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And Booking pushing advertisements for the exact same hotel I've just checked on their service. I can't understand how that would seem like a good idea to anyon

And Booking pushing advertisements for the exact same hotel I've just checked on their service. I can't understand how that would seem like a good idea to anyone.

pelario 8y ago
I've thought the same (and heard the same booking "blunder"), until I visited a city I had visited before, and went for the exact same hotel...
- TuringTest 8y ago
  Surely that would make sense the next time you visit the city, not for the same visit.
  - bdamm 8y ago
    There’s some marketing theory about brand reinforcement near a purchase creating a more likely customer later. I’m not a marketer though.
    - maxxxxx 8y ago
      The easiest way to get "brand reinforcement" is to deliver a good product. I will remember them. Right now it seems they want to get "brand reinforcement" through constant nagging which already causes me to dislike the brand.
- dhimes 8y ago
  But did you need an ad to get you to do that? Seems like that's the one ad you don't need to see.
  - JAlexoid 8y ago
    That depends on where you see that ad. If you search for that particular hotel on Google, it's going to have an ad from N online travel agencies(OTA). If you do a broad search on OTA website, then you're likely to book the same hotel that you stayed last time... Thus pushing it up is a great way of getting you to book... But that depends on how much the hotel is contributing in marketing
reaperducer 8y ago
And Booking pushing advertisements for the exact same hotel I've just checked on their service. I can't understand how that would seem like a good idea to anyone. This happened to me just last week. Unfortunately, it's the least of Booking's user-hostile traits. Like sending me e-mails pestering me to review a hotel I checked into less than an hour before. Or flashing "Hurry! Only 1 room left!" when I know for a fact that the hotel I'm inquiring about is 90% empty. Or flashing "23 people booked this hotel in the last 24 hours!" when I know the inn only has 4 rooms and is in probably the lest popular destination in North America. Unfortunately, there's a particular place I have to travel to which only has one motel within 70 miles, and the only way to book a room in advance is through Booking.
- rchaud 8y ago
  All those little tricks you described are part of a strategy usually called Conversion Rate Optimization. They do this because it works. What you described was likely A/B tested. Some visitors to the site saw the nagging message, while others didn't.
  - ABCLAW 8y ago
    Turns out you can grease your numbers by manipulating user sentiment. Who cares if you need to lie a little bit, right?
- JAlexoid 8y ago
  A hotel can be 90% empty and Booking could have only 1 left in their inventory to sell.
  - r3bl 8y ago
    The opposite works as well. On one occasion, I've tried booking straight from the hotel, it told me no rooms available for the selected dates. I've tried Booking, and sure enough, that same room I had my eyes on was available.
    - 8y ago
JAlexoid 8y ago
Actually... That one works, if certain conditions are met. They also don't update that fast. You looked at a hotel in London and a certain hotel is the best revenue generator in the area - for a little bit you're going to see that ad... or maybe you're going to see that ad for a long time, if there are no better options to advertise.

And Booking pushing advertisements for the exact same hotel I've just checked on their service. I can't understand how that would seem like a good idea to anyone.

pelario 8y ago

I've thought the same (and heard the same booking "blunder"), until I visited a city I had visited before, and went for the exact same hotel...

TuringTest 8y ago
Surely that would make sense the next time you visit the city, not for the same visit.
- bdamm 8y ago
  There’s some marketing theory about brand reinforcement near a purchase creating a more likely customer later. I’m not a marketer though.
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    The easiest way to get "brand reinforcement" is to deliver a good product. I will remember them. Right now it seems they want to get "brand reinforcement" through constant nagging which already causes me to dislike the brand.
dhimes 8y ago
But did you need an ad to get you to do that? Seems like that's the one ad you don't need to see.
- JAlexoid 8y ago
  That depends on where you see that ad. If you search for that particular hotel on Google, it's going to have an ad from N online travel agencies(OTA). If you do a broad search on OTA website, then you're likely to book the same hotel that you stayed last time... Thus pushing it up is a great way of getting you to book... But that depends on how much the hotel is contributing in marketing

reaperducer 8y ago

And Booking pushing advertisements for the exact same hotel I've just checked on their service. I can't understand how that would seem like a good idea to anyone. This happened to me just last week. Unfortunately, it's the least of Booking's user-hostile traits. Like sending me e-mails pestering me to review a hotel I checked into less than an hour before. Or flashing "Hurry! Only 1 room left!" when I know for a fact that the hotel I'm inquiring about is 90% empty. Or flashing "23 people booked this hotel in the last 24 hours!" when I know the inn only has 4 rooms and is in probably the lest popular destination in North America. Unfortunately, there's a particular place I have to travel to which only has one motel within 70 miles, and the only way to book a room in advance is through Booking.

rchaud 8y ago
All those little tricks you described are part of a strategy usually called Conversion Rate Optimization. They do this because it works. What you described was likely A/B tested. Some visitors to the site saw the nagging message, while others didn't.
- ABCLAW 8y ago
  Turns out you can grease your numbers by manipulating user sentiment. Who cares if you need to lie a little bit, right?
JAlexoid 8y ago
A hotel can be 90% empty and Booking could have only 1 left in their inventory to sell.
- r3bl 8y ago
  The opposite works as well. On one occasion, I've tried booking straight from the hotel, it told me no rooms available for the selected dates. I've tried Booking, and sure enough, that same room I had my eyes on was available.
  - 8y ago

JAlexoid 8y ago

Actually... That one works, if certain conditions are met. They also don't update that fast. You looked at a hotel in London and a certain hotel is the best revenue generator in the area - for a little bit you're going to see that ad... or maybe you're going to see that ad for a long time, if there are no better options to advertise.