What is a successful guest experience in hospitality industry?
A customer-centric experience
First of all, the experience provided by your property must make your guests feel unique and privileged. Indeed, it is important to show them that your employees care about their needs and they are available for them throughout the customer journey, whether before, during and after their stay. Thereby, take advantage of the pre-stay period to inform, reassure and create curiosity. This period is particularly essential to learn about your guests, but also to optimize what you offer them. During your guests’ stay, be sure to offer them a positive experience and be available at all times. Finally, the post-stay period shouldn’t be neglected and should allow you to follow up with your guests. It could include asking them to complete a satisfaction survey or to write an online review. Those feedback will allow you to know if they are satisfied with the experience received and things that need to be improved.
The customer experience is often dependent on many factors, including customer knowledge, which resides in the data collection. This data is stored in your property management software, since they are used by your staff to view your guest’s information. Thus, keep in mind that your softwares must communicate with each other to obtain consistent and identical information.
An experience that satisfies your guests
On the short term, an experience that satisfies your guests is a successful one if it has met their needs and expectations and if they are really satisfied with their stay. Moreover, in order to satisfy them, it is essential to have a good knowledge of your guests and their preferences to offer them suitable and attractive offers. Also, the greeting, the services’ personalization and your staff’s dedication and attention to your customers will help your experience stand out from your competitors. Indeed, don’t underestimate your employees’ power in the success of a stay. Don’t hesitate to raise their awareness concerning service and train your new employees so they can properly answer your guests’ questions.
Furthermore, having happy guests will allow you to create a solid relationship with them and generate positive word of mouth.
An experience that builds guest loyalty
On the medium and long term, a successful guest experience builds customer loyalty. Having a good knowledge of your guests allows you not only to satisfy them, but also to be proactive and anticipate their needs and expectations. This proactive approach will help you retain their business and win their trust. Thereby, your loyal guests will not hesitate to book future stays at your property and also refer your property to their entourage, on social media and online review platforms.
In the hospitality industry, a successful experience is customer-centric but also an experience that satisfies and retains guests. Therefore, it is essential to be available and focus all your efforts on your guests, so that they succeed in living, feeling and fully appropriate the experience offered by your property.
Also, keep in mind that a successful experience asks you to work consistently with your actual tools and the ones that could be acquired. Nowadays, technology is more and more needed to create new experiences, so it is important to optimize your current tools in order to make the most of their capacity and stay tuned about new trends.
Finally, a successful guest experience also means a potential increase of your revenue and strengthens your brand image.
Travelers are now called staycationers, meaning they prefer to go on vacation in their own home country rather than abroad. Moreover, they mainly go on vacation for entertainment and relaxation after a long period of confinement. Staycationers are more independent when traveling but they feel a strong need to be reassured and to feel safe, especially regarding social distancing and health measures set up by properties. To do so, it’s important to take these changes in consideration and to adapt quickly.
3 hotel trends resulting from the covid-19 crisis
Coronacation trend
The trend “Coronacation” is a mix of corona et vacation, it reflects the high demand of staycationers wishing to travel despite the fact that the risk of spreading the virus is still present. Furthermore, the Coronacation trend has spread thanks to low-cost flights and accommodation offers, which has allowed some hoteliers to gradually restart their properties’ activities and even avoid permanent closure.
As you may know, staycationers now favor stays suitable for families including children and animals, combining safety and local consumption. This behavior’s change has forced hoteliers to adapt their offers in order to convince staycationers to make reservations within their properties. While price has always been an important criterion in travelers’ decision-making process, adaptability, availability and flexibility have also become important criteria. Therefore, several actions such as a flexible arrival and departure policy, the implementation of contactless solutions or a take-out meal service, limiting room cleaning in order to avoid contact between guests and employees will be highly appreciated by your guests and will sometimes make a significant difference when making a reservation. Thus, the crucial point of consumer’s decision is the property’s cancellation policies. Indeed, travel options are now so unstable that guests are looking for flexibility and easy arrangements in the case they can’t take advantage of their booked stay. A more flexible policy will certainly allow you to attract travelers who are not yet convinced to make a reservation. So remember to adjust your cancellation policies in your booking engine by highlighting your advantages offered and why not creating a specific Covid-19 policy that mentions all the actions put in place to simplify your stay.
Coronasafe trend
Despite an unpredictable future, properties’ activities are returning to normal step by step. Nevertheless, every hotelier must commit to guaranteeing an outstanding customer experience in a coronasafe environment. The coronasafe trend incites hoteliers to be “sanitary agile” and to promote the safety of everyone, both travelers and property’s staff. Moreover, several reinforced measures were quickly put in place to prevent the spread of the virus as example the obligation to wear a mask within the property, the reorganization of spaces, the provision of disinfectant products, the set up of plexiglass windows and markings on the ground in order to respect social distancing, the disinfection of rooms and common areas and the use of innovative solutions such as check-in kiosks, online check-in and QR code for online menus. It’s very important to communicate and promote these measures on your Covid-19 website page, on your social media and in your newsletters in order to inform and reassure travelers. You can also create how-to guides for your teams and guests. Finally, remember that in times of crisis and post-crisis, transparency and honesty are essential!
Staycation
The staycation trend also known as Holistay, has grown as a result of staycationers’ changing behavior. Indeed, they now prefer short stays in their own home country to encourage local tourism rather than travelling abroad. This trend particularly affects seniors and families who want to relax, do family activities and discover the beauty of their cities or regions. In addition, staycationers are interested in immersive experiences such as nature hikes, cultural tours and discoveries and culinary and tasting events. It would then be relevant for your property to offer affordable packages that include accommodation suitable for children and animals. You can also use your website and your online booking engine to promote your offers and partnerships with local guides and local small businesses in your city or region.
Besides being a rapidly changing industry in normal times, the hospitality industry faces many challenges caused by the Covid-19 crisis. Therefore, it is essential to be agile, to adapt quickly and to be reactive facing an uncertain future. It might be difficult to predict the exact date of a future pandemic but it is still possible to prepare for it, especially by planning emergency strategies and by using your property management software. Indeed, don’t forget that your Hotel PMS remains your best ally in times of crisis and post-crisis. Furthermore, it will allow you to manage your staff efficiently as well as all your property’s operations, to analyze your activities thanks to activity reports and to maximize your occupancy rate and your incomes. To finish with, remember that no matter how the situation evolves, you have to maintain the relationship with your guests by informing, reassuring and retaining them for the long term.
En effet, la satisfaction est représentée par une expérience réussie, une image et des croyances positives développées chez les clients fidèles. Néanmoins, satisfait ne veut pas dire fidèle. Un voyageur satisfait n’est pas toujours 100% fidèle et à l’inverse, un voyageur fidèle est avant tout satisfait de son expérience.
De plus, il est prouvé qu’il est 7 fois moins cher de fidéliser un client que d’en acquérir un nouveau car celui-ci est très attaché à la marque en question. Alors pourquoi ne pas saisir cette opportunité et transformer vos clients fidèles en véritables ambassadeurs de marque? Ces ambassadeurs représentent un réel avantage pour vous puisqu’ils vous feront 100% confiance et n’hésiteront pas à vous recommander à leur entourage, ce qui créera un effet de bouche à oreille. Ils seront également plus favorables à acheter vos services et ne seront pas tentés par les offres de vos concurrents. Aussi, vos clients fidèles seront plus compréhensifs en cas de problèmes techniques et ils seront également plus aptes à vous faire part de commentaires rétroactifs et de pistes d’amélioration.
Vous l’aurez compris, vos clients fidèles représentent d’excellentes opportunités pour votre établissement hôtelier mais savez-vous qu’il est possible de mesurer leur fidélité?
Le Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Le NPS est un indicateur incontournable si vous souhaitez mesurer la fidélité de vos clients. À l’aide d’un questionnaire de satisfaction client, vous devez poser la question suivante : De 0 à 10, quelle est la probabilité que vous recommandiez ce produit ou ce service à un ami ou un proche? Ainsi, vous serez en mesure de classer vos clients dans différentes catégories, soit les promoteurs, les passifs et les détracteurs.
La catégorie des promoteurs regroupe les personnes ayant répondu 9 ou 10 à la question précédente. Elle représente vos clients les plus fidèles et satisfaits de leur séjour et donc les personnes les plus susceptibles de réserver de futurs séjours au sein de votre établissement. De plus, les promoteurs recommanderont votre établissement hôtelier à leur entourage et joueront le rôle d’ambassadeurs de marque auprès de futurs prospects. Il est donc important de leur offrir un service irréprochable et une expérience client VIP afin qu’ils se sentent privilégiés et qu’ils continuent de parler de vous de façon positive.
Par la suite, nous avons la catégorie des passifs désignant les clients ayant répondu 7 ou 8 à la question de votre sondage de satisfaction. Ce sont des clients satisfaits de leur séjour mais pas assez satisfaits pour séjourner régulièrement au sein de votre établissement et pour le recommander à leur entourage. Les voyageurs passifs seront également susceptibles d’acheter les offres proposées par vos concurrents si elles sont perçues comme étant plus avantageuses. Il est impératif de ne pas les perdre de vue car il suffirait d’une petite touche de personnalisation pour créer un effet “wow” et donc de vous différencier de vos concurrents.
La dernière catégorie concerne les détracteurs, ce sont les personnes ayant donné une note entre 0 et 6 suite à une mauvaise expérience durant leur séjour. Par conséquent, près de 35% de ces personnes insatisfaites seraient prêtes à publier des avis négatifs sur votre établissement hôtelier et donc à nuire à votre e-reputation. Suite à cela, vous devez réagir rapidement et être proactif si vous souhaitez les transformer en promoteurs. Il est important que vous les sondiez et que vous les écoutiez attentivement afin de savoir ce qui ne s’est pas bien passez lors de leur séjour et afin de trouver des solutions rapidement. Pour calculer votre NPS il suffit de prendre le pourcentage de promoteurs et d’y soustraire le pourcentage de détracteurs. En général, un NPS est considéré comme excellent s’il est supérieur à 50%.
NPS (%): Promoteurs (%) – Détracteurs (%)
Le taux d’acquisition de la clientèle
Le taux d’acquisition de la clientèle sert à déterminer si une stratégie marketing ou une stratégie commerciale est efficace, soit, qu’elle génère un grand nombre de prospects. Ainsi, cet indicateur se calcule grâce à l’ensemble des dépenses engagées pour la promotion et le marketing sur une période donnée divisé par le nombre total de nouveaux clients acquis sur cette même période. Afin d’améliorer votre taux d’acquisition client, nous vous conseillons de privilégier les actions marketing à faible coût comme par exemple les campagnes d’infolettres ou encore l’optimisation SEO.
Taux d’acquisition de la clientèle: Dépenses liées à la promotion et au marketing / Nombre total de nouveaux clients
Le taux d’attrition de la clientèle
À l’inverse du taux d’acquisition client, le taux d’attrition client permet de connaître la proportion de clients perdus sur une période donnée. On peut considérer un client comme étant perdu si il est inactif et si il n’a pas effectué d’achat depuis 1 ou 2 ans.
Afin de déterminer le taux d’attrition client, il faut prendre le nombre de clients perdus divisé par le nombre total de clients et multiplier le tout par 100.
Taux d’attrition de la clientèle: (Nombre de clients perdus / Nombre total de clients) x100
Le taux de réachat
Cet indicateur est intéressant si vous souhaitez avoir un aperçu des clients en cours de fidélisation. Il sert également à mesurer l’impact d’une campagne marketing. Il suffit donc de prendre le nombre de clients ayant au moins réalisé un nouvel achat, divisé par le total de clients et multiplier le tout par 100.
Taux de réachat: (Nombre de clients ayant au moins réalisé un nouvel achat / Nombre total de clients) x100
Le taux de rétention ou taux de fidélité
Le taux de rétention autrement appelé taux de fidélité permet d’évaluer le nombre de clients retenus avec succès au cours d’une période donnée. Il suffit de le calculer de la façon suivante : (100 – taux d’attrition de la clientèle) x100.
Si vous souhaitez améliorer votre taux de fidélité, il est important d’être proactif et de vous concentrer sur des techniques de retargeting, de toujours garder contact avec vos clients et de les solliciter régulièrement à l’aide de messages ciblés et personnalisés.
Taux de rétention ou Taux de fidélité: (100 – taux d’attrition de la clientèle) x100
Les activités du secteur hôtelier sont très irrégulières et saisonnières, ainsi la fidélisation client peut alors devenir un véritable défi pour les hôteliers. De ce fait, si vous voulez réussir à fidéliser votre clientèle, vous devez prouver la réelle valeur ajoutée de votre établissement hôtelier. Plusieurs stratégies peuvent être mises en place comme l’utilisation des données clients récoltées par votre PMS, la mise en place d’un programme de fidélisation personnalisé, des actions de retargeting, un service à la clientèle compétent, disponible et à l’écoute de vos clients ainsi qu’une expérience client hors pair.
La fidélisation des clients à votre marque sur vos propres canaux de communication vous permet aussi d’augmenter votre nombre de réservations directes, évitant ainsi que les intermédiaires tel que les OTAs, gardent une commission sur les ventes réalisées. De plus, n’oubliez pas qu’il est important de garder le contact avec vos clients, que ce soit grâce au marketing par courriel, à votre blog ou encore à vos réseaux sociaux. En effet, les réseaux sociaux sont d’excellents outils gratuits à utiliser et facilement accessibles. Il serait alors pertinent pour vous d’établir une stratégie de contenu ciblée qui vous aidera à susciter de l’engagement et à créer un sentiment d’attachement chez vos clients, à construire une image de marque personnalisée et à mettre en avant la valeur ajoutée de votre établissement hôtelier.
First of all, you have to know that your property is more likely to stand out using new technologies. Be aware that this can be expensive but it will undoubtedly improve your customer experience. So keep in mind that adopting technologies should always be easy to use, but it should also save you time and make your customers’ lives easier. For example, you could focus on a digital customer journey, especially by optimizing your online booking engine which would simplify the process of travelers’ booking and then, offer them the possibility to register online few days before their stay. They can also complete their registration independently and quickly by using your property’s check-in kiosks. Thus, it is possible to use other innovations such as connected robots, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality to revolutionize your property’s customer experience. Moreover, the automation of certain tasks will allow your staff to have more time to chat with your guests, meet their needs and advise them, whether it is about your different services, your catering offers, your spa packages or the authentic activities not to be missed.
Propose suitable offers at competitive prices
Although the price is not the only criterion taken into consideration by travelers, there is evidence that the price influences 7 out of 10 travelers’ final decision. Thus, they often tend to start their researches for accommodations on Airbnb because they think that prices offered will be more affordable. In reality, this is not always the case, it all depends on several factors including the destination chosen, the hotel’s location and services included. Thereby it would relevant to review your yield management strategy and to propose offers adapted according to the type of travelers whether it’s a couple, a family or even a business traveler. This would remove non-essential items and will help to suggest offers which are more personalized and at interesting prices for your target customer. Don’t forget that what allows’ you to stand out from Airbnb is mainly the services offered to your customers. In conclusion, be creative, offer modern and connected rooms, favor local partnerships, highlight gastronomic activities or authentic and personalized discoveries.
Strengthen the online e-reputation of your property
In order to stand out from your competitors, your property must be modernized and remain relevant to travelers. It starts with an excellent online presence with an optimized website, updated social media and positive online reviews. Why stand out online? Simply because all of these platforms influences travelers final choice. Indeed, it has been proven that 7 out of 10 travelers visit a hotel’s online platforms and online review sites before making a reservation. Moreover, be sure to stay active on each of your online platforms, whether it’s to respond to private messages and comments, to identify good and bad reviews left by your customers or to interact with your different audiences and then create your own online community. This will bring you more credibility and it will strengthen the e-reputation of your property.
Use Airbnb as a distributor
Nowadays, Airbnb is shifting and tends to become an OTA such as Expedia or even Booking.com. This change implies joining properties’ sales circuit as more and more booking engine and channel manager are connecting with this platform. As hoteliers, you can use Airbnb to put your rental units online. Thereby, this new sales channel can be a great opportunity for you to convert Airbnb users to make a reservation at your property.
Attract more Millennials
The Millennial generation is a potential clientele for the hospitality industry. Whether you are an independent establishments or a world leaders, this generation has succeeded in forcing hoteliers to reinvent themselves and adapt their properties while being creative. As hoteliers, it becomes unthinkable not to rethink your strategies in order to attract them to your property. Furthermore, it is proven that 52% of the Millennials who regularly use Airbnb will prefer a short stay at the hotel. So why not take this opportunity to attract them to your property? Indeed, they appreciate the fact that communication with the staff of the property is easier and that there is always someone there if needed. Before opting for a strategy to attract them, keep in mind that the Y generation is nomadic, flexible, demanding and connected. It’s a less wealthy clientele, who use collaborative platforms such as Airbnb. The Millennials aren’t loyal to a single brand because they like to discover and try new things.
As a result, several hoteliers have decided to bet on the opening of new lifestyle experience and trendy establishments. They also decided to break the old luxury’s image, which used to be for wealthy people and replace it with a more accessible luxury. The accessible luxury is represented by properties which are more modern, more connected and more personalized. Furthermore, this new concept boosts meetings and interactions between travelers and allows them to take advantage of various spaces specially dedicated to work or rest. Overall, the main advantage of this new concept is to promote emotional intelligence, especially by creating and stimulating emotion of your guests. This will give your guests the impression of feeling unique and special, thanks to small personalized attentions. In a nutshell, it will create a wow effect, given by a feeling of hyper satisfaction.
The hospitality industry is a constantly evolving sector which is facing new trends and new consumer behaviors. Indeed the demand is changing and today’s traveler is not the same as before. In addition, the evolution of new technologies forces hoteliers to adapt their properties quickly but also to learn how to reinvent themselves.
Innovation is definitely one of the success key to reinvent your property but several factors such as a diversified demand, regulatory safety and hygiene obligations must also be respected. Even if Airbnb is designed as a giant of the collaborative economy and a real competitors for every hoteliers, you should not see this collaborative platform as a threats but as an excellent opportunity to reinvent your property. It is true that it is a big challenge but it will help you to remain competitive and it will allow you to offer an authentic and unique customer experience to your future guests.
How to make the most of your property’s off-peak periods? (Part 2)
Front desk and lodging department
The quieter periods is also a great opportunity to review your internal procedures. Whether it is your check in procedures, your internal communication or communication with your customers, these can always be improved. For example, ask yourself the following questions: Are the items or packages correctly setted up to reflect in the correct department? How does it reflect? Do other departments know exactly what to do with this information? Thereby, your property management software becomes your link between all these interdepartmental communications since it holds all the guests’ stay information.
Also, these calm periods could also be a good time to review your tools in order to improve them, to add elements that can help you in your daily tasks or to avoid manual actions. For the front desk or for the entire property, the off-peak season is always an excellent time for the implementation of new processes or new technologies, giving to your staff, time to accept, adapt and get into the habit of using them. Therefore, when the first customers will comeback to your property, your hotel staff will not be caught off guard.
Marketing department
The marketing department of a property is often the busiest department during an off-peak period. It must take several actions during this time but also prepare for the upcoming season. It can start with actions that requires low resources such as updating your website especially with photos, information about your establishment, packages and their components, types of room and services offered, while remaining uniform overall. Thus, a complete review of your website can be an undeniable advantage for the high season.
In addition, your online booking engine must also be up to date, while ensuring that images and descriptions used are similar to those of your website. Optimizing your online presence can go further than simply updating information. The optimization of the online browsing and optimization for conversion purposes are also to be taken into account. The final goal of your website is that the visitor can easily access to your online booking engine and that he ends up making his reservation. It is important that your website is efficient and that buttons, also called “call to action”, are visible and accessible. Furthermore, it would be relevant for you to test or have your website tested by several people in order to know if your browsing path is clear and well perceived by your visitors. Its efficiency can really make a difference, if your visitors can’t find the button to book quickly, then there are only few chances that they make a booking at your property. They will prefer to make their reservations via a distributor site, called online travel agency or to choose your competitor.
As any hotelier, it is difficult to see your establishment empty and without customers. Yet these moments are often beneficial for performing several tasks and will also allow you to improve your future performance, especially when guests will be back and in a large number.
Holidays always go by too quickly. Thus, no matter if your clients stay with you for a night or for a week, they definitely want to make the most of it. Fortunately, technology allows you to speed up the process while offering an outstanding customer experience.
When sending your client their confirmation e-mail with the information regarding their stay, they will be able to check for any errors. This way they can communicate with you before their arrival to deal with the situation without it taking time off their future stay.
In order to offer an outstanding customer experience, make sure that your hotel has an efficient hotel management software (PMS). A good PMS should be equipped with advanced features which allow you to free yourself from some recurrent and time-consuming tasks. This way, you can ensure they have the best possible customer experience.
Go beyond your customer’s expectations
Everyone likes to feel special and your customers are no different. In order to improve their experience, you need to be aware of their expectations and go beyond them. They want to be special and feel like you know them well. Your PMS contains a significant amount of information regarding every one of your clients, so make sure to utilize this data, offering them little personalized attentions.
You are welcoming a client traveling solo? Greet them when they enter their room by leaving a welcoming message on their mirror. A business travellers just checked in? Give them the Wi-Fi password immediately! A family has chosen to stay at your hotel? Make sure the parents know the pool’s and/or the playground’s opening hours. You may want to program the television so that it is on the cartoon channel upon their arrival. If you have some information to communicate with the parents when they check-in, have some games or toys nearby for the kids to play with. The parents will then be able to get comfortable in their room while their kids enjoy their new toys. What an amazing way to begin the vacation!
Obviously some actions are better suited for certain types of clientele. On the other hand, some more general elements can satisfy more than one customer. No matter which segment of the market you are targeting, it is safe to say that travellers usually like to know what they can explore nearby. Thus make sure to always have a concierge available to answer any questions, whether present physically, or available through a phone number. You can also have a screen at your front desk from which your clients can search for restaurants, or even local attractions nearby. Be different and do not be afraid to innovate!
It is crucial to be aware of the latest trends in the hospitality industry, but also of your clients’ comments, whether it is an online review or comments left on social media such as Instagram. They might have some ingenious ideas on how to offer an outstanding customer experience at your hotel. Do not be afraid to ask for their feedback and comments, and to try out their suggestions. The outcome might surprise you!
As the welcoming manager, you can easily check the guests’ arrival times via your hotel management software. You will be able to predict trends and prepare for these specific peak times. These predictions will allow you to, for example, move your employee’s break accordingly so that they are available during peak hours. Arrival times can fluctuate depending on several variables, such as the weather. On a nice day, most of your guests will plan on arriving early in order to enjoy your facilities as much as possible. Therefore, by being aware of this trend in advance, you will be able to recruit more staff to welcome your guests earlier in the day, and let some of your staff go in the evening. With this information, as trivial as it may seem, you can manage your staff costs more efficiently, but most importantly, you can prepare for peak arrival times at your front desk. This can significantly help you avoid negative online reviews.
Saving arrival times in your hotel management software allows you to detect general trends. You could therefore identify seasonal trends or daily trends. During the week, you may welcome a lot of corporate clientele, which can make it seem like your arrival times solely correspond to the end of the business day. However, by having your data compiled in your hotel management software, you are able to verify if this observation is accurate or not. By having concrete data, you have a better idea of how to create a schedule for your front desk staff, such that every employee is busy and the waiting time at the front desk is significantly reduced.
Housekeeping
Your housekeeping staff will also benefit from this information. They will be able to prioritize their tasks according to the arrival times. Whether you pre-assign rooms or not, the different types of rooms you offer also have priorities. For example, guests who book a more luxurious room tend to arrive earlier. Therefore, the amount of luxurious rooms that need to be available earlier in the day is greater than that of more standard rooms. You can thus plan your housekeeping timetable accordingly in order to have many luxurious rooms cleaned and ready in advance.
By being aware of your guests’ arrival times, your housekeeping staff will also be better prepared to equip a specific room with gifts. For example, if one of your guests has requested a bouquet of roses and you know their arrival time, you can set a deadline for when the flowers need to be delivered to the room. Similarly, your catering staff can also exploit the guests’ arrival times stored in your property management software. According to the guests’ requests and/or packages booked, your staff can prepare in order to deliver bottles of wine or delicious welcoming treats.
Late arrivals
For many hotels, late night front desk opening hours can be limited, which is why it is important to set up a welcoming procedure so that the guest can still check-in and access their room. This procedure allows your hotel to gather all the information you usually get upon your guest’s arrival, while allowing them to check-in outside the opening hours.
By knowing in advance that a guest is planning a late arrival, your hotel can prepare for such a situation according to its policy. You can communicate with your guest all the information they need in order to check-in. This often happens for condo or chalet rentals, for which arrival times can vary quite a lot. It is not unusual for a guest to arrive in their condo or chalet without having physically checked-in with a front desk staff member. This can be done effortlessly if the guest has been given the correct instructions in order to check in in advance. Do not try to reach them last minute in order to give them this information if they have previously informed you of their arrival time.
How to gather this information
At Hotello, we have developed an online guest profile form which allows guests to confirm their information a few days before their arrival. On this guest profile, clients are able to indicate a precise arrival time, which you can later exploit to improve your guests’ overall satisfaction. This simple way to gather information straight into your Hotello PMS is a significant advantage. You could also ask your guest their arrival time when they book over the phone, or pick a booking engine which allows guests to indicate this information, which will then be transferred to your hotel management software.
When a guest is planning their stay at a hotel, you usually already know what is happening during the day. Make sure to ask for their arrival time so that you can give them an outstanding customer experience, and that your staff is ready to welcome them.
Do not forget that you serve as a role model for your employees, whether you like it or not. Your hotel staff is constantly observing you and replicating your actions, so why not use this to your advantage? Offer positive and constructive feedback to your hotel staff whenever you can. Additionally, give your staff the opportunity to ask you questions by being approachable and available. By becoming your employees mentor, you will inspire your team’s leaders to serve as role models too.
Ask for feedback
When evaluating your staff, you must keep in mind that your work can also be improved as a boss and it is important that you stay humble. Allowing your staff to express their opinions can be just as beneficial to you as it is for them. The best way to receive feedback is through an anonymous online survey, so that you cannot recognize their handwriting. Nothing can be more frustrating than being hesitant to voice an honest opinion, as employees may fear what the boss will think. By giving your staff the opportunity to give you some anonymous feedback, you allow them to freely express their opinion, while showing them that their opinion matters and that you care about their well-being.
Invest in your staff
Do you pay your hotel staff enough? If not, do not be surprised if they leave your hotel to take a job at one of your competitors, where they are likely to be better paid. It is crucial to pay your staff a competitive and fair salary in order to retain them. In addition, if you recognize one of your employees to be particularly hard-working, or to have a significant amount of seniority, you could consider raising their salary. This will have a direct impact on their self-esteem as well as on their motivation. If you pursue this kind of rewarding behaviour, you will very rapidly see the return on your investment. Salary is obviously not the only way to invest in your hotel staff. You can offer your employees group insurances, refunds for their commute costs or even gym memberships. This will show that you care about them. Giving them the opportunity to participate in regular trainings to acquire new skills or update their current skills is another way to value your employees and invest in them. You can also set up casual meetings so you can discuss their professional development and their career plans. This way you will be able to determine what you can do for you employees in order for them to reach their goals. If you do not provide the opportunity for your staff to learn and improve, they will seek another job where they will be able to do so. By investing in your employees, you give them a reason to stay.
Offer promotions
Don’t be afraid to promote the employees who deserve it. Of course, promotions come with a raise in salary, but it does not necessarily mean that the monetary aspect is what motivates the promoted employee the most. In management positions, it is often recognition and respect from the boss, or the ability to make important decisions on their own or within a committee that motivates employees. If a member of your hotel’s staff seems ready to take on that position, understands your hotel’s operational features, and is well respected by his or her peers so that being promoted will not negatively impact the rest of your team, do not hesitate to promote him or her.
Trust your employees
Even if you are unable to promote or raise your staff’s salary, you can motivate them by trusting them. For example, cease any micromanagement where you would want to control every single one of your staff’s actions. Instead, show them that you trust them and that you do not doubt the quality of their work. Your hotel staff will improve their self-esteem and thus will be motivated to continue working hard. To motivate your employees on a daily basis, you can also remind them that they are part of your company and explain to them how much their work can make a difference in allowing the company to reach its goals.
Stay humane
Many of us have already heard of that one boss who is mean and not understanding, and who makes his employees sad and miserable. Obviously, being understanding is not always easy, but as a boss, you must try and be as understanding as possible. If you see that one of your hotel employees seems particularly sad or troubled, ask them what is going on and try to give them some advice instead of worsening the situation by asking them to smile. Try to step inside your employees’ shoes and to show them as much empathy as possible. If one of your employees shows up late to work due to a flat tire, you do not need to add to their trouble with a snarky comment. Also try not to get too involved in your staff’s personal life. Each person is different and some of your employees might prefer coming home to their family rather than accumulating extra hours. As a boss, it might be hard to accept, but then again try to understand your employees and to show empathy.
By taking these six pieces of advice, you will certainly become a better boss. This way your hotel staff will gain motivation on a daily basis, and more importantly, they will be motivated and they will enjoy working for you.
Une expérience Saint-Valentin réussie en hôtellerie
Many elements can be considered, such as creating packages and special offers marketed for couples, offering welcome gifts in your rooms upon arrival and/or putting together a special romantic dinner menu. All these ideas will help you market your hotel and allow your clients to remember their stay as a magical and memorable moment, and for your hotel to become their ultimate romantic destination.
Couples packages
When the atmosphere of Valentine’s day starts to take over, it is time for you to upload all your Valentine’s day special offers and display your couples packages.
As this is a celebration of love, take this opportunity to be loved by your clients by offering them special packages such as ones with a complimentary breakfast in their room or a complimentary spa treatment. This is also the opportunity to include in your packages some of your own outdoor activities or to establish a partnership with local businesses offering activities which highlight the area. These all-inclusive packages are usually very much appreciated by couples, as they then have nothing to plan themselves. They can thus enjoy their stay and relax without worrying about what to do.
You may also want to establish a discount theme which relies on the number two, to emphasize couples, such as a discount on the second night rate, on the second bottle of wine, on the second spa treatment, etc… It is especially important on Valentine’s day to make the whole booking process accessible and pleasant. You need to consider the fact that many couples will want to book their Valentine’s day getaway together. You therefore need your offers to be clear and attractive and for your booking platforms to be working efficiently. A booking platform connected to your PMS System will be vital for this period of the year. There will be very few no-shows during this period, and this period also comes with a high risk of overbooking considering the significant number of people wanting a romantic getaway. The packages you are offering must be available to book online directly from your website. The couples need to be able to easily see which rooms are available, the offered rate and additional offers you have for you to be in their final choice. If you do not do so, you will then mostly rely on last minute bookings, as all your competition will already be fully booked. The people who still want to celebrate Valentine’s day will then turn to you and when they do, you can use your yield management module to lower your rates to guarantee at least a few bookings.
This day of celebration is also the time where people tend to spoil themselves and spend more. Make sure that you have an efficient upgrade policy, whether using your booking platform or offering upgrades upon your client’s arrival, when you still have some superior rooms available. It is also the time to highlight all the services your hotel offers: have an upsell strategy which will allow you to maximize your revenue by increasing your REVPAR. Your restaurant, your spa and the activities you offer must be promoted during this period. You must also mention that they can request a bottle of wine or cocktails, gourmet meals or a basket full of candles and massage oils to be brought to their room. These are some examples amongst others which can help boost your REVPAR. Keep in mind that your clients are at your hotel to connect with each other and make unforgettable memories together. By having efficient strategies, you will be able to see a significant improvement in your REVPAR on your PMS System and thus notice a progression compared to the previous year.
Personalized experience and welcome packages upon arrival
To show your clients that they can count on you and that they mean more to you than just a booking number, have a look at the data collected by your PMS System. The distribution of this data with your staff eases communication and coordination of tasks in order for your clients to get the best possible service. For example, if your client had called you to book and mentioned he would be staying with his wife celebrating their 15th Valentine’s day together, you could put this data into your PMS System and upon their arrival and give them a chocolate wishing them a happy 15th Valentine’s day. These little details matter and show your client you really care about the quality of the service you offer them.
This data inputted into your PMS system can allow you to stand out from your competition and ensure you client feels at ease and special.
Another way to boost your client’s satisfaction and your name in general is by offering gifts in the rooms booked via your special Valentine’s day packages. These little touches are always pleasant and help your clients to remember their stay with you as a magical getaway. It does not need to be complicated: bring a fruit platter with some chocolate to their room, offer a small discount when they order a wine bottle or simply offer them a rose upon their arrival.
Special Valentine’s day menu
Your hotel has a restaurant? It might be worth creating a special menu celebrating Valentine’s day. You can set up a table d’hôte menu available exclusively on this night or serve a chocolate dessert which is not usually on the menu. If you have high occupancy but limited space in your restaurant, you could offer your clients to bring a dessert to their room so they can enjoy their evening peacefully and deliciously. They will definitely enjoy this offer and you will be able to free some table very quickly. This will allow you to welcome other clients and maximize your revenue while leaving your clientele satisfied.
Another way to personalize your restaurant’s menu on Valentine’s day is to include a complementary drink in the menu in order to encourage your clients to order another drink or a whole bottle. By promoting these packages and add-ons on your website, you allow your clients to pick you over your competition when they realize that you have everything they could wish for.
Do not forget to pay special attention when it comes to your restaurant’s ambiance on this special day. You might want to play some soft and romantic music, dim the lights for the evening, light some candles on the tables… This is because, as you are certainly aware, the atmosphere plays a role just as important as the meal itself when it comes to these special celebrations. If your restaurant offers lunch or brunch, you could slightly modify your presentation by highlighting this celebration of love by cutting strawberries in heart shapes for example. It is a simple gesture but it goes a long way and will definitely be picked up by your clients.
Valentine’s day represents a time of enormous spending during a short period. It is then key to maximize your revenue from each client as this period is prone to being very busy and will trigger a lot of spending. It is time for you to establish good upgrade, upsell and yield management strategies in order for all your performance indicators to improve compared to your previous years.
With Wi-Fi popping up in all the areas of hotels and guests increasingly looking for reliable web access, you’ve probably realized you needed to invest quite a significant amount of money in an efficient system. Over time, there may have been a moment when you wondered whether you should start charging guests for Internet access.
But offering free Wi-Fi goes beyond providing guests with access to social media or their emails. Free Wi-Fi remains one of the top web search criteria regarding hotels. Also, Internet access offers many benefits once a guest has chosen to stay at your hotel. Below, we’ve outlined some of the advantages of offering guests free Wi-Fi.
Offering free wi-fi attracts more guests
It sounds simple, and it is! Today, free Wi-Fi is an essential selection criterion for guests looking for a hotel. They will quickly turn to other hotels if yours doesn’t offer Wi-Fi, or if it’s not free. Consider thinking even bigger by adding a wireless real-time media streaming system like Chromecast so that your guests have free Internet access and can watch their favourite shows or movies on the room’s TV via their cell phone or tablet.
As you might expect, business travelers need access to Wi-Fi at all times. Whether they need to complete documents before an important meeting the following morning or stay connected to their office, business travelers who stay at your hotel see high-performance Wi-Fi as indispensable.
By offering free Wi-Fi, you can redirect guests to other hotel services at a premium
Unlimited Internet access will boost sales per room during a guest’s stay and improve data such as your REVPAR. Your guests can visit the mobile version of your website to see the services you offer and access the schedule of hotel activities and services at all times. Using your hotel management system and Wi-Fi network, you can send notifications directly to guests’ mobile devices about current promotions, special galas, the restaurant’s cocktails of the day or services available at your hotel.
Free Wi-Fi can increase your hotel’s efficiency
By providing fast and free access to the information your guests need on your mobile app, you avoid recurring questions and free up your reception staff and lobby. Your guests will avoid wasting precious vacation or business trip time in line at the reception desk or on the phone to get the suggestions or information they need. And this is the jumping off point to achieve customer satisfaction. Wi-Fi can be just as useful for your employees, as they’ll be able to use web-connected applications throughout the day to simplify their tasks. By having a dedicated mobile app accessible through free Wi-Fi for your housekeeping team, you’ll be able to track room status and housekeeping progress in real time. As a result, your reception team can allocate rooms faster, leading to faster service and higher customer satisfaction.
Offering free wi-fi is a worthwhile investment
Free Wi-Fi is a valuable asset to ensure customer satisfaction and your hotel’s performance. You can build and implement a whole digital marketing strategy around Wi-Fi access. Consider asking guests for information, such as their name and email address, in exchange for Internet access. Then you can set up a remarketing plan with targeted promotional emails to thank people who have stayed at your hotel and encourage them to become loyal guests. You’ll soon see that free Wi-Fi can be an essential tool to increase your guests’ loyalty.
Keep in mind that providing your guests with free, high-performance Wi-Fi makes it easier for them to share their experience on social media through comments, reviews or photos. Quick and easy access to social media will boost your visibility and increase your notoriety. Why not encourage your guests to share their experience with a dedicated hashtag? This type of initiative can generate high-quality content that shines a spotlight of your hotel.
Finally, free Wi-Fi isn’t just an expensive addition to your service offering; it’s an undeniable ally when it comes to providing guests with a unique experience. Not only does it increase customer satisfaction, but it also makes you more efficient. Wi-Fi offers endless possibilities and can be a powerful tool to distinguish your hotel from the competition and help you stay competitive. The Internet isn’t going anywhere, so be sure to leverage it to ensure guest satisfaction and promote your hotel!
Vous pouvez gérer ici vos préférences en matière de cookies
Pour offrir les meilleures expériences, nous utilisons des technologies telles que les témoins pour stocker et/ou accéder aux informations des appareils.
Cookies essentiels
Always active
Les cookies essentiels permettent d'activer des fonctionnalités essentielles du site Web telles que le marquage de vos données saisies, la gestion du réseau et l'accessibilité.
Cookies fonctionnels
Ces cookies permettent aux sites Web de se souvenir des choix que vous avez faits dans le passé, comme votre langue et votre devise, de mémoriser votre nom et votre adresse électronique et de remplir automatiquement les formulaires.
Cookies analytiques
Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement à des fins statistiques.Les cookies analytiques nous aident à améliorer notre site Web en recueillant et en analysant des informations sur la façon dont vous l'utilisez.
Cookies publicitaires
Les cookies publicitaires permettent de proposer des publicités ciblées et personnalisées.
Log in
