Should multiple nearby hotels target the same area attraction?

[DanielTexasLira]

Hi guys,

I wanted to get everyone's input in a situation I'm currently dealing with. I'm working with a large chain of hotels where it often competes with itself for several area attraction keywords, like convention centers, downtown, music venues, etc.

Would it be ideal for one hotel to target that area attraction (typically to the property that is currently ranking for these keywords) or should I ignore keyword cannibalization and have multiple properties target the same area attraction. Quite often, the property distance between multiple hotels and the area attraction is so minor.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[carolyn2]

Daniel - are the URLS targeting the same attractions coming from the same root domain?

 

[DanielTexasLira]

Hi Carolyn,

Yes, all hotel properties are nested under the same root domain.

 

[carolyn2]

OK - that would definitely create cannibalization - if they were different domains I'd say go for it -

But in this case - I'd suggest creating one page per attraction in a higher up subfolder and then have an aggregated attractions page for each location but de-optimized for any specific attraction (optimized for the area or neighborhood) and have each location's attraction list page contextual link with the attraction's name to the one specific attraction page - so you create relevant inner links to the page.

And to be safe, I'd also rework the content on the aggregate location page so you're not introducing duplicate content on the site -

 

[CarrieHill]

I agree with Carolyn - trying to go for multiple hotels on the same domain is going to be super tough and you might struggle to get even one to succeed.

I'd recommend a "divide and conquer" methodology - ie - as long as they book with your brand(s) then its a win - and maybe foster some "sharing" between the hotels if they're full? Not sure what brand you represent - some do this well, some not so well.

I'd consider targeting a certain area of attractions for each hotel - maybe they're closer, or easier to get to because of the highway system, etc. For example, in Denver the hotels might all be downtown - but one set of attractions is closer to Lodo/RINO and a specific hotel, and another set of attractions is by the zoo and closer to another hotel.

Good Luck!

 

[CarrieHill]

You could also use Carolyn's tactic and feed in a list of what hotels are nearby and have availability for their dates? Its harder if your hotels are spread out - like Denver, Aurora, Parker, Littleton and one might be closer to an attraction, and another might be all the way across town.