Philip Marchant
Jan 4, 20203 min
Maximise your Hotel.
Let’s face it, technology has taken over. Long gone are the days of travel agents. Today’s travelers do their own research without even leaving their sofa. If your hotel isn’t easy to find online, no wonder your bookings are few and far between. You need to be EVERYWHERE relevant online, from social media to booking sites to your own interactive website, review sites and you need to be present.
The search engine results page for hotel-related searches is heavily monetized, meaning people will see ads first. You need to be on all the booking sites, most only cost you if you get a booking through them or a small yearly fee but that should be easily covered by the bookings from those sites. Being on the social media sites and not just the “traditional”
Why should I stay with you? If there are not any obvious reasons, create unique incentives and offers you can provide to prospects. For example, you could offer all first-time guests a discount or even better an upgrade or free wine with dinner to encouraging them to eat with you as well adding to your sales. Incentives are also great for creating a sense of urgency to spur people to book with a special limited-time offer.
Don’t limit yourself to just one social platform, search engine, or travel website. While it might not be necessary to have a strong presence on every website imaginable, you should dig into your website analytics, find out where people are typically booking from, and create an engaging and competitive presence on those platforms.
Chances are your potential are still indecisive whether or the city or town where your hotel is located is the place where they want to spend their time and money,sSo don’t just focus on what your hotel has to offer.
What makes your city or town a desirable place to visit? Are there great things around to do?
Build a relationship with your local tourist board, councils and attractions as well as local businesses. Partner with local attractions and businesses to promote their business to your potential customers and they will do likewise as it is a win, win for both parties as it is free advertising.
Marketing is only a small part of the battle. Amazing customer service must be the first part of the experience whether through the booking platform and on arrival, especially in the hospitality industry. If you go above and beyond for your customers, then they are much more likely to do the same for you in online reviews, referrals, and return visits.
The first step in great customer service is ensuring your staff is hired are a people person with a bubbly friendly personality and then train them with a customer-first mentality in well thought out and documented procedures.
If something does go wrong, empower your staff to smooth the ruffled feathers and provide a superb service. This reaction can be even more powerful than a great service.
When customers are given an exceptional experience way beyond just a service, they will be much more likely to share their experiences with others, leading to more business for you.
These “experiences” can make a lasting impact and show the customers how you value them. Always over deliver!
Don’t forget to promote your loyalty program and train your staff to promote it too. If your customers had a positive experience in the past, why wouldn’t they want to return?
Why? These programs are designed to give discounts and special perks to returning visitors.
A good way to promote this is to offer a great incentive for first time customers to sign up for
an introductory offer linked to your loyalty program.