Radisson Hotel Group’s new multi-brand, mobile-first website better positions the company to capture business for its eight brands. The one-stop site creates a stickier booking experience, integrates the loyalty program and cross-promotes the entire portfolio of more than 1,100 hotels.
A single platform, which debuted in July, has replaced 10 individual websites — one for each of Radisson’s eight brands, one for the Artotel brand managed by PPHE Hotel Group, and one for Radisson Rewards. One mobile app, to be launched later this year, will replace six existing apps.
The existing digital infrastructure was showing its age, said Remy Merckx, Radisson’s global vice president of digital.
“It was not responsive, the content management system wasn’t up to date and the back-end processes were old and not up to the level of what we would expect for 2019. The consequence was that we were not getting our fair share of business in the online space,” he said.
That last factor, he stresses, was key. “It’s not a long-term sustainable position. We needed a new platform that would help close the gap.”
Consolidating all the brands and Radisson Rewards under one umbrella accomplishes a number of goals. The single platform is a more efficient way to manage digital marketing, Merckx said. It provides a way to cross-promote all the brands; the goal is to increase conversions, which he said is even more crucial than acquiring new customers.
“We already have millions coming to our websites, but we not converting as many as we would like,” he observed. The company wants to double the conversion rate, and early results suggest the company is on track to achieve that, he said.
Another objective of the redesign is to increase overall traffic by 20%. Getting there means diverting travelers’ attention away from OTAs and providing a strong incentive to book directly, primarily through rates discounted up to 10% for Radisson Rewards members. An easy sign-up process motivates visitors who aren’t members to join the loyalty program.
Now that Radisson Rewards is integrated into the site, loyalty members will have content tailored to their behavior and preferences. Later in 2019 or early 2020, the site also will allow retargeting of nonmembers with marketing content based on their search behavior.
Property personalization
The company took advantage of the?revamp to integrate a digital asset management tool, which allows property owners to share videos, images, 3-D tours and other materials in email campaigns, social media, push campaigns and other efforts. Another new function is the ability to search by nearly 6,000 popular landmarks and points of interest, with results reflecting nearby properties.
Some additional features are in the works: Guests will be able to research and reserve tables at F&B outlets on the site, and meeting planners will have a simpler experience and the ability to book directly on the platform. Initially the website was launched in English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, simplified Chinese, Spanish and Swedish versions; more languages will be added. And the site will undergo some fine-?tuning to optimize the existing features, Merckx said.
The integrated app, also introduced this past summer, adds some useful tools and improves the mobile experience. “We didn’t have proper mobile apps in the past, at least not for reservations,” Merckx said. “The booking process wasn’t native to the apps. It was kind of a mobile web experience.”
The app has much more robust capabilities. Now, loyalty members can redeem points and users can book directly. A click-to-call function connects users to the central reservations team. An integrated credit card scanner provides added security. Push notifications are possible as well.
Folding 10 sites into one within a relatively short timeline — 15 months — was not a simple matter, Merckx said. Radisson opted to engage a third-party technology provider to speed up development of the new site and another provider to help migrate millions of pieces of content from three old CMSs into a single system.
Having a lean, agile project team also helped streamline the process. “If we had too many stakeholders it would put the timeline and deliverables at risk,” Merckx explained.
The new website is a core component of Radisson’s five-year plan to improve operational support and enhance the brand experience, with growth as the ultimate objective. “Having one single touchpoint for all our brands will strongly enhance the user experience and drive SEO value,” said Eric De Neef, Radisson’s executive vice president and global chief commercial officer.