Your website is your digital front desk, and if it’s underperforming, it might be quietly bleeding bookings. In hospitality, that’s a hidden crisis.
The good news? In just a few smart changes, you can reclaim lost conversions, improve the guest journey, and dramatically boost your direct bookings – all with simple fixes to improve hotel website.
In this post, I’ll dive deep into seven actionable fixes you can make this month and following years; grounded in data, driven by real hotels, and implemented via your OnRes tech stack.
Quick Baseline: How Bad (Or Good) is Your Conversion Rate?
- The average hotel website conversion rate is approximately 1.5% to 2.5%. (Hotel Tech Report)
- Another study in travel reports ~2.4% average conversion when optimization is moderate. (VWO)
- A hotel that rewrote its booking flow saw its booking engine conversion jump from 2.57% to ~3.0%. This is nearly a threefold improvement. (O’Rourke)
If your site is converting less than 1%, or even between 1–1.5%, you have a serious opportunity. The fixes below are about activating that potential.
7 Fixes to Improve Hotel Website Performance & Recover Lost Bookings (With Practical Steps)
Fix #1: Remove Friction in the Booking Funnel
- Minimize the number of steps: each extra click is a drop-off point.
- Auto-fill fields based on earlier inputs (e.g. dates, number of guests)
- Show a progress bar so users know how far they are
- Offer “Save & Continue Later” for people who aren’t ready
- Use clear error messaging if a field is missing
Fix #2: Speed Up Load Times & Performance
- Mobile users expect lightning-fast speed. Slow pages kill conversions (fastrackdigital)
- Use image compression, lazy loading, browser caching
- Audit your site in Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix
- Remove or defer noncritical scripts
Fix #3: Strong, Obvious Call to Action (CTA) Placement
- “Book Now,” “Check Availability,” “Get Best Rate”: place CTAs above the fold, within room descriptions, and repeated subtly on long pages.
- Use contrasting colors, but keep branding consistent
- In exit-intent popups, re-propose a booking or show a limited-time offer
Fix #4: Use Social Proof & Trust Signals
- Display guest reviews, star ratings, awards, and press features
- Embed TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, or user testimonials
- Use dynamic elements: “X guests viewed this room in last hour”
- Trust badges (secure payment, PCI, SSL) reassure hesitant bookers
Fix #5: Show Relevant Visuals & Immersive Experiences
- Use high-quality images, 360° tours, or short video clips
- Visuals must match reality: consistency from web to stay
- For example, KIJO recommends 3D room previews as a conversion booster. (KIJO)
- Use local imagery too, because guests want to see surroundings
Fix #6: Personalize the Experience & Use Smart Defaults
- Use geolocation: auto-suggest city, currency, or nearby attractions
- Show upsells or room add-ons based on user behavior
- If they searched for “family room,” pre-filter family rooms
- Use scarcity cues: “Only 2 rooms left at this rate”
Fix #7: Continuously Test, Iterate & Analyze
- Run A/B tests on headlines, CTAs, images, layouts
- Monitor bounce and exit pages (especially in booking flow)
- Use heatmaps (Hotjar, Crazy Egg) to see where users linger
- Set conversion benchmarks and monthly goals
- Use your OnRes analytics or integrate with Google Analytics to measure before/after
How OnRes Helps You Execute These Fixes Seamlessly
- Unified engine & UX: your booking engine is embedded, not redirecting, reducing friction
- Mobile-optimized by design; no separate mobile site to maintain
- Built-in analytics and reporting help pinpoint weak spots
- You can activate dynamic upsells, room addons, and packages via your PMS or booking rules
- You maintain brand style control across OTA and landing pages
#OnResTips: Explore OnRes hotel booking engine here.
Conclusion
Your hotel website should be your strongest salesperson, not your biggest liability. These seven fixes are proven, practical, and implementable this year.
Use them to stop leakage, reclaim bookings, and show guests exactly why booking direct is the better experience.
