Your Hotel GDS Description (HOD) acts as your hotel’s electronic brochure. It is quite possibly your hotel’s most important sales tool in driving reservations via GDS.
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The HOD provides travel agents with your property description, hotel amenities and information about local attractions. Ensure that it is engaging, informative and concise.
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We’ve compiled a list of 10 simple tips to help you write this description to ensure your HOD stands out from your competition.
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It is very important you are honest. Don’t oversell or overstate as you do not want to create false expectations. Describe clearly the services, amenities, features and facilities of your hotel or resort. Be complete and accurate. Focus on the unique selling points, USP’s, of your hotel. Make sure you stand out from the competition. And stay up to date.
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Short and long description, combined they have a total of 242 characters.
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The short description contains 2 lines of 47 characters each. Summarise the unique selling points of your hotel. Who should stay at your hotel? For which guest with which particular needs is it suitable.
Don’t try to sell to just everyone, but target your potential guests clearly.
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The long description contains 4 lines of 47 characters each. Ensure this is unique from your short description as travel agents and GDSs have asked for these longer, more detailed descriptions to help sell your hotel.
Add additional information. Focus on some of the intangible parts of your services and facilities. Mention something that refers to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment.
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Make sure they are all listed. It will help travel agents search the GDS for your hotel property. You should give the traveller enough restaurant information to plan dinner for one or a group. Security and safety is also important.
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Understand the target market and their security needs, especially if you want to attract female business travellers.
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Describe your hotel’s unique location, but be relevant. If you are in the city centre, then you may not be close to the airport.
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Make sure yours GEO coding, longitude and latitude, is correct. Also, index your hotel against any point of interest city and airport close by that may be used by your guests and don’t forget the airports with their airport codes.
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Make sure this is correct. The GDS will use the official street address to geo-code the property, so if you don’t have a street number, use 1. This way you will have better visibility and a much higher conversion rate.
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How do most travellers arrive at your destination? By car, bus, train, plane or boat? Make sure your guests can easily find our way to your hotel. List directions from the airport and the stops of the closest public transportation etc.
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Mention a few attractions that your guests or tourists visit often in the city. Also list corporate headquarters of large corporations near you to attract corporate travellers. Provide the correct distance and directions. Ask your concierge or front office staff they will know best.
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Be creative and differentiate your hotel from your competitors. Don’t let yours be turned into a commodity. You have 30 characters, use it to the fullest!

The amenities you describe here should be different depending whether your property is a leisure or corporate hotel. Use the USP’s, unique selling points, of your hotel.
It will help increase revenue. You should include the size of the room (sq m / sq ft). Include what it is free like coffee making facilities, breakfast or fridge. Is there free WIFI or ADSL? Mention special features like, and differentiate your hotel from the competition. Do you have any luxury bathing products, or special bedding like goose feather pillows and duvets. Balconies, large windows and astonishing views should also be mentioned.

Give potential guests and travel agents a good sense of the quality of life the will get away from home.

If you can you should read some of the descriptions of your competitors. Ask your travel agents what their favourite hotels are, and get a copy of their GDS hotel descriptions. SiteMinder can provide you with a generic example setup form that can also be of assistance. Travel agents look at this every day, so if there is something original, they will be the ones to know.

Use full sentences or bullet points. Travel agents prefer a bulleted format, with condensed information, that can be reviewed quickly.The wording should still have a sales style though. Make sure you use the right adjective. This can be very helpful in creating a positive image. For example, 100 guest rooms, doesn’t sound nearly as attractive as 100 renovated, spacious guest rooms and suites