More people than ever are using the Internet to search for hotels and motels. If you’re not taking advantage of websites that offer free advertising, you’re losing out to your competitors.

Here is a list of 12 websites that offer free advertising.. The more of these websites are listed, the more likely you are to book rooms.

(None of them require you to have an existing website either!)

The first three websites will place you on the ‘Virtual Map’. Each site allows you to create a web page in your search engine (Google, Bing and Yahoo) so that anyone looking for hotels in your area can find your business:

1) Google Places (see our previous post for more information on Google Places)

2) Bing Local Listing Center

3) YahooLocal

4) Facebook – I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but have you set up a page? Facebook is the second most visited website, behind only Google. Your page can include photos of the property, directions, local attractions, or anything you want to inform potential guests.

The next set of websites allows customers to review and recommend businesses. If overall your guests are happy with their stay, give them a chance to review your business by listing your property:

5) Howl

6) Mojo Pages

7) Kuzu

The following four websites are online business directories. They are similar to the previous websites; they just lack some of the customization options.

8) Hot Frog

9) blanket

10) Circle of Merchants

11) Brown Book

And finally,

12) YouTube – Here’s an idea: Show potential guests how great you, your staff, and your hotel are. Most digital cameras have a video recording feature that you can use to easily make short videos. You can give a guided tour of your hotel rooms or record a welcome message, or use it to showcase other great things about your hotel, like your high-quality soaps, linens, or continental breakfast. The possibilities are endless.

All these sites are easy to use and completely free. Use them to your advantage and start earning more money!