Maximizing Tracking Efficiency: A Comprehensive Guide for Developers, Marketers, and Hotel Agencies

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and online hospitality, tracking user interactions and engagements across various platforms is paramount. Whether you’re a developer fine-tuning tracking mechanisms or a marketer seeking insights for strategic decisions, implementing robust tracking solutions is key. In this guide, we’ll explore how to effectively track user activities using popular tools like Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, and Google Tag Manager (GTM), tailored specifically for hotel agencies.

1. Setting Up Tracking IDs in the Booking Engine

The first step in effective tracking is ensuring that your Booking Engine is integrated with the necessary tracking IDs. Within the Booking Engine interface, navigate to Connectivity > Booking Engine > Settings > User Tracking

Here, you can insert your tracking IDs for different channels such as Google TAG Manager or Google Analytics.

2. Configuring Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Google Tag Manager offers a centralized platform to manage various tracking tags efficiently. Start by replacing the generic GTM ID (GTM-M5Q4BF6) with your personalized one. To find your GTM ID, log in to your Google Tag Manager account, open a container, and locate the ID in the top right corner next to the Submit and Preview buttons.

After inserting your own GTM ID, the events will be automatically populated inside the Google Analytics account. There is just some time until the data is being displayed. To see the data, please go to > Admin, to the bottom left side of the page:

Once inside Admin, please click on Data display, that belongs to Property settings category:

Click on > Events and you will see them displayed on the center of the page:

The events may also be seen inside the Reports tab, with a different view, that is more visual and appealing:

To see more data and reports, you may go to Reports menu points inside the left side menu:

For example, you may have an overview of the Monetization:

A metric very important for marketing agencies to track the SEO efforts and the paid marketing campaigns is: User acquisition

In the below real example, it is clear that Referral is the best working source with 53 conversions achieved. Followed by Organic search with 5 and 4 for direct. Paid search has achieved 0 conversions.

This means the agency and the hotel need to invest more into Organic search and achieve better results to be found via seo marketing.

Moreover, the paid campaigns of Google Ads and Performance Max need to be optimized to achieve first conversions.

3. Obtaining Google Analytics API Secret Key

For seamless integration with Google Analytics, you’ll need an API Secret Key. Log in to your Google Analytics account, click on Admin, select your property, then navigate to Data Streams > Data Stream. From the Additional Settings tab, click on Measurement Protocol API secrets and create a new API secret with a nickname. This key is essential for connecting Google Analytics to your tracking system.

For detailed instructions, refer to this helpful article: Configure the Measurement API Secret

4. Event Tracking Configuration

Events tracking provides invaluable insights into user behavior and interactions. Within your tracking setup, there are 14 pre-configured events ready for use. These events cover various aspects of the booking process, from room selection to successful bookings. Here’s a breakdown of some key events:

• Room Selection: Track the number of adults, children, and infants selected, along with the number of nights and currency preferences.
• Rate Information: Monitor room rates, rate types, and additional details for each selected room.
• Booking Details: Capture booking price, promo codes, email addresses, and language preferences.
• Upsell Products: Keep track of any additional products or services selected during the booking process.
• Booking Status: Monitor the booking engine’s status, from the opening of the booking process to successful bookings.

When comes to events tracking, there are 14 different events already configured and ready for use:

Here is a list of events and some visual indications for help:

public cult_adultCount: number | null = null;

public cult_childCount: number | null = null;

public cult_babyCount: number | null = null;

public cult_stayNights: number | null = null;

public cult_currencyCode: string | null = null;

Array of objects:

[

{title: ‘Room delux’, price: ‘1200’, rateType: ‘Rateplan’},

{title: ‘Room delux’, price: ‘1200’, rateType: ‘Rateplan’},

]

public cult_roomCount: number | null = null;

public cult_rateValues: IRateValue | null = null;

public cult_roomsRates: IRoomRate[] | null = null;

public cult_bookingPrice: number | null = null;

public cult_promoCode: string | null = null;

public cult_email: string | null = null;

public cult_languageCode: string | null = null;

Array of objects:

[

{roomQty: 2, title: ‘Room delux’, price: ‘1200’, rateType: ‘Rateplan’},

{roomQty: 1, title: ‘Room delux’, price: ‘1200’, rateType: ‘Rateplan’},

]

public cult_roomType: string | null = null;

public cult_roomRateType: string | null = null;

Array of objects:

[

{ title: ‘Rent a bike’, price: ‘1200’, qty: 1},

{title: ‘Bottle of wine’, price: ‘1200’, qty: 1},

]

public cult_upsellProducts: string | null = null;

public cult_isRoomAvailability: boolean | null = null;

public hcBooking: boolean | null = null;

public cult_hcFinished: boolean | null = null;

and virtual page view

hcBooking = bookingEngine opened

hcFinished = successfull booking page,

uniqueBookingNumber: string

6. Visual Representation and Troubleshooting

Visual aids can significantly aid in configuring and troubleshooting tracking setups. Utilize screenshots to guide your team through the process of connecting events and verifying tracking implementations.

5. Tracking Missing Pages and Conversions

It’s crucial to track not only the main booking process but also any missing pages or critical conversion points. Ensure that pages like the “Extras” page are tracked to understand user interactions fully.

7. Conversions tracking

Additionally, track the booking confirmation page (thank-you.php) to capture conversions effectively. This means finalized bookings, also called confirmed bookings and count as a conversion:

https://neo.cultbooking.com/CPC/thank-you.php

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective tracking is essential for optimizing marketing efforts, understanding user behavior, and driving conversions in the competitive landscape of hotel agencies. By following these steps and leveraging the power of tools like Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, developers, marketers, and hotel agencies can unlock valuable insights to enhance their digital strategies and deliver exceptional user experiences.