The time taken to complete a booking for a wedding today is, perhaps, an indication that marriage is a big commitment, but what can travel companies do to smooth the experience? Ritesh Gupta reports

A wedding-related booking can involve multiple sessions on various sites as well as chit-chat with a wedding specialist or related sales executive. But online travel brands – both hotel groups and online travel agents - are working to improve on marital matters and boosting MICE revenues as a result.

“Later this year we will introduce a fully integrated sales and marketing effort focused on weddings with a dedicated website and a multi-dimensional marketing campaign including digital, social and traditional media with direct marketing,” says Craig A. Jacobs, senior vice president, Group Sales, Preferred Hotel Group.

But it is not just hotel groups that are upping their game, online travel agents are too. Expedia, for one, has recently unveiled a new online service, Expedia Wedding.

Ways to improve the online wedding experience:

1.      Nurture a team: From a hotel’s perspective, the involvement of senior management and the presence of wedding specialists is a must. On this front, PHG is looking to recruit a professional sales director dedicated to nurturing a productive professional wedding planners’ team. 

2.      Empower wedding specialists: Ricky Ang, VP - sales and marketing, Hotel Equatorial Group, says it’s just not enough to simply have a standard wedding specialist. “These [wedding specialists] executives must be an experienced lot and fairly senior staff members. They should be fully empowered to make quick and critical decisions,” he says.

3.      Identify the property’s strengths: Each property needs to assess its strength in terms of facilities offered to cater to weddings. If a hotel can offer panoramic harbour views, or has an idyllic beach location, a wedding specialist needs to work those themes. The team should create various products distinctions by catering to popular requirements such as cuisine types and ambience (specialised decor, theme settings etc.).

4.      Work out relevant offers: Be prepared for various combinations and this will depend on the time of year, location preferred, number of guests and length of stay. According to the UK-based destination website MarryAbroad.co.uk, a wedding party away from home tends to be between ten to 30 people who stay for a week in the location. Also, most UK couples stick to the traditional wedding season of May to September when they're booking their wedding abroad. So a tailored package can be worked out in advance to show preparedness and aid consumers’ decision-making.

5.      Help with planning: Hotel websites often show floor plans and capacity charts in a boring way. Why not film a short video showing the floor plans followed by testimonials from customers that have used the venue in the past?  

6.      Keep it simple: On Expedia, where customers share wedding plans, simplicity is important. Expedia starts by saying that venue experts will work closely during the planning phase. The team is there to offer resort and hotel recommendations; for this one can fill in a form. Importantly, this is a free, no-strings attached service. Also bidding hotels are able to meet a customer’s requested budget and star rating. Customers have to fill in ten to 13 sections on the online page which include an option to share information regarding additional services needed such as DJ/band, florists, photographers etc.

7.      Choose images and words carefully: As with anything travel related the right images, really can sell the story. The text is important too; according to TripAdvisor, the top three words that couples use to describe their weddings are romantic, simple and traditional.

8.      Delight couples at the hotel: Sandals Resorts, a group that claims to offer the most romantic holiday experience in the Caribbean, recently introduced its ‘soon-to-the-moon’ engagement concierge service. It helps couples customise their special moments; a beachfront proposal is always a possibility and the resort’s wedding planner is on hand for spontaneous guests.

9.      Create a buzz: For those who can’t resist the social spotlight, a wedding-related hashtag on Instagram is a must or you can make the most of what is ‘wedding trending’ on Twitter. Another option is to feature contests. Last month, Expedia came up with its ‘Dream Wedding Getaway’ contest. The winner’s package includes a wedding, jewellery and honeymoon, with the top prize valued at $100,000.  

10.    Set feasible targets: In the Asia Pacific region, according to Ang, wedding banquets can account for 20% to 25% of a hotel’s total non-rooms related MICE revenue. But hotels should also look at relevant metrics to assess performance, such as booking patterns, and then plan for ways to boost revenues. So, in the UK, where most couples stick to the traditional wedding season of May to September, then RM teams should plan accordingly.