What is a website domain name? 

A website domain name is the unique set of characters that an internet user can key into the address bar of their browser in order to navigate to your hotel website. Your domain name is slightly different to your URL, which includes all the information that your computer needs to safely navigate to the page that you want it to. For example:

  • Domain: myhotel.com
  • URL: https://myhotel.com/rooms/

With almost all potential guests now shopping for hotel stays online, choosing the right domain name – the part of the URL that identifies a website as yours – is absolutely critical to the success of your hotel: how easy it is to find, how recognisable and memorable it is, and how likely you are to attract return visitors.

In this guide we’ll look at everything a hotelier needs to know about domain names: what they are, why they’re important, and how to choose the perfect one.

Why is your website domain name important?

Your domain name means a lot when it comes to how your hotel is branded on the internet. While it’s just a simple string of characters, your hotel domain name can have an outsized effect on the success of your hotel business. By choosing a great domain name, you:

  • Make your hotel website more searchable, resulting in more visitors and bookings.
  • Make your website more memorable, encouraging return visitors and customers.
  • Add credibility to your business and separates you from spammy, fake or fly-by-night operators.
  • Make your web presence more mobile: you can move web hosting services as needed.
  • Make your brand marketable worldwide (if you choose ‘.com’ over a regional equivalent like ‘.co.uk’ or ‘.com.au’)

A good hotel domain perfectly encapsulates your hotel in just a handful of characters. It reflects what your business is, and what you want it to be in the future. In our modern, digital world, if you choose the right domain name for your hotel, you have a far higher chance of enjoying business success.

The next question: how do you choose a domain name for your website? 

How to choose the right website domain name for your hotel

The process to choose a domain name for your website doesn’t begin with shooting potential names from the hip – it instead starts with research. Here you’ll look to uncover domain names that are relevant, effective and available.

For most hotels the best domain name will simply be the name of your hotel, followed by ‘.com’, e.g. myhotel.com. But this is only true for hotels with short and snappy names, as a domain like worcestershirecountryclubanddayspa.com is clunky, and will see many potential visitors giving up halfway through typing it, at which point navigating to the site is left in Google’s hands. In these cases an abbreviated name is far wiser.

To gain a better understanding of what a good hotel domain name looks like, let’s walk through some of the dos and don’ts of choosing your domain.

Dos and don’ts in a website domain name for hotels

Dos

  • Include your hotel name: Your hotel domain name represents your hotel. It therefore should include the name of your property. Ensure the name of your hotel is included, even in abbreviated form.
  • Keep it short and simple: Google.com, Booking.com, Expedia.com; short and punchy domain names are more authoritative and memorable.
  • Choose a standard extension: Where possible, choose ‘.com’ over more exotic options like ‘.net’, ‘.org’ or ‘.io’. If you don’t plan to expand internationally, a localised extension (‘co.uk’ or ‘com.au’) may be appropriate if the ‘.com’ equivalent is unavailable.
  • Include keywords: If “[YOUR HOTEL NAME].com” is taken, and you need to adjust your domain name, consider including relevant keywords like ‘hotel’, ‘hostel’, ‘resort’ or ‘bnb’ to help Google understand what you do and who you’re targeting.

Don’ts

  • Use hyphens: While almost all special characters – !, #, $, %, &, *, etc. – are unable to be used in domain names for technical reasons, you are able to use a hyphen (-). But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, as domain name hyphens have a reputation for being used by scammers, and can make your domain name prone to typos.
  • Include double letters: If your hotel name features a double letter there’s no issue with including it, but if the use of the successive letters isn’t critical, e.g. “shellluxuryhotel.com’, it’s best avoided, as it can result in confusion.
  • Launch multiple sites at the same time: Only ever launch one website at a time for your hotel. Multiple sites with multiple domains will confuse Google, who may assume one is a copycat or spam site. This can seriously affect your SEO efforts.

How to check if your chosen website domain name is available

Once you’ve identified a few potential domain names, you’ll need to check whether they’re available. And there’s a simple way to do just that: type it into the address bar in your browser! If the domain isn’t taken, a Google Chrome user will be served up a screen that says “This site can’t be reached. Check if there is a typo.”

A word of warning: While a domain name may appear to be available, the name itself may still be trademarked by another business that simply hasn’t got around to creating a website. This can put you in a sticky situation, so before you register your new domain name, be sure to use a site like IP Australia to check for trademarks.

How your website domain name impacts your hotel brand

Your choice of domain name is important because your website is the hub of your online presence; the thing that every other online element – your social media channels, OTA listings, Google Business Profile and more – links back to.

If you choose a domain name that is irrelevant, too long or complicated, or that makes your website look spammy or fake, you risk turning away an incredible number of potential guests. A bad domain name choice will also have serious SEO consequences, which will mean that you fail to capitalise on one of your hotel’s most important lead generators: Google.

On the flip side, a great choice of hotel domain will put you in the best possible position to maximise your online presence, and capitalise on the endless power of the internet to grow your hotel business.

Marketing your hotel domain with Little Hotelier

Once you’ve found your ideal hotel domain, it’s time to create your ideal hotel website. And there’s no better tool for doing that than Little Hotelier’s website builder. An easy-to-use tool built for small, independent hoteliers, our website builder makes the construction of your new website a surprisingly simple affair – a task that can take less than an hour. The result: a high-end site, complete with the perfect domain name, that will drive more bookings!

  • Drag and drop: No web design experience? No worries – our website builder doesn’t require a single line of code! Simply fill in the text boxes and drag and drop visual elements into place.
  • Designer website templates: Choose from a range of beautiful templates that make hotel website creation easy. Unlike general website builders, every one of our templates has been designed with small, independent hoteliers in mind.
  • Ultimate functionality: Features like direct booking and PMS integration come as standard when you build your website with the Little Hotelier website builder, and all templates are crafted with SEO in mind.

By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).