 rooms with 6 different room types from Deluxe to the Grand Suite. Mandarin Hotel provides a host of amenities with two restaurants, a fitness facility, spa and outdoor pool to keep travelers comfortable and entertained throughout their stay.

In May 2022, Mandarin Hotel sought a strategy to reach new international guests. When it came to marketing this top-tier hotel, the team wanted to deliver a full funnel approach. They decided to partner with Tripadvisor to reach global travelers at a larger scale and influence them to book with the hotel directly.

We spoke with Mandarin Hotel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Siripoj Therdchitphaisarn. According to him:

“Most customers today need to check the reviews and prices before making a reservation. One of the most trusted websites that we think they choose is Tripadvisor. Also, we like a function [of Business Advantage] that allows customers to book direct on our hotel’s website.”

Here’s how the team at Mandarin Hotel leveraged Tripadvisor’s hotel solutions to drive successful results and increase hotel revenue:

Gain exposure in Tripadvisor hotel search results

Sponsored Placements, Tripadvisor’s hotel advertising product, empowers hoteliers to increase visibility and drive direct bookings with high-profile ad placements. Mandarin Hotel leveraged Sponsored Placements to reach travelers who might not have otherwise found the hotel listing organically in the search results.

Sponsored Placements help hotels stand out by:

  • Appearing above search results and on other high profile shopping pages
  • Promoting direct rates and booking links
  • Influencing travelers to book directly

“Sponsored Placements have helped us to gain more visibility and [have] provided opportunities to get new customers everyday,” Therdchitphaisarn says. “We can set our advertising budget and check the performance of the campaign easily.”

“Being in partnership closely with Tripadvior gives us the great opportunity to generate more direct bookings to Mandarin Hotel.”

Impact direct bookings from the hotel detail page

Business Advantage, Tripadvisor’s hotel listing enhancement product, allows hoteliers to bring their property to life with media features on their hotel detail page, and then drive traffic to hotel websites with Direct Links and Special Offers.

Here’s how Business Advantage helps hoteliers impact direct bookings:

  • Promotional videos and a multimedia Storyboard puts guests right in the middle of the property so they can visualize themselves there
  • A pinned Favorite Review makes a memorable first impression at the top of the Reviews section
  • Contact details like website, phone number, and email address make it easy for guests to book directly
  • Exclusive Special Offers take guests from considering to booking

Therdchitphaisarn says, “Special [Offers] allow us to create promotions for customers to book directly on the hotel [website].”

In just 8 months, traffic to Mandarin Hotel’s listing increased by 4x

Mandarin Hotel’s marketing efforts paid off. After activating Sponsored Placements and Business Advantage in May 2022, Mandarin Hotel drove the following results in the remainder of the year:

4x

increase in unique visits to the hotel detail page

>50%

of booking referrals driven by Tripadvisor

Mandarin Hotel continues to partner with Tripadvisor, leaning into the Analytics Suite to understand more about international visitor demand for the hotel. The Analytics Suite tracks performance over time and provides insights into: traffic and ranking trends, click tracking, and competitive media engagement.

Therdchitphaisarn says, “We like the feature [where] we can track the geography of our customers, where they are coming from.”

Ready to learn more about Tripadvisor’s hotel solutions?

Information, ideas and inspiration, delivered to your inbox