New hostel, please help me to do marketing and booking online FOR OPENING IN JUNE

Dear all,

I am new member and the first time doing business as running hostel.
Please help me to do marketing online as well as booking online for opening in june.

My hostel is in hanoi, vietnam and located in good location but only 20 beds.

Thank you in advance.

Mike.

I guess, by helping you, you mean (asking for) ideas on how to proceed with doing marketing on line and choosing and contacting an online booking service.

Since I haven't opened a hostel yet and I am just designing the hostel web site, I cannot be of much help at this moment. But there are a lot of ideas in this forum that can steer you in the right direction. You just need to read through it and pick the ideas that better suit your needs. Also, probably if you ask more specific questions, someone will provide a more useful answer.

I have tried to register in some webs to have online reservation such as : Hotels.com, Hostelsbooker, hostelsworld and tripadvisor, however, my hostel property has been placed on a waiting list , due to high demand within the city.

Which booking engines said you had to wait?
(There are only 16 hostels in Hanoi on Hostelworld -- a fairly low number.)

Do you have a website?

My hostel was put on waiting list on hostelsbooker, due to high demand of Hanoi.
I have tried twice to register on Hostels.com & hostelsworld.com ,it seems like i successed with the note that" you will receive soon a email to confirm", then I waited for 3 weeks no any result.
On tripadvisor, Try to register many times ,always get a same result: My hostel was listing under another name of another hostel ( Hahoi Hostel is my hostel name,then it was hanoi hostel 2 on trip advisor which exits for a long time with some reviews ) I did write a letter to support center, they have changed it, but just for a day, then all back to the same problem.
So i really can't understand those system,
Hostel's web : www.vietnam-hostel.com

Your assistance is grealty appreciated

Hey man,
I had the same problem in South America. HW finally added me after a month and a half but not in the hostel category but in the guest house ones, that are not in the main list, so it's like we're completely out of exposition unless someone is looking for that specific service. We're also on a Guerrilla Budget so we come in mind with some "creative ways" to promote ourselves.

1.- Build your website:
Even though is a thrashy 2001 web look alike, it will help to get known your place. Create also a blog in blogger (SEO) you can show a relaxed language and a friendly inside view of your property.

2.- SEO:
Google is everything. The problem: you need to learn by yourself all of the SEO tricks and it will take a while till you manage everything right. I'm still on the process.

3.- Alternative Booking Engines:
Even though nobody is going to book there, they will expose your hostel with their google SEO. Your hostel will be ranked and mentioned on the first positions.

4.- Start exploiting "Alternative Networks":
Join World Nomads, Lonely Planet - Rough Guide - Footprints or Dopplr Forums to answer the most useful info about your city to the potential travellers. It will give you an extra boost of exposure.

5.- Get People into your place:
Join couchsurfer.com, invite all of the couchsurfers you can to make them test your services, facilities, atmosphere, etc. and ask them in exchange to sincerely review your place in their blogs, booking engines, etc. DON'T EVER CHARGE THEM ANYTHING! They can be the best word of mouth tool in the world, specially when you're on a guerrilla budget. You may be not earning a buck, but you're generating traffic to your place.

The other tricks I will reserve 'em for the future in case of need. Tell me if you have used some of these and how it worked or if you need more advice.

Good luck!!

:cool: