First of all, online check-in allows your guests to complete the process from a mobile device before arriving at your property. Moreover, they will have the possibility to complete their check-in and validate their payment information in only a few clicks. This tool will help you reduce contact with your guests upon arrival and minimize waiting time at your front desk, since your guests will only have to collect their room key at the reception or directly at your welcome kiosk.
Pre-registration
Pre-registration is a new feature which allows your guests to confirm their personal information online in an easy, fast and independent way. After receiving an email from your property, they will confirm their contact information and accept the stay’s conditions on a web form, using their personal mobile device. Also, pre-registration allows your guest to accept a credit card pre-authorization in order to guarantee its stay. Once at your property, all he has to do is to collect its room key at the front desk.
Welcome kiosks
Nowadays, some properties are providing welcome kiosks that give the opportunity to their guests to self check-in. Thanks to this 100% contactless and secure solution, your customers will be completely independent, since they will be able to collect their room keys without even going to the property’s reception.
Integrated payment
The connectivity between your payment terminals and your property management software (PMS) facilitates deposits and pre-authorizations. Operations are entered by the employees in the software so they don’t have to handle payment terminals. Integrated payment can be virtualized, in addition to being secure. It will speed up the check-in process at your property and will increase customers’ satisfaction. Since operations are done directly from the PMS, customers don’t have to take out their payment card upon departure.
The hospitality industry has always been focused on customer service, so hoteliers must find alternative ways to continue delivering memorable experiences while opting for solutions that prioritize social distancing. To do so, it is important to reassure and restore travelers’ trust by communicating all the safety and health measures of your property in a clear and effective way, as well as providing them innovative solutions to help them respect social distancing.
Moreover, studies show that an eco-responsible property would incite easily travelers to book their stay at its place. Indeed, 66% of travelers would be willing to pay more to stay in an eco-responsible and friendly property and 2 out of 3 travelers would compromise their comfort in favor of the environment. To do so, think about highlighting your environmental practices on your website but also on your online booking engine, which is sometimes the last place where travelers make their final decision for their stay. You can also promote your practices on distribution platforms in order to stand out from your competitors.
Is your property eco-responsible?
What is an eco-responsible property?
As you may know, the hospitality industry is constantly evolving and must always be renewed in order to better meet the needs of an increasingly demanding clientele. This clientele is looking for more modern, more luxurious and greener establishments.
To do so, an eco-responsible establishment is a property which attempts to minimize its environmental impact by transforming itself first and then its services. In order to ensure the well-being of its customers and employees, eco-responsible properties have several goals such as saving energies and resources, reducing pollution, decreasing waste and encouraging responsible purchasing. They set up sustainable environmental practices such as the use of recycled materials, natural insulator, low consumption lights, non-toxic products, bulk organic soaps, water saving devices and recycling bins.
Furthermore, eco-responsible properties have eco-tourism labels or awarded certifications by an independent third party or by the State. In the hospitality industry, there are many types of certifications such as Green Key, Green Tourism, EcoRoom, EarthCheck, RéserVert.
You can also link your environmental practices with your commercial ones. For example, by having a vegetable garden to produce vegetables that can be used by the chef, you can also use this to highlight your restaurant and to make some activities and workshops with the chef or the gardener.
Eco-responsible property’s benefits
Although it can be expensive, becoming an eco-responsible property is a win-win strategy for you and for your guests. By opting for a greener and more environmentally friendly practices, you can decrease your energy costs and improve your services while being innovative and all without compromising your services’ quality and guests’ comfort. Moreover, new technology often helps for the implementation of reduction energy measures. For example, if your hotel management software (PMS) is connected to the room lighting system, lights can turn off automatically if there is no one inside the room. Also, the heating and the air conditioning can be turn on standby.
This approach can also go as far as the choice of technological suppliers since it’s everyone’s action that will have a global impact. At the Hotello company, environmental practices are very important either with simple actions made by each employee such as recycling at the office, the choice of ecological maintenance products or promoting home office work and avoiding cars’ use.
Becoming an eco-responsible property is an excellent business strategy for hoteliers wishing to reduce their costs, decrease their ecological footprint and contribute to their guests and employees’ satisfaction. However, going green requires a lot of determination and attendance. As said by Dr Legrand “The sustainable hospitality sector is a sector which takes up environmental and societal challenges by using new ideas, solutions and strategies which allow to develop tomorrow’s properties and to manage their operations in a sustainable way”. Moreover, future’s properties will reconcile ecology, new technologies, conviviality but also economy.
Thus, keep in mind that the green marketing is a great way to promote your environmental practices and it will help you to strengthen your brand image on your communication channels (website, booking engine, social media, blog and newsletters) but also on external channels. Indeed, nearly 64% of the companies now use green marketing to sell their products and services.
Considered to be the most nomadic, flexible, demanding and connected generation, the Millennial generation referred by the “presentism”, also known as culture in immediacy. Often represented by start-up creators, autodidacts, entrepreneurs, artists or even self-employed workers, the Millennials like to travel, to share a different vision of things and are constantly seeking for fulfillment in their professional or personal life. Fond of unique experiences and discoveries, 80% of them declare that these would help building their own identity.
Véritable clientèle potentielle pour le secteur de l’hôtellerie, cette génération a forcé les acteurs de l’hôtellerie à As legitimate potential customers for the hospitality industry, this generation has forced hospitality actors to rethink their methods quickly and become more flexible in order to focus more on their guests. You have to be aware that it is a less wealthy clientele and that it is common for these individuals to use community platforms such as Airbnb. Therefore, the Millennials are not loyal to only one brand because they love to discover and try new things. Conscious of having a wide choice of accommodations, they are very sensitive to different criteria such as style, price, flexibility, comfort, values of the establishment but particularly in to its customer experience.
How to attract them to your property?
First of all, you need to be transparent. Remember that you can’t hide anything from them because they have previously made researches on your property, even without having stayed there. The e-reputation of your property becomes very important, whether it is on your website, on social media or on online review websites. Nowadays, travelers rely more on electronic word of mouth especially thanks to online reviews, comments and recommendations made by other travelers.
Furthermore, it would be relevant to adapt your offers or to create specific offers that could suit them. Indeed, the Millennials have a smaller budgets compared to their parents but still looking for attractive and affordable prices. Overall, Millennials combine business with leisure and they don’t hesitate to extend their business stay so that they have more time to discover new places. Therefore, do not hesitate to offer more than a simple room, opt for facilities with a refined design, large common areas as well as a local touch.
An authentic, unique and original customer experience is also an asset for your property if you want to attract the Millennials. Bet on a personalized experience that will create a strong sense of belonging such as special welcomed gifts or discovery activities whether it is outdoor activities, culinary workshops or discoveries of atypical places. Also, don’t hesitate to use customer data collected by your hotel management software including preferences, previous stays and reasons for the stay, to personalize the experience of your guests.
Thus, remember that this generation has grown with the beginnings of new technologies. They are fond of technology and connected 24/7 to their devices. 93% of them prefer to stay in an establishment equipped with technologies that would make their life easier during their stay. Once again, it’s not enough to provide them with free Wi-Fi but invest in innovations that would save them time such as online check-in, mobile applications, mobile payment services, check-in and check-out kiosks, connected robots and so many other possibilities. Moreover, keep in mind that your property must be present on social media because the Millennials are extremely active. They don’t hesitate to publish, consult online reviews and interact with others. In addition, 97% of them use social media including Facebook and Instagram, to publish content related to their travel experience and thus influence the choice of other travelers. As hoteliers, you need to optimize your online presence by modernizing your website, opting for an efficient booking engine and above all, mastering the management of your social media. Your social media are excellent advertising tools for your property, but also an opportunity to interact directly with your audiences and encourage them to book at your hotel.
There are many properties that decide to undertake sustainable development initiatives and it is not a coincidence. Respecting the environment is becoming an increasingly important criterion for travelers. Indeed, 75% of Millennials prefer to choose an environmentally friendly establishment. It would therefore be relevant for you to enhance your actions, whether for reducing waste or even reducing carbon emissions.
We all know that the Millennials will be at the heart of the hospitality industry in a few years. It becomes essential to reinvent yourself and rethink your strategies, especially by focusing more on your guests and on the customer experience that you offer them. Having a customer-centric approach which allow you to better meet your future guests’ needs.
But what is green marketing? By definition, green marketing, also called sustainable marketing is represented by all the actions which aim to use the ecological positioning of a brand, its products or services in order to increase its sales and improve its image. As this marketing strategy is strongly used in the tourism sector, it is therefore necessary to remain authentic while demonstrating transparency and more precisely to avoid greenwashing.
What are our consumers and what is the message to spread?
First, you have to understand who your consumers are and what their motivations are in order to have an effective green marketing. It is true that the majority of them are aware of their environmental impact but not all of them are fully ready to change their habits and their behavior. There are three types of consumers : unconditionals, greens with variable intensity and disconnected people.
Currently, there are very few unconditionals willing to pay more for a stay in an environmentally friendly establishment. Indeed, your messages must not be unfounded, biased or even excessive. It will be a good idea for you to put facts and figures forward and make sure to remain as transparent and honest as possible if you want to succeed in retaining them.
Greens with variable intensity are sensitive to the environmental cause but they are not ready yet to pay more and to change their habits unless they see a justified personal benefit. If you want to send them a message, be sure to highlight your property’s ecological and economic benefits and to rely more on emotional rather than rational arguments.
Disconnected people aren’t often receptive to green marketing because they aren’t aware of the advantages of choosing an environmentally responsible establishment. In order to convince them, you have to show them that choosing an eco-friendly property will improve their experience.
Which media should be used?
Moreover, after identifying your consumers and defining the message to send them, it is appropriate to choose only the most relevant media. Start by updating your website by creating a section fully dedicated to the environment, which highlights your values, your practices and your policies. You can also use your social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram to promote your sustainable practices at large and also to interact with your different audiences.
The most relevant is to use your own sales platforms to communicate on your environmental progress. It is at this moment that your customer will see the price and will take into consideration all the ecological advantages that your establishment offers. Thereby, justification can be easily done, so think about improving your online booking engine with your environmental actions and using your distributors such as online travel agencies (OTAs).
Considering responsible tourism distributors is also an excellent idea. This may help you attract more customers and will expose you to competitors who have the same commitments. So if your pricing is higher than your usual competitors, it will be easier to justify it on these dedicated platforms. Finally, the press is a great way to gain more notoriety and credibility with a larger audience but it requires having an allocated budget.
Overall, green marketing is an excellent business strategy for any hotelier who wants to promote their sustainable practices. As a result, 64% of companies use social or environmental arguments to sell their products and services and this is why it will be important for you to innovate in order to differentiate your property from competitors. As you may already know, each marketing action has a cost, so before starting any project, be sure that your consumers will be sensitive enough to your message and above all, ready to pay a higher price. However, in the medium term, all of these actions could help you reduce some of your costs and your ecological footprint. Moreover, the green marketing will also help you strengthen your property’s image and increase your income.
So, are you ready to use green marketing to promote your property?
Hotels have now understood the importance of integrating Instagram to their marketing strategy, whether it be to build their brand or to consolidate their online reputation. Managing one’s online reputation on social media has now become a necessity, as it allows companies to better communicate and exchange with Instagram users, while improving their products and services.
What is the online reputation?
The notion of online reputation emerged in the 2000s and designates a company, brand, person’s image perceived online through search engines, review platforms, social media and other online platforms. Similar to an online word-of-mouth, internet users’ comments have a significant impact on your property. Your online reputation can thus be both positive or negative, or even neutral. It is therefore crucial to understand that this online reputation contributes to your property’s real reputation as well as its overall image.
The online-reputation can have an important effect on your hotel and its attractivity. For example, a good online reputation can generate more bookings and thus a higher occupancy, with no further action required on your part. Thus, the more positive comments you have online, the more people will want to stay with you and in return leave online reviews.
How to boost your online reputation using Instagram?
First of all, you need to clearly define your objectives and your strategy. You can then focus your reflections around a few questions:
WHY: What are your true objectives?
WHO: Which product or service do you wish to promote, what are their main characteristics, what are they used for, who is your target audience?
WHAT: What is the message you wish to broadcast, which information and content do you wish to share?
WHERE: Which supports, platforms and communication channels do you want to use?
HOW: Which levers are to be used?
HOW MUCH: What is your budget allocation for this strategy?
Social media allow companies to have greater visibility. It has been shown that 8 out of 10 users follow a brand on Instagram. Moreover, approximately 80% of Instagram users use this platform to find out more about a product or service, which shows this social medium’s significant influence. Instagram actually has one of the highest visitor rates, behind Facebook and Twitter. So why not take advantage of this to strengthen your online reputation?
There exist many ways in which you can boost your online reputation as a hotel. Firstly, make sure to regularly post relevant content. For example, you can upload publications promoting your company’s values, your staff, your new products and services, or even share picture or reviews from your clients. This will help to grow the community following your brand and create close links with your followers.
It is also important to interact with your followers on a regular basis, whether it be by using comments, likes or sharing their content. This exchange allows you to collect positive comments from online users while making your brand friendly. This shows you truly care about your community. There is no need to embellish your interactions, be authentic and loyal to your company’s image and values.
Later on, you can also partner up with influencers. An influencer is a person with a large number of followers who regularly posts content on their social media. There are many types of influencers: nano-influencers (less than 10 K followers) micro-influencers (over 10 K followers), macro-influencers (over 100 K followers) and celebrities (over 500 K followers). The influencer your partner up with will be responsible to create content on your behalf and boost your online visibility, by talking about your products and services to their community.
It is essential to partner up with influencers who correspond to your values as a brand so that their community can identify to your brand as well. Choose influencers who have an interesting engagement for you, and have an audience that corresponds to your target market. The chosen influencers will be your brand ambassadors, which will allow you to strengthen your notoriety within their community and create a trusting relationship with your followers, potential or current clients. You can also use hashtags in order to strengthen the feeling of belonging for your community.
By publishing many pictures, live videos through Instagram Story, or lengthier videos using IGTV, you can also promote your products and services in a more original fashion. The goal behind these publications is to share emotions through different visuals, to create desire for your products and services, and to knit stronger links with your followers. It would be wise to communicate in a friendly and exclusive manner, while staying true to your brand’s identity. In fact, your followers should be able to identify with the content you post, and most importantly, they should be able to understand what you expect of them such as sharing their own experience after staying with you.
How to measure your online reputation on Instagram?
While one’s online reputation may be a variable which is difficult to quantify and measure accurately, it is important to do so. The choice your performance indicators mainly depends on your goals and the communication channels you wish to use. Prior to paying for any applications, you should start by analyzing your social media’s data. There are two types of data: quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative data is usually described by the number of likes, shares or followers, your publications’ audience, conversion rate and click-rate. Be careful however as these indicators’ usefulness is limited. Indeed, your social media visibility is not necessarily a sign of influence, and the search engines’ referencing tends to be highly personalized nowadays.
On the other hand, you have qualitative data such as positive, negative or neutral comments, hashtags and recommendations shared by the users. These qualitative indicators are difficult to analyze, as any qualitative statement is subjective, and each person has their own vision of things.
To conclude, a property’s online reputation is an element that should be closely monitored. While it may have positive impacts such as a boost in sales and the growth of the company, it is the company’s responsibility to manage their online reputation on social media, as a negative online reputation can also lead to a bad buzz or a crisis situation.
In order to build a strong link with your clientele, share your story with them. People enjoy these types of stories and this allows you to connect with them personally.
On your website, dedicate a page outlining your story, your values and your ambitions. Clients like to know what drives you, what motivates you to offer your services and experiences. Share with them why your hotel was created, when it was established and how it evolved over time. If you know quirky facts about how your hotel was built, its location or any other aspects you can think of, this is the time to share them and make your website’s visitors smile.
It can also be of interest to write a few lines about the people who established your hotel, mention those who took part in important projects, or feature famous celebrities who have stayed with you.
Does the area where your hotel is located have a unique history? Take the opportunity to discuss it and explain why your hotel is part of this historic landscape.
In addition to sharing these facts on your website, you can create small “Did you know” leaflets that you can put on display at your front desk or on the nightstands in your rooms. This way your clients can learn about the story your hotel wishes to communicate and they may want to share it with their friends and family, who will then hear about your hotel.
All these elements are part of your story and it is useful to bring them into light in order to build an outstanding and unique reputation.
Reflect an image that corresponds to what you offer
The image you reflect outside your hotel is as important as the services your offer. Your image must therefore correspond to the type of accommodation you offer and carry your hotel’s spirit.
If your hotel is known for its natural environment and outdoor recreations, your communications should have an energetic visual which reminds of your clients of nature and a vocabulary rich with outdoor activities. On the other hand, if your hotel is a temple for relaxation, massages, spa and yoga, your image should reflect well-being, peace and quiet.
It is crucial to use these tricks because if your external image does not reflect your hotel’s ambiance and identity, your clients could be disappointed.
Make the most of social media’s visibility
Social media are a key ally when it comes to strengthening your reputation. Use them to communicate any news concerning your hotel, share articles or interesting facts about your field and, most importantly, highlight your clients’ pictures and comments. When your clients share their experience on your social media, they give you credibility and liven up your pages. These publications reassure clients who are inquiring about your hotel and give an idea of the type of stay they can expect upon booking with you.
When a potential client is looking for a hotel, they will most likely read the comments left by your previous guests. This is why it is particularly important to share your clients’ comments and impressions on your social media. This way, if a client has an issue they would like to raise, your future clients will see how responsive and caring you are and how you take remedial actions to offer the best possible experience.
You should seriously consider choosing a PMSconnected to online booking platforms which can immediately display your room availabilities on social media. You can then take advantage of the potential clients browsing your social media to convert them into guests, if the comments they read satisfy them. Offering an improved customer experience helps to facilitate the booking process.
Take care of your e-reputation (online reputation)
If you wish to strengthen your brand, it is important that you take care of your e-reputation. This reputation directly influences your income as it plays a key role for the people booking a room online. Comparisons across different hotels consist of much more than just rates. Internet users review comments and your overall grade could be increased or decreased depending on if your competitors have a better overall appreciation across various online booking platforms. This is why you should keep an eye on the quality of your services in order for your e-reputation to be positive and advantageous.
With these tricks you should be able to build a strong brand which will make your hotel thrive!
Their main advantage is how they are easily shared. You can decide to share these codes or to restrict how you share them according to their popularity and your own objectives. This will allow you to keep your performance indicators under control, such as the ADR or the occupancy. You can measure the efficiency of a promotional code at any time, as your booking engine will be able to indicate the number of bookings placed using that specific code.
It can also be interesting to have multiple promotional codes available during the same period, depending on the type of customer you want to attract. You will then be able to measure their popularity based on the number of times they were used to place a booking. Promotional codes are usually transferable between users, but a code intended for a specific person should not. However, a code offering a discount can be shared between friends and family. Thus, a small group of people can take the decision to place a booking and stay at your hotel together with this specific code. In this case, the effect of the promotional code is amplified.
When to use promotional codes?
A promotional code is designed to offer a specific discount to a specific clientele, whether it be to build their loyalty or to classify them. Hence the promotional code most often preferred is the one that offers a discount on their next stay. This code is usually linked to a thank-you e-mail following their stay and wishes to build their loyalty. During quieter seasons, we often use promotional codes offering large discounts which we then share on different platforms. For example, if you do not want your usual clientele to benefit from the discount, you can share the code on social media, but only for those who are not already following your page. This campaign will allow people who did not know about you and had never stayed with you to discover your hotel.
If you want to bring back clients, the easiest way to do so is by using e-mail marketing. Sending a newsletter will allow you to reach all the clientele already signed up to your mailing list within your hotel management software. If you have already identified a clientele within your database which often books when offered great discounts, you can easily give them a promotional code yielding a lower rate in order to encourage them to stay with you again.
If you have a list of clients who have stayed with you having booked a package with many options, the promotional code that you make available to them could, for example, only apply for a full package deal. The segmentation of the data collected by your PMS will allow you to take multiple actions on the different types of clientele, aiming to offer the best promotional code for the type of clientele, with a price which will entice them to book again.
Promotional codes are an excellent way to carry out marketing actions in order to boost your occupancy without having too great of an impact on your key performance indicators. You can have multiple goals, such as building customer loyalty or gaining new customers. Promotional codes are a great way to make yourself known or for previous guests to rediscover your hotel.
Although we can find buttons almost everywhere, they always have the same role: To trigger a consumer’s reaction. In the hospitality industry, there exists a star button amongst these called the “Book now” button. This button allows internet users to efficiently place a booking for your hotel online. Here is what you need to know about the different aspects of the “Book now” button in order to maximize its potential and boost your online bookings.
Its role
The “Book now” button is, without a doubt, the most important feature of a hotel’s website. It allows you to immediately convert a visitor into a client and to guide an internet user towards a booking platform, which will then lead them to pick out the different components of their stay and place a booking. Thus, your “Book now” button has an immediate impact on your online bookings. Its efficiency is therefore key if you want to retain your clients instead of letting them book through an OTA or a competitor.
Its location
As odd as it can seem, the location of a button plays a significant role. The location must be visible and easy to access for the internet user at all times. It must always be present on their screen, no matter which page the internet user is on, in order to allow them to book no matter how far along they have progressed in their decision process. By having your booking button easily accessible at all times, the potential client will not need to search through the many different pages of your website for it. This eliminates the possibility of them giving up and booking elsewhere.
Its content
That is the text within the button. Instead of going for the usual “Book now”, you could be creative in order to stand out from the competition, and use a different type of wording. In any case, the text should make it crystal clear that the user has to click in that specific spot to start their booking process. Therefore, you can perform A/B test on different communication channels with different content as for example “Plan your next stay”, “Book your next stay”, “Check availabilities”.
Its aspect
The colour of the button needs to match with your website’s colour chart but also with the nature of its role. As the primary goal is to make it visible, you need to pick a colour which will easily differentiate itself from the rest of the website, or at least use shades which will make it stand out, such as complementary colours. You also need to take into account the font of the writing on the button. A font consisting of capital letters will differ from one consisting of lower-case letters. In addition, using a different font than the ones present on your website can be aesthetically pleasing, as long as it is coordinated with your colour chart and the internet user does not think they will end up on a different website by clicking on it.
Its link
The “Book now” button should have a link leading to a booking platform. A button which links the user elsewhere, such as an application form, could possibly frustrate them and lead them to exit your website. The button’s link should imperatively lead towards a booking platform with a pre-determined length of stay and number of guests, calculated according to their corresponding average within your hotel. This will simplify the internet user’s experience. If your “Book now” button is located on a page displaying a particular package, it would be wise for the button to be linked to the package’s booking page and not the general booking process page.
Its use
The “Book now” button is used throughout your website, but it can also be used in your various communications, such as your e-mail marketing campaigns. Your newsletter could easily contain the “Book now” button as a call-to-action feature. Once again, its efficiency is tightly linked to the different factors mentioned above. For your marketing campaigns, it is essential for you to make sure that the link you use properly re-directs to the desired page. Additionally, the “Book now” button implies a web experience. Thus, a “Call now to book” button should be banned from your web communications. This is counter-productive for any marketing campaign you wish to lead, as the user receiving the newsletter expects a web experience and probably does not want to book over the telephone. The “Book now” button can also be used on social media. Some social networks even give you the opportunity to directly incorporate it onto your webpage. Social media can be an excellent way to promote your offers, as they are specifically designed for users to keep using them. Do not forget to use suitable links for each campaign such that you can easily measure your campaigns’ efficiency.
An optimized and strategically designed “Book now” button will allow you to make a difference when it comes to your website’s success. You should seriously consider this option during your campaigns. We advise you to invest in this special button, as it will allow you to thrive!
By personalizing your clients experience throughout every detail of their stay, you will charm and please more of your clients and thus increase your hotel’s revenue. This article will teach you how to master the art of personalization by using the data within your PMS System to anticipate all of your client’s needs.
Booking process personalization
Commercial personalization begins when a potential client visits your website. You can use their geolocation to personalize their experience. For example, hotels located in the south often use geolocation for marketing purposes by displaying the client’s local weather beside the weather of the country where their hotel is located.
If you are offering a loyalty program and your clients can log on your website to book again, you have the opportunity to create a unique booking experience for your clients. You can use the existing client information to personalize their experience on your website. Business travelers are a good example of a recurring clientele who are likely to log onto your website to book again.
Once your customer is ready to book, a range of personalization options are available. They can indeed pick which package/rate they would like while also adding personalized options. You therefore need to make sure these personalized options are available and fit your client’s needs. During the booking process, you can also personalize the rate offered to your potential clients. This way, a special coupon can offer a personalized rate to the specific clientele you wish to target.
Pre-stay communication personalization
Your client has now booked their stay with you. If you did not have any pre-existing data for you client to personalize their stay, you do now! You will have their name, e-mail, dates of their stay, profile (according to the room and/or package booked) and you now also know they have a particular interest for the area in which your hotel is located. All this important information is stored in your PMS System and you can now use it to your advantage. To do so, nothing could be better than sending a personalized booking confirmation e-mail through your PMS System which will greet the client by their name and confirm their booking for your hotel. You may also include any information you deem necessary for your client in this e-mail.
A reminder e-mail is also a good opportunity to personalize the communication with your client before their arrival. You can also send this e-mail through your PMS System by adding links for a wide range of services and activities available at your hotel that could be of interest to your client. It may also be a good idea to include the weather forecast and a list of events happening in the area during your client’s stay. The reminder e-mail is also an opportunity to offer the possibility of a room upgrade and to market any particular service your hotel can offer in order to boost your revenue while allowing your client to fully personalize their stay as they wish.
Stay customization
Upon your client’s arrival, your staff must continue this personalization. To do so, your PMS System will provide all of the necessary information to the front desk. Your client’s arrival is the perfect time for you to offer them a customized or personal service. For example, you could thank your client if it is their second time staying with you. You can also confirm any special request made by the client, such as indicating the pillows in the room do not contain any feathers as the client is allergic. Here again, the key to personalization is in your PMS System.
Once your client arrives in their room, it is always considered a nice gesture to call them or send them a personalized message reminding them that the hotel staff is available for any request or need they may have during their stay. This communication is a great way of enticing your clients to spend in your hotel by presenting them with different offers for which they are likely to be interested. For example, if you know your client booked a package including a vineyard tour, you could offer them a glass of the regional wine. Your client will then feel privileged and he or she will enjoy the attention to detail.
Different systems exist in order for you to customize your client’s stay. Some software allow you to greet your client’s through the television in their room, and others use texts for their customer relationship management.
Post-stay communication personalization
After their stay, the relationship with your client does not end and neither should the personalized communication. You have many opportunities to continuing communicating with your clients. You can analyze the data stored in your PMS System and send customized offers to your clients in order for them to stay at your hotel again. You have many creative opportunities to communicate in a personalized manner with your clients and you should utilize the data stored within the PMS System to accomplish this goal.
In conclusion, any occasion is a good occasion to culture the art of personalization, and with the data stored in your PMS System, doing so has never been easier.
A diverse clientele often includes families, which constitute a guest demographic that requires special attention. You can make their stay pleasant by offering accommodations, such as high chairs in restaurants for young children or a swimming pool area or small playground. Simple touches such as having a children’s menu or crayons and paper at hand in restaurants always please families. Also, consider earmarking a few double rooms with an extra sofa bed that provide more sleeping space for families with three or more children. Your staff can easily find rooms with a sofa bed using your hotel PMS’ commodity feature when a guest with children calls to book.
Offering folding beds or extra beds is also a great way to accommodate families. Upon arrival, offering children a small gift or candy at reception is a pleasant extra that families will remember. It’s also an effective way to keep children busy during the check-in process that also helps parents pay more attention to the information your reception staff provides. However, make sure each item you offer guests is available at all times. When several families are staying at your hotel, you could run out of folding beds for young children, for example. Be sure your software has an up-to-date inventory of your hardware and update the inventory daily when an item is assigned to a customer for the duration of their stay.
Resorts that host the most diversified clientele may wish to offer special activities during the holiday season so that parents can spend time together while their children play and keep busy thanks to organized activities. In rental condos and cottages, consider making video or board games available for rainy days or evenings. In cottages with a spa, a simple action such as lowering the water temperature for children is much appreciated and a good way to accommodate a diverse clientele.
What about business people?
Business travellers don’t necessarily have the time to take care of details and appreciate when things are designed with their needs in mind. Offer them packages designed especially for them that feature extras such as a high-speed internet connection and spa access.
Make business people’s stay easier by having a supply of water bottles in the room and reserve a more remote or separate restaurant section for them that’s quieter. Also, consider keeping some services open later in the evening since business people sometimes call it a day much later than other guests. As they’re often alone in the evening and have the time, they may want to enjoy the pool or relax at the spa.
Finally, it’s essential to offer business people fast check-in and check-out service, as they have no time to waste. Providing fast service contributes to good customer service. It’s easy to implement a few simple tools to ensure a faster, more efficient check-in and check-out process. For example, providing guests with a pre-registration form they can complete before arriving at the hotel speeds up the registration process since all the pertinent information has been validated in advance.
Another way to make the check-in and check-out process easier is to install self-serve kiosks guests can use to check-in and check-out themselves. This procedure can take place either at a physical terminal or online using a smartphone.
Serving tourists well
Tourists want to explore, discover and see new things. On their own, they constitute a diverse clientele since tourists come from all walks of life and can be couples or families. One way or another, they’ll want to know what there is to do around your hotel. In order to provide the best possible service to a diversified clientele, your staff must have good working knowledge of the region’s tourist attractions. Your guests will naturally turn to your reception staff to get references to the best restaurant in the area. Such knowledge will also allow your staff to sell a stay at your hotel better. Therefore, by providing excellent service, your staff contributes to better reviews of your hotel. For this same reason, never hesitate to list the attractions that could draw a tourist to stay with you on your booking engine.
Be sure to maintain an inventory of informative brochures on the region’s activities in both English and French; it’s a good way to inform and accommodate tourists. Road maps are also practical.
To meet the needs of tourists, offer discovery packages and include items such as a dinner at the hotel restaurant with a local wine or tickets to a local museum or cultural centre thanks to a partnership with these third parties. To this end, nothing beats a PMS that lets you customize packages and add à la carte elements based on guest preferences. Selling tickets directly at the hotel will make it easier for guests to get to attractions without queuing up for each activity. Once again, better service contributes to a better stay and therefore to a better review or more loyal guests.
Last but not least, couples!
In most cases, couples are guests that are easy to satisfy. However, implementing the following strategies can ensure couples enjoy their stay as well as increase your retention rate.
To cater to couples’ needs, showcase couple packages and highlight activities they can enjoy as a duo. Offering a discount on their next reservation for two is a good idea and will encourage couples to make a return visit to your hotel. Spa packages are also popular when a couple is looking for a weekend getaway. You can include other elements in the packages, such as breakfast room service.
All these tips are easy to set up and will add value to your hotel experience while helping you cater to a diverse clientele. However, you must manage this diverse clientele well, as they do not necessarily wish to engage with each other. For example, a couple looking to spend a quiet romantic weekend together isn’t likely to enjoy a meal sitting at a table next to several families with young children. Therefore, your staff has a key role to play in assigning tables, rooms and services to each type of clientele so that all your guests can enjoy a dream stay at your hotel.
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