Google Exec to Lead IBC Webinar on Driving Direct Bookings

ILES: A Year of Learning Webinar Series is quickly gaining traction in the independent hotel space. Developed and hosted by IBC Hospitality Technologies, the next event, titled “Driving Direct Booking with Google,” will be held February 21 at 11:00 a.m. Led by Pablo Ruiz, Google travel vertical search specialist, the webinar will identify new ways hotels can be profitable through driving direct reservations. Ruiz will unveil some of the Google product launches for the travel world. In addition, IBC’s Pamela Barnhill will discuss acquiring full guest information and driving more direct bookings. To register, click here.

“Google is constantly adapting to the new reality of users having much more complex conversion paths,” Ruiz said. “In this webinar, we will discuss how hoteliers can grow revenue, capture high quality leads and have more effective conversations using Google Hotel Ads. Hoteliers must adapt to the new user paradigm, and Google Hotel Ads is a profitable and scalable solution to drive direct bookings.”

In this online session, Ruiz will explain what Google Hotel Ads are and how they differ from – and complement – AdWords. With GHA, hotels can show live room prices and availability with a link to complete booking . . . connect the hotel directly with travel shoppers wherever they are searching on Google  . . . and work like a distribution channel to better control inventory. The end result is higher conversion rates, stronger overall ROI, growth in new customer bookings, stronger return on ad spend, and lower cost per acquisition.

Ruiz joined Google nearly four years ago, first as an analyst for the biggest global travel companies, then as a product specialist for Google Hotel Ads in EMEA, helping Google hoteliers drive their revenues in a profitable manner. His background as an electrical engineer and his career debut in strategy consulting in Monitor Deloitte, drive his interest in shaping the future of travel at Google.