May newsletter - IRUN scores online for Holiday Inn Express, Folkestone

IRUN Canterbury, the internet marketing specialist, has scored a major success through its Kent Invicta Chamber membership. After a Chamber networking lunch last summer, Paul Bourdillon of IRUN connected with the management of the new Holiday Inn Express, Folkestone and was asked to mastermind the hotel’s online presence and image.

Major Brand

As a member of the Inter-Continental hotels group, Holiday Inn Express is a major brand and one of the fastest growing in the quality budget sector, with some 2,000 hotels worldwide and a further 700 in the pipeline.

The location of Holiday Inn Express Folkestone - Channel Tunnel makes it visible to limited passing traffic, so online promotion was essential to attract leisure and business travellers looking for a quality budget hotel with the reassurance of a big brand.  The hotel’s location was chosen to support those crossing the channel using either the ferries out of Dover or the Eurotunnel.  These groups are known to use the internet as their prime source of information and booking.

Dramatic Success

IRUN encouraged the hotel management’s vision of an integrated approach to their internet-based marketing. Working initially with Debbie Nel, Sales & Revenue Manager at HIEX Folkestone, IRUN created a completely new optimised web-suite with full booking system, a click-through online brochure, improved email marketing and customer management (CRM) capability and a Pay-per-Click campaign. This was all designed to drive qualified internet traffic to the website, to impress visitors with the hotel’s brand, quality and value, and to encourage them to book online immediately. The impact has been dramatic.

The hotel's online bookings increased substantially, and the project had recovered its costs within two months and begun to generate a growing profit. Five months after going live, the work has produced over four times its Return On Investment (ROI). IRUN has established a consistent and growing presence on the Google search engine and is becoming an integral part of the hotel’s overall marketing policy. This has enabled budget cuts in other, less cost-effective areas.

Client Endorsement

At another more recent Chamber networking event, Paul Bourdillon and an IRUN colleague gave an expert presentation on making the internet work for business. At this talk Debbie Nel said of IRUN’s service ethic: “We are extremely happy with our new web image and setup. IRUN have been expert and professional and we are continuing to work with them to maximise our online revenue in the longer term.”

Gavin Jones, General Manager of Holiday Inn Express Folkestone, with Paul Bourdillon of IRUN

Call 01227 250049 or visit www.irun-canterbury.co.uk, www.hiexfolkestone.com for information.

First published in Thinking Business, published by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.