Author: Sarah Trépanier

Choosing the right integrations for your hotel

Choisir les bonnes connectivités pour votre hôtel
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier

Therefore, the real challenge is to find the most appropriate solutions for your hotel and your needs. Although your Property Management Software (PMS) is already an essential technology for your hotel, there are multiple complementary solutions that can allow you to further personalize your guest experience, such as online reservations, payments, check-in/out kiosks, channel managers, POS and many others.

So, as a hotel manager, how do you choose the right integrations and technologies for your hotel? Those that simplify your teams’ daily operations while optimizing your hotel’s management should be prioritized.

Choisir les bonnes connectivités pour votre hôtel

Define your needs and goals

The first step should be to ask yourself the right questions: What are you looking for? Why do you need such integrations? What would they bring you? What are their necessary functionalities? 

Once you have your answers, make a list of the primary criteria that these solutions should meet as well as a list of secondary and optional criteria.Keep in mind that these integrations must be able to connect to your Property Management Software in order to help you optimize your employees’ daily operations and automate as many repetitive tasks as possible, while also making your customer journey smoother and offering an unparalleled experience to your guests. Before selecting your new supplier, make sure that the Hotel PMS you are using does not already have some or all of the features you desire. Indeed, many hotel software packages offer many features and could therefore have a more advantageous price point.

Get informed, compare and assess the solutions

After defining your needs and goals you should learn about existing solutions by consulting various websites, online referral sites, user reviews and comments. Make sure that these integrations are compatible with both your Property Management Software and the features currently used by your hotel. You should also make sure that the software you wish to use has a good agreement and is open to potential developments in case the information being exchanged is not sufficient for your needs. 

Moreover, it is important to compare the different solutions using a comparison table. This will help you to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each. An example of a feature you could consider: a simple solution, easy to use on a daily basis, which allows you to save time and efficiency, at a good quality-price ratio. The customer service provided by your new software is also important, especially in case of technical problems: it must be available, responsive and skilled.

Choosing the right integrations for your hotel is not an easy task and largely depends on your hotel’s needs and goals. Nevertheless, an excellent management of your hotel requires a good technological ecosystem. Among other things, a powerful Hotel PMS and interfacing integrations allow you to automate your employees’ tasks while offering your guests a memorable experience.

What is the ADR and how to increase it?

What is the ADR and how to increase it
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier
Qu’est-ce que l’ADR et comment l’augmenter?

What is the ADR?

The Average Daily Rate is a hospitality industry indicator which allows to measure the average income per paid occupied room. It is not the rate at which a room is sold, but the average room rate across all rooms sold. This is one of the most important performance indicators because it provides insight into the revenue generated through room sales and the overall revenue. Although this is a major indicator, it cannot be the only indicator you look at to get an accurate view of your hotel’s business. The ADR must be viewed in conjunction with your occupancy rate and RevPAR, among others. All of these indicators will give the hotel manager a very precise understanding of the hotel’s performance.

How to calculate the ADR?

In order to calculate the ADR, you must have data on the total revenue generated by sold rooms as well as the number of rooms sold, no matter the room type or category.

The calculation of the ADR is therefore : ADR = revenue from rooms sold / total number of rooms sold

For example: the owner generated 1000$ of revenue and sold 8 rooms. The ADR can be calculated as follows: 1000/8=125$. Therefore, the average rate of sold rooms is 125$. 

While the ADR can be calculated manually, in most cases it will be automatically calculated by your Property Management Software (PMS) as all the data required to calculate the ADR is continuously collected by your PMS.

How to increase your ADR?

You can increase your ADR through multiple strategies

  1. Adjust your pricing

The ADR is proportional to the sale price, therefore pricing has a direct impact on it. A Yield management strategy could allow you to increase your ADR globally.

Increasing your pricing overall will also have a direct impact on your ADR. While this is not a strategy in of itself but rather a pricing policy, this increase can be normal and linked to inflation in which case it would not represent a real ADR increase.

  1. Offer a unique experience

Guests who experience a unique stay are inclined to spend more. Based on this observation, offering a new experience or enriching your current offers are concise and direct actions which can help you increase your ADR.

  1. Incentivize consumption

One strategy could be to always offer a superior room. This has an immediate effect on increasing your revenue and your ADR as superior rooms will have higher rates. Therefore, you can ask your front desk staff to always offer the superior room if it is available, no matter if you offer it at its true or discounted rate. If the customer accepts the superior room, the additional amount they will have spent will have a positive impact on your ADR.

You can also implement this strategy in your online booking engine. At the time of booking, the customer can be offered the superior room by displaying only the difference in amount between the chosen room and the superior room.  

  1. Personalize your clients’ stay

Knowing the habits of your customers, particularly through your Property Management Software, will allow you to target your offers according to their needs and interests. Personalization also allows you to build customer loyalty and to always offer them the opportunity to discover your range of superior rooms using their stay history stored within your PMS.

  1. Conduct regular competitive intelligence

Monitoring your competitors’ advertised rates will allow you to position yourself in relation to them and to offer a competitive rate. Your reputation and customer satisfaction will allow you to charge an advantageous rate in regards to your competitors. Indeed, you will be able to justify a higher rate using your hotel’s ratings, your customer reviews and your online reputation.

The ADR or Average Daily Rate is a key indicator for a hotel manager who wishes to analyze their hotel’s performance. Increasing the ADR of a hotel is a daily and long term work, which can be achieved by implementing some if not all of the strategies that we have previously mentioned. It is therefore crucial to involve your staff in order for them to have growth objectives and also to come up with multiple ideas that could increase your hotel’s ADR.

The importance of yield management in the hotel industry

Posted on by Sarah Trépanier

Your main priority is to maximize your profitability

 To do this, you can use yield management by analyzing your data (occupancy rates, sales, types of clientele) from the current year and the previous year and adjusting your rates. This analysis can be performed by specialized software that can also facilitate decision making or speed up the decision. Yield management is primarily based on supply and demand forecasts. When demand is higher than supply, it is appropriate to offer higher prices in order to maximize your profitability. On the other hand, when demand is too low, it is advisable to lower your prices to avoid low occupancy. You must also take into account several factors such as seasonality, weather, holidays, events, length of stay, packages and services, and offers available at your competitors.

With these forecasts, you will be able to adjust your prices at the right time, better manage your room inventory while determining your booking limit and define pricing strategies and promotional offers relevant to your clientele. In addition, yield management systems are connected to your Property Management Cloud and distribution channels so that your hotel’s availability and inventory are updated in real time.

It is also important to know these performance indicators when using yield management software:
– The occupancy rate
– ADR (Average Daily Rate) 
– REVPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) 
– NREVPAR (Net Rooms Revenue Per Available Room) – GOPPAR (Gross Operating Profit Per Available Room)

Using yield management techniques could be very beneficial for your hotel as it would help you to increase your revenue and margins by selling the right product or service, to the right customer, at the right time.

The way in which yield management stimulates demand is mainly based on predictions and on the flexibility of rates (including the variation of prices). It is a particularly relevant strategy if your hotel has several distribution channels and if you wish to improve the segmentation of your clientele.

5 tips to turn satisfied guests into loyal guests

satisfied-guests-into-loyal-guests
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier
fideliser-clients-satisfaits

Improve your customer experience using post-stay feedback

Your guests’ reviews are crucial for getting feedback on how their stay went. These comments will help you to improve your offers and services as well as the experience your hotel provides. In addition, when guests feel heard and that their needs are taken into consideration, they will enjoy their stay even more and will not hesitate to return to your hotel. 

In order to collect comments and feedback from your customers, you can for example insert a link to your TripAdvisor page in your personalized post-stay email. You can also encourage your customers to share their experience on various social platforms.

Make good use of digital marketing

Digital marketing is beneficial to collect your customers’ opinions, but also to keep in touch with them after their stay, either through social media or using newsletters. This way, your customers continue to think about you, even after their stay, and recall memories of their stay. They will want to relive their experience by visiting you again. 

However, make sure your communications remain relevant and are not sent too frequently to avoid your customers getting tired of you. Otherwise, they may unsubscribe altogether from your communications.

Collaborate with local businesses

Once customers are interested in your unique packages, promote partnerships with local and environmentally friendly businesses. 

As with many travelers, discovering the region in an environmentally friendly manner is important, and can even be the main goal of their getaway. Partnering with a local outdoor business to offer discounts could be beneficial to both parties. Knowing that your hotel promotes buying and consuming locally will attract your visitors and when they want to come back to the region, they will not hesitate to come back and proudly contribute to the local economy.

Personalize your offers and services

Thanks to your customers’ comments and post-stay survey responses, you have a better idea of their needs and wishes for their next stay. This information can be a source of inspiration to better differentiate your packages. 

Don’t hesitate to use your database to personalize these packages ideas and adapt them according to your clients’ interests and characteristics.

For example, local businesses will appreciate if you have a flexible package catering to their business meetings’ needs, whether it’s a special dining room menu or a promotional rate for your conference room. By offering this flexibility and meeting their specific needs, they will be more inclined to make your hotel their reference in the region.

Create a loyalty program

Few travelers turn down an opportunity for discounts or additional services during their stay. Indeed, if a customer is forced to choose between two nearby establishments, the possibility of becoming a member of a loyalty program at one of them can be a decisive factor. 

There are several types of loyalty programs, and the which one you want to implement depends on your clientele, but also on your objectives. Your customers can have access to exclusive offers, additional services such as a complimentary parking or late arrivals, or receive points according to the amount spent or the number of reservations made. 

It may also be appropriate to reward your customers when they help you improve your customer experience, such as writing online reviews.

A loyal customer represents a great business opportunity for your hotel and can be a true ambassador for your hotel. There are many ways to build customer loyalty and encourage your guests to come back again and again, whether it’s through customer feedback, using appropriate marketing strategies, personalizing your offers and services, collaborating with local businesses or offering a loyalty program. However, each of these tricks requires knowledge of your customers, which is why it is paramount to have an efficient and effective PMS.

Prioritize guest experience through automation

prioritize-guest-experience-automation
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier
prioriser-experience-client-automatisation
Prioritize guest experience through automation

Every task assigned to your staff can now be replaced or improved through technology. For your guests, automation offers several benefits, such as increased autonomy and having more available employees to serve them and can even contribute to a memorable guest experience.

Improving your staff’s efficiency

Automating your operations allows you to optimize your staff’s work time, regardless of their tasks. Indeed, many tasks can be repetitive and without added value, such as taking information for the reservation, coordinating the tasks of your housekeeping staff or managing the arrival process. These tasks can be eliminated from your employees’ workload thanks to automation. 

With this saved time, the line at the front desk is shorter and guests are free to enjoy their stay without having to wait too long. With a hotel PMS and its advanced features connected to other software, automation is present at every step of the guest’s journey in your property. It is therefore important to master it, to take advantage of it and especially to adapt your staff’s tasks accordingly.   

Ensuring a personalized customer experience

With the synchronization of your customers’ data and their stay, guests will simply have to enter their information at the time of booking. Data is essential to offer a unique and personalized stay to each of your guests. Your employees can then add a personal touch and provide customized offers to make your customers feel valued and important, a key element to ensure their satisfaction.

Provide a seamless customer journey

Technology takes care of several tasks, reducing the risk of error so that your guests’ stay is hassle-free. This way, they can fully enjoy your facilities and your restaurant, without having to contact the reception for any issues. In addition, all payments made during your guests’ stay are centralized, making the check-out process easier for your guests and staff.

Invest in technologies to provide a modern stay

With the time saved due to automation, you’ll gain many human resource benefits in terms of recruitment, training and payroll. Indeed, automation can help you reduce your staffing needs while maintaining the same level of service.

The main benefit of automation is making your employees more efficient on a daily basis, allowing them to deliver an improved and personalized guest experience. As a result, guests will be able to enjoy their stay and will be more likely to recommend your hotel either directly to their friends and family or online via positive customer reviews.

5 benefits of personalizing your property’s guest experience

personalizing-guest-experience
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier

Increase your guests’ satisfaction

Whether it be by having a lot of variety in your packages, paying particular attention on special occasions or even sending personalized emails, all your actions contribute to your guests’ satisfaction throughout their stay. Thanks to a powerful and efficient PMS (Property Management Software), you can retrieve all your customers’ data and personalize each step of their journey, from the booking to the post-stay message. For example, if a guest is used to staying at your property and already knows several of your services, it could be more relevant to promote your new products to them. On the other hand, it would be more interesting to mention your iconic and unique services if the client is new. Several other criteria, such as the type of client, their origin, or how they heard about you, are useful in personalizing their stay. Therefore, the role of your Property Management Software becomes important as it allows you to collect statistical data on your clientele and provides you with customer lists. 

Build customer loyalty

A loyal clientele is a considerable advantage for your establishment, and personalization can help you reach this goal more easily. There are several indicators that can measure loyalty to your property, such as the NPS (Net Promoter Score). When guests feel that their needs are being met, there is a good chance that they will come back to stay in your hotel. Moreover, offering a unique experience tailored to the customer’s type and their needs would encourage them to come back no matter what type of getaway they want. It will also help to strengthen your guests’ loyalty to your property.

Multiply your additional sales

Another undeniable benefit of personalizing guests’ stays is the increase in additional sales. Whether it be at the time of booking, before arrival or during the stay, guest information is essential to personalize their experience. By using your PMS, you will be able to make many other suggestions such as adding an in-room breakfast or a relaxing spa experience.

Have targeted communications with guests

Personalization can also improve the relevance of your communications with your clients. Indeed, you should not hesitate to analyze the information collected by your PMS in order to adapt your communications to the type of guest you wish to target. This will help you to increase your newsletters’ opening rate and click rate. A simple touch of personalization such as using your guest’s first name or information about their previous stay will make your emails more personal and more effective.

Attract Millennials

Millennials represent a significant future clientele for the hospitality industry. This generation of travelers is constantly looking for memorable experiences, so personalizing their experience by offering them a customized stay that meets their needs will increase their satisfaction and strengthen their loyalty.

Personalizing the experience offered by your property will undoubtedly allow you to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Do not hesitate to use the data collected by your PMS to better understand your guests and implement a strategy that will not only increase their satisfaction but also strengthen their long-term loyalty. This customer data will also help you design and offer new features while improving the customer experience offered by your property.

Everything you need to know about Hotello’s onboarding process

processus-implantation-hotello
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier
processus-implantation-hotello

How does Hotello’s onboarding work?

Hotello’s onboarding process is divided into 8 stages:

  • Making an initial contact with the hotel manager
  • Sending the questionnaire
  • Receiving the questionnaire
  • Creating a database
  • Delivering the database
  • Personalized trainings, if desired
  • Going live
  • Setting up the interfaces

Once the client confirms their commitment with Hotello, our Client Success experts will take over and make contact with the hotel manager. The implementation process can then start by exchanging information between the hotel manager and our experts: the hotel manager knows their hotel better than anyone and our experts master Hotello software. This discussion allows the Client Success department to build the client’s database in only 5 to 7 days, depending on the complexity of the hotel.

Then, our specialists present the database to the hoteliers who will have leadership roles and actively participate in change management. These include the front desk supervisor,  the accountant, the hotel manager and all other actors who will motivate the employees to feel involved in this change. Our team will take this as an opportunity to outline the first steps for change and book the desired training programs. These trainings can cover topics such as database management, front desk management, administration, conference rooms management, night checks and interfaces. Thus, the manager is responsible for assigning the right employees to the right training(s). Once the trainings are completed, the Client Success department will prepare the employees for change and go over the whole process to ensure everything and everyone is ready for the launch day.

On this launch day, the front desk will check-out clients with the old management software and then, ideally at 12:00, the receptionists will end their shift. The financial information is then transferred into Hotello. Our specialists, along with the client, ensure that the accounts receivable balances and deposits are in Hotello and then disconnect the interfaces from the old system in order to isolate the old software. Only once the accounting department confirms that the new system is connected can the reception use Hotello to process the arrivals and departures of the hotel’s customers. The interfaces will also then be reconnected.

As the project manager, keep in mind that your first priority is to ensure that your guests’ stay is not disrupted by this system change. Also, make sure that your employees are comfortable with the new tools being implemented and that they can use them efficiently on a daily basis.

In general, it takes approximately 30 days for Hotello to deliver the ready-to-use software to their client. This depends on how fast the client is able to provide the required documents to create their personalized database and on the complexity of their business model. Thus, a property with very few rooms and without interfaces will be ready much quicker. Setting up the interfaces can only be done once the database is established and depends on the availability of third party suppliers.

Hotello’s implementation process continues even after the software is installed. Our Client Success department continues to support our hotel managers for as long as they use Hotello. Our specialists are devoted and available if you need information or have any questions regarding Hotello’s specific modules. Moreover, collaborating with our clients allows our experts to give advice and help hotel managers to make the best decisions by providing them expert knowledge on Hotello and presenting them the available options which would best serve their properties.

4 key principles for successfully leading change in your hotel

cles-changement-hotel
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier

Preparing for change proactively

In order to lead change in your hotel with ease, it’s important to carefully plan your change process ahead of time. During this preparation you will learn how to put things into perspective, how to involve all hotel staff together and finally how to make sure everyone feels supported throughout the change process. Moreover, the hotel manager is a key leader of the change process, and needs to be understanding and attentive with their staff.

Identifying the barriers to change

Identifying potential barriers to change will help you better manage them in the future. There are three main barriers to change: barriers directly linked to the individual’s way of work, their personality and their abilities, collective and organizational barriers associated with the company’ values, culture and social norms, and lastly barriers linked with change, which have to do with individuals doubting the changes’ usefulness. In order to convince people you work with, it’s crucial to avoid clouding your own conviction by other peoples’ discouragement. Do not lose sight of the benefits you will achieve with your desired change, and keep in mind the reasons that led you to this change.

Adopting the right methods to fight resistance to change

There is not a single right method but rather multiple different good methods which will allow you to fight resistance to change among your team. Start by proactively explaining the change process to your collaborators, being transparent and highlighting the advantages and weaknesses of this process. Also, mention that this project of change is flexible and can be modified. 

Moreover, as an actor of change, you must be convincing but most importantly convinced that this change will be advantageous for your property. Make sure everyone involved in this project understands the benefit of undergoing change and prioritize active and constructive listening in order to spot those reluctant to change. It’s crucial to allow your collaborators to express their doubts and fears related to this change, to reassure and support them throughout the whole process. This will ensure they remain involved in the process at all times.

Viewing change management as a long-term process

Leading change in your property is a long-term process which requires an environment of trust. It’s important to communicate all the necessary information in a transparent manner, to avoid rushing those involved in the change process and to be an active listener. Moreover, identifying each person’s grief will allow you to help them see the added value brought by this change. You should convince them to see this change as an opportunity to live a new experience and to innovate in order to offer the best possible experience to your guests.

Leading change in your hotel will involve your staff, management and other stakeholders, and it is therefore crucial to involve them from the get-go. Additionally, preparing for change proactively, identifying the barriers to change, adopting the right methods and viewing change management as a long term process are principles to keep in mind in order to successfully lead change in your property!

Change management in the Hospitality industry

gestion-changement-hotellerie
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier
gestion-changement-hotellerie

Each person undergoes adjustment at their own pace

Change can have an impact that is organization-wide, team-wide, and individual. Indeed, each individual can react differently when faced with an unsettling and uncomfortable situation. It is natural to initially feel reluctant to change. Moreover, reluctancy reflects being afraid of risk, feeling uncomfortable, confused, worried or even having biases take control of our emotions. 

We can take the example of a hotel which suddenly decides to use a new property management software, or other new technologies. This forces employees to learn how to use these technologies efficiently in order to save time and gain productivity on a daily basis. 

Change can be a real challenge, so it is important to motivate and reassure your staff to encourage them to embrace the change, avoid getting tied to old habits, and overcome their fear of the unknown and insecurity.

Change is inevitable and necessary

Change is inevitable so why not prepare for it in proactively? Before initiating your change procedure, it’s vital to have a well thought-out and carefully planned management strategy. The manager’s role is extremely important as he or her has the role of leadership in change management. The manager is the one who supports, leads, listens, and helps their staff and collaborators throughout the process. Moreover, change is necessary for the growth of a property while it is normal to be reluctant at first, it is important to be able to keep things in perspective to welcome change with ease. 

When it comes to using a new technology to improve your efficiency on a daily basis, your staff will often assume the additional utility of such technology is small to none and that this technology will not be required for your hotel in the long run. It is therefore your responsibility to persuade your staff of its value, and inform them that procedures will be modified in order to welcome and benefit from this new technology.

Optimism and mutual support are your biggest strengths

In order to lead your change management successfully, it’s imperative to focus on the benefits that change may bring instead of fears and potential losses that may arise. Do not forget that strength lies in numbers: you are not alone as all the staff is together with you in this process. Prioritize active and constructive listening in order to spot those affected by this difficult situation and do not hesitate to reassure them. Help them perceive change as an opportunity to live a new experience which will allow you to innovate and offer a memorable stay to your guests.

The hospitality industry is facing many uncertainties, forcing properties managers to adapt despite their reluctances to face new challenges. Whether it be structural changes or strategic changes, changes are inevitable and necessary for a property’s evolution. Most importantly, optimism and mutual support will be key for overcoming your comfort zone to better perceive the benefits of change.

Management

New experiences that simplify reception work

experiences-hotel-reception
Posted on by Sarah Trépanier
experiences-reception

Check-in at the welcome kiosks

Self-serve kiosks are excellent devices that reduce the amount of repetitive tasks for the front desk team. Indeed, a check-in is often the same: identifying your guest, validating its stay, confirming the terms and conditions of the property, accepting the pre-authorization and delivering the room key. These repetitive tasks can be replaced by kiosks, allowing your guests to check-in or out independently. 

Also, welcome kiosks make the reception more welcoming for people who need a special service, since there will be no waiting line. Thus, reception staff will be more available and will be able to engage with the guests to meet their needs and therefore increase guest satisfaction.

Furthermore, kiosks are a good way to streamline busy periods and shorten the arrival and departure process, since guests will be able to check-in or out in just a few clicks.

Automation of repetitive tasks by using a property management software

The automation of tasks is often done by using a property management software or through the ecosystem offered by other softwares. There are several types of automations: automatic room assignment, generation of reports, automatic entry of online bookings, online deposits and confirmation of personal information before check-in. All of these automations help save significant time for employees and allow them to avoid repetitive tasks.

Use of integrated payment

Integrated payment is a part of automation that significantly shortens the payment process. Indeed, the amount to be paid is sent directly from the property management software to the payment terminal. The type of card as well as the payment validation return to the PMS once made on the payment terminal. Therefore, your staff won’t have to enter manually the information in the terminal, preventing them from making data entry mistakes.

As a result, these avoided mistakes make it easier to close the cash register and give the opportunity to your front desk team to focus on your guests by answering their questions and offering them a high quality customer service.

Online reservation

Online reservations help reduce phone calls, which can happen when receptionists are busy with guests on site. In order to provide a memorable guest experience, online booking connected to your property management software allows travelers to check the property’s availability in real time. Moreover, the online reservation allows a buying experience that is just as good, since they are able to directly see rooms and everything they need to proceed with the reservation.

The property’s front desk is a crucial service, it’s the guarantor of guests’ first impressions, whether in person if the reservation was made by phone or online when making a reservation on the property’s online platforms. Therefore, simplifying the reception’s work by automating and using new technologies help the property offer new experiences to its guests. It also guarantees a better customer service, since staff will be more available. It could definitely represent an improvement for the property and a way to highlight the work of people behind the front desk, as well as their desire to serve guests in a more courteous and efficient way.