Cognisant Associates help Cortijo Valverde to increase website traffic and occupancy rate

Cortijo Valverde opened in 2001 and was acquired by new owners in 2006. Located in the heart of Andalucia, away from the crowded Costa-del-Sol, the hotel offers a unique holiday experience and provides a tranquil base for exploring Andalucia's rich culture, heritage and history, as well as a special location for a relaxing holiday near the Ardales lakes.

The challenge

The hotel and leisure industry is dominated by large portals and corporate websites that compete heavily for the internet traffic. Small hotels have a tough time getting noticed and in most cases cannot afford the investment required to implement an effective SEO campaign.

The hotel’s original website was designed in 2001 and as such it was never envisaged that it would become a battle ground for today’s market-share! With website traffic peaking at around 45 visitors per day and no alternative channels for sale, hotel’s occupancy rate (which is the key measurement of hotel industry success) was languishing in the lower 20% range. So the major challenge was to increase ‘relevant traffic’ to the site, so that it could be translated into real bookings and consequently increase the overall occupancy rate. 

The Solution

Cognisant Associates devised and ran a comprehensive 12 month recovery plan which included pricing strategy, channel recruitment, a new website and a detailed SEO campaign which also utilised Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. The channel recruitment campaign started in September 2006 and by December seven new portals, including travel agencies and specialist outlets were recruited. The old website was optimised as far as was possible in November 2006 and the new website went online in April 2007.

The Results

The programme was a stunning success with visitor numbers exceeding 200 per day by June of 2007. At the end of 2007 fiscal year the overall occupancy rate was assessed and was found to be in excess of 50% for the whole year, which is on par with the best-in-class and twice the occupancy rate of equivalent hotels in Andalucia. Go back...