Improving search engine optimisation (SEO) and organic search results has been identified as one of the key methods which hoteliers believe can drive business on their website, it has been revealed.

According to a study by New York University's Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, some 68 per cent of hotel firms are set to shift the focus of their advertising strategies from offline to online.

Website optimisation was identified as their most popular choice to drive sales, accounting for 71.9 per cent of companies.

Meanwhile, about 68.3 per cent of firms saw SEO as the main way in which they could boost returns on investment, with 52.7 and 40.7 per cent of hoteliers looking to affiliate marketing and paid searches respectively.

However, hotels based in the United States were reported to rely more on SEO and pay-per-click marketing compared to international firms who instead prefer to redesign their websites.

The study added that use of SEO within the hotel industry is set to rise by an average of 1.5 per cent over the course of 2007.

Research by Lynchpin Analytics revealed that by not making the best use of differing strands of online marketing, British firms could be losing up to 50 per cent of their potential returns from marketing investment.