Guest experience - Hotello

6 tips to reduce the waiting time at your hotel’s front desk

Posted on 14 March 201930 March 2023 by Claudine Vio

We also wish to reduce this frustration during their check-out. When a client is about to leave for an activity, to hit the road, or even to go to a business meeting, we do not want them to wait indefinitely just to give them their bill or to take back their room key.

In the same manner, if a client simply wants to inquire about a particular subject, they can easily become frustrated if they have to wait a long time only to ask a simple question. This kind of customer service problem can significantly impact your client’s satisfaction, which is something we want to avoid. Here is how you can reduce the time spent waiting at your hotel’s front desk.

Acquire a simple and effective hotel PMS Software

When your hotel registers a lot of arrivals at the same time, the efficiency and speed at which your hotel software can do so can make a significant difference. It can be an efficiently managed or a frustratingly chaotic for your clients.

Other elements, such as the accessibility of your software, will work in your favour. Your new employees will be able to use it in an efficient manner very quickly, without having to go through extensive training.

A clear sequence of actions requiring very few clicks will allow you to reduce the time needed for your employees to carry out actions within your management software. This will make your employees quick and efficient.

Additionally, the little details of your hotel PMS software, such as clear and visible icons, will allow your employees to rapidly track and recognize these icons on their screen and thus saving precious time.

Finally, many advanced features, such as splitting the bill by percentages according to the number of people will make sharing bills much easier. If a couple wants to split the bill evenly, you can tell your hotel PMS software that 50% of the bill goes to client A and 50% of the bill goes to client B. This automatic split of the bill significantly reduces the amount of time spent on your client’s check-out. Some advanced features also allow you to transfer the part of the bill that has already been charged, such as the package pre-paid by your clients if they book through a distributor, and only bill your client the residual part, by isolating the extras.

Set up check-in and check-out kiosks

In order to reduce your client’s waiting time, you can install check-in and check-out kiosks. These machines allow your clients to check themselves in upon their arrival. They can simply enter their information at the kiosk, and the machine will allow them to pay for their stay, find them a room and then give them their room key. Using these kiosks allows your clients to have the opportunity to go straight to their room without having to go to the front desk. Upon check-out, your client will also be able to use one of the kiosks to finalize their bill and return their room key.

Know your client’s time of arrival

This may seem obvious, but knowing your client’s exact time of arrival can allow you to adjust your staff’s timetable accordingly.

Additionally, by knowing their time of arrival, you can prioritize housekeeping for the rooms whose clients are arriving early. This way your clients won’t come to the front desk to check-in to actually realize that their room is not ready, and that they will wait again later to get their room key. You can thus offer a better service, while maintaining your efficiency.

Offer arrival and departure policies that correspond to your clientele

In order to reduce waiting time for arrivals, you can offer an early check-in for some of your clients for a small fee. This can accommodate your business clients, who usually arrive early.

Other clients can inform you of their late arrival. You can offer them a discount on their room, but, for example, you should warn them that their room would only be ready three hours later than the usual time. Your housekeeping staff will be able to rest by spacing out their house keeping tasks.

In order to cut down the line times at the front desk during check-out, you can offer an early check-out for your corporate clientele who already benefit from a special rate. Businessmen and businesswomen usually need to leave your hotel early, so it can be a significant advantage for them and for you to have this opportunity.

Other types of clientele may also prefer a late check-out, such as families who wish to make the most of your hotel’s activities before they leave. These adjustments will make check-ins and check-outs much easier, while offering a customized service that many of your clients will appreciate.

Have a billing system connected to your hotel PMS Software

By having a billing system connected to your hotel PMS software, you will save time on many different levels.

Upon your client’s arrival, you must carry out a pre-authorization. If your hotel has a billing system connected to your hotel PMS software, this operation will be quickly carried out as you will not have to manually enter information on the payment terminal, as your hotel PMS software will take care of it.

Later when your client checks out they will not have to go to the front desk. You can simply bill your client’s credit card as it will have been registered within your payment terminal. You can then send them their receipts by e-mail, thus creating an express check-out process. You therefore reduce the number of clients who have to line up at the front desk, while keeping your employees available to carry out other tasks.

Train your staff

Your staff’s training is extremely important. A rushed or incomplete training can have a negative impact on the quality of the services within your hotel.

Take the time to clearly explain how your hotel works to your new employees. Make sure they fully understand your hotel’s values and its history. Some details, such as the opening hours of the various services offered by your hotel, must not be left out. It is also valuable to know what is offered in your hotel’s neighborhood, such as some local activities or landmarks. These are some elements which can be of interest to your clients. You should also keep your employees updated with your hotel’s latest features and improvements.

You should also offer some training sessions on your computer system, especially if you have just set up a new hotel hotel PMS software. This will make your employees more comfortable with the new system and will increase their efficiency when the time comes to carry out operations within the hotel PMS software. Your clients will surely appreciate it!

Taking the time to train your employees will pay off in the long run. When a client has a question, your staff will be able to answer it within a respectable timeframe. This will allow you to keep a good image by showing that your staff is skilled and knows how to care for your clients.

By taking on these different practices, the waiting time at the front desk will significantly decrease, while keeping your clients and your staff happy!

A successful Valentine’s day experience

Posted on 25 January 201920 May 2022 by Sarah Trépanier

saint-valentin-hotel — 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.

Is offering guests free Wi-Fi a good idea?

Posted on 29 October 20181 October 2021 by Sarah Trépanier

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!

How to cater to a diverse clientele

Posted on 21 September 201830 August 2022 by Nicolas Audiffren

satisfaire-clientele-diversifiee — Comment satisfaire une clientèle diversifiée?

Catering to families

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.

Communicate with your guests with a hotel management software: a recipe for a successful client experience

Posted on 10 September 201821 November 2022 by Karine Thibeault

However, it’s now possible to extend the attention that you give to your guests outside the walls of your establishment and reach them directly. With hotel management software that enables you to automate emailing and reservation management, it’s extremely easy to make a difference at the moment your guests make a reservation for a room at your hotel.

Since the client satisfaction goes hand in hand with your success, I want to present 4 ways where communication using a hotel management software can ease the upgrading, upselling and, finally, the set up for an impeccable stay.

communiquer-avec-clients-pms-hotel — Communiquez avec vos clients grâce à votre logiciel pour hôtel

Automation: an essential ally of your hotel management software

Before even talking about different types of communication that can help you stay in connection with your guests outside of your hotel walls, you should know that your biggest coworker in this area is definitely automation.

Available with your hotel management software, automation will help you send emails to guests according to certain criteria of time or type of stay to answer theirs needs and keep them informed of their reservation details.

We find three types of automated email that are commonly used with your hotel management software:

The reservation confirmation. This email is used to remind the guest of all the information about the reservation including all the options chosen by the client.
The reminder for their stay. In this case, this email has a double function. Besides giving information about their stay, this message can also include promotions, packages, options for upgrading and other upsell options to enhance the guest’s stay.
The appreciation email after the stay. This one allows you to thank the guest for staying, of course, but it can also include a satisfaction survey and even a retention tool.

To better understand how these emails can help you offer your guests the best stay possible and increase your revenue with upselling, I will tackle each type of email in detail.

Confirm the guest’s reservation without even touching a button with your hotel management software

Yes, it’s that simple! In fact, with your software for hotel, the first email can be sent automatically each time a guest fills out a reservation form on your website. The email will include all the information related to the reservation: dates of the stay and number of nights, number of people, type of room, type of package (if there is one), the price and the total amount for the stay.

Besides offering an email to the guest that gathers all the important information related to their stay, this message reassures your client and shows that you have received their reservation. Is this useless? Not at all! Because this is the kind of email that allows you to reduce the number of phone calls about basic things and helps free up your reception team.

Finally, this email is a true reference point for the guest. This is why we invite you to be thorough and include relevant information like the parking location, arrival and departure times, and opening hours of different services in your hotel. Your guest will appreciate it greatly.

Remind your guests that their stay is happening soon

A few days before your guest’s arrival, your hotel management software will automatically send a reminder email. Besides offering an overview of the relevant information for their stay, this message can also include promotions for other services.

As the stay approaches, your guest is more and more in planning mode, which they weren’t in when they made the reservation. They often know their schedule at this point and they are looking to enhance their experience. This is the perfect time to offer a package, a dinner special to your restaurant, spa treatments or even complementary activities.

You can then add a button to your email that allows them to easily and efficiently make a reservation for dinner or an appointment in the spa. By offering additional sales in advance, you let your guest choose the perfect moment for their activities and allow them to plan their stay according to their schedule while avoiding the frustration of a restaurant that is completely booked.

Obviously, besides different services, this email can offer your guest, depending on your room availability, different upgrade possibilities with just one click. You can then enhance your profits by selling a superior room, while letting your hotel management software coordinate everything.

These buttons can also be simple promotions. A bottle of wine delivered to the room, for example. This is, in fact, the moment to make your kindness and the service that built your reputation distinguished you shine. The reminder email is an excellent way of selling the unique experience of your hotel.

Finally, understand that this email goes beyond a simple reminder. It allows you to enhance your REVPAC (revenue per available customer). Which means that you have the possibility to get more revenue per customer through offers and promotions.

Thank and evaluate: a last email that is not insignificant

We think about it less, but it’s equally important to do a follow up with your guests once the stay is over. If your hotel management software offers you the ability to automatically send an email after your guest has left your hotel, don’t hesitate to use this function!

This message enables you to thank the guest for trusting you and choosing your hotel. This is valuable! And you can use this email to invite them to fill out a satisfaction survey at the same time. You don’t know what to include in the satisfaction survey? Look at this blog post for more information!

You’ll then have all the information in hand to make sure that your guest had a great time staying with you. In case of a bad experience, the survey will give you the tools to defuse the situation before getting a bad review on social media or a travel website.

Finally, the value of such an email is really to client retention. With the help of a promo code for their next stay or a loyalty program, your appreciation email will get more subsequent stays and loyal guests.

Obviously, with this series of emails, we are trying to extend the reach of customer service beyond the walls of your establishment. The hotel management software can enable you to use technology and automation to your benefit and ensure a complete and unique stay. It’s true; the usage of automated emails can help you guarantee the client’s satisfaction and increase of your revenue. However, you know it too well, nothing will replace a warm welcome and employees who care about your guests’ happiness. After all, being a good host starts with communication.

Your hotel PMS drives guest satisfaction

Posted on 7 September 20185 October 2021 by Catherine Daoust

At this point, your hotel PMS (property management system) comes into play to ensure your customer service is as efficient, consistent and fast as it needs to be. A hotel PMS is an integral part of guest satisfaction. A hotel PMS serves as the heart of your hotel’s systems and helps you coordinate many departments at the same time. Also, a hotel PMS plays a role in each interaction with your guest.

Guest satisfaction starts with booking through your connected hotel PMS.

Whether it’s online or by phone, the booking process needs to be efficient.

A hotel PMS can help you with phone and online bookings. Online booking will be easier if your prices are clearly listed and you offer real-time availability. With centralized data and yield management, a hotel PMS can manage and automate this process so that you don’t need to manually adjust your bookings, which makes your life easier and your guests’ too.

And, speaking of keeping this easy, don’t forget that a hotel PMS lets you maintain a simple and efficient process. Doing so is important because, for your guests, time is of the essence. Forget about availability requests and websites like Booking.com or Expedia (or any other OTA for that matter) that could offer a competitive price. Your hotel PMS makes sure you offer guests the best price directly on your website.

Your hotel PMS is just as useful for phone bookings. With a tool on hand that knows your prices and your availability, you can complete a reservation in seconds. With all the information about packages at your fingertips, booking is quick and easy and the guest experience takes flight. With the first step completed, all you have left to do is impress guests when they arrive. Your tasks are made easy with a hotel PMS!

Guest check-in: a key guest satisfaction moment

Once the booking is made online or by phone, remember that guests’ expectations will begin as soon as they cross the threshold, especially if the process has gone well so far. The hotel PMS is there to optimize your check-in process to help you impress guests and exceed their expectations as soon as they arrive.

By choosing a system that links all your hotel’s departments, you’ll find bookings and payment receipts more efficiently, and you’ll even be able to see if your guest’s room is ready or waiting for verification in real time. At the same time, you can welcome your guest and give them their key. You’ll avoid confusion, long waiting lines, slow systems and inconsistent processes.

Even if your hotel is full, guests will feel you’re focused only on serving them, which is the key to guest satisfaction.

A simple tool. An essential skill

Since you work in the hospitality field and have likely travelled a fair bit, you know speed is of the essence when it comes time to get your keys or fix a problem at a hotel. Factoring in jet lag, long days spent exploring, flights and traffic, your guests are looking for efficient service and a warm welcome.

For instance, business travellers don’t have time to waste. Being quite used to hotels, they’ll instantly see if your team’s skills don’t pass muster. Hotel PMS training is a crucial element for successful customer service.

A hotel PMS is a powerful tool that links all hotel management systems and modules into a single comprehensive solution and comes with its complications. Don’t be intimidated by the system. It’s fairly simple to use when you know what to expect.

Donc, pour garantir une expérience client impeccable, il est important d’offrir au personnel la formation nécessaire pour qu’il sache se servir du logiciel. Vous faciliterez ainsi son travail, mais aussi sa rapidité d’exécution et de résolution de problème. Grâce à l’interface intuitive et aux fonctionnalités avancées, votre équipe sera en mesure de répondre de façon optimale aux besoins de vos clients et d’assurer leur satisfaction.

It’s important to offer your team the required training so that they can use the software without any problems and offer impeccable guest experience. In this way, you’ll make their work simpler to accomplish and also improve task execution and problem solving overall. With its user-friendly interface and advanced functions, your hotel PMS will help your team provide answers that ensure your guests’ satisfaction.

Finally, a hotel PMS is vital in every department

For your hotel PMS to work optimally and guarantee the consistent guest service you want to deliver, it must work in tandem with all your hotel’s departments from the restaurant to housekeeping.

With your housekeeping team indicating room statuses in real time in your hotel PMS, your reception team will work with up-to-date information regarding room availability to further improve the efficiency of the check-in process for your guests. The housekeeping staff can also add notes regarding lost items, thereby facilitating their management.

The reception team will be able to manage bookings that include packages better with the hotel PMS helping them coordinate various activities. On top of helping with all booking and check-in and check-out tasks, the hotel PMS can also support your teams and ensure that your guests have nothing short of an unforgettable stay.

For its part, the restaurant team can more easily predict the expected number of patrons for breakfast or dinner. This kind of details can help ensure you provide excellent service throughout the guest experience.

Finally, hotel management staff can make the most of a hotel PMS to evaluate the overall performance of their hotel. With only a few clicks, they can access activity reports, occupancy rate, REVPAC, REVPAR and much more. These analytical tools compile information from multiple data sources updated daily in your hotel PMS and will help management staff implement strategies and plan for the future in a more informed way.

To conclude, this technology makes customer service as efficient and straightforward as possible. With a hotel PMS in your establishment, you can leverage the power of automation and set up consistent processes between your hotel’s various departments. Your work will be that much easier, and you’ll offer guests an unforgettable experience. To learn more about using a hotel PMS to ensure guest satisfaction, contact our experts today!

6 steps to boost guest satisfaction

Posted on 6 July 201830 August 2022 by Catherine Daoust

etapes-augmenter-satisfaction — 6 étapes pour augmenter la satisfaction de vos clients

Measure

Getting feedback from your guests about their stay is the best way to gauge their level of satisfaction. Some satisfaction survey platforms even make it possible for you to assign values to answer choices to obtain a final score at the end of the survey. In this way, you can collect quantified data to determine the rate and scope of guest satisfaction. Moreover, some surveys can redirect satisfied customers to online review platforms. The more your guests are satisfied, the more likely they are to share their positive experience online, and the more they will trigger word of mouth and convert new guests. A well-designed survey even lets you target areas where your guests’ were less satisfied during their stay at your hotel so that you can implement targeted actions. It’s also important to identify the guests who aren’t satisfied with their stay in your PMS software’s guest profile. Doing so prevents your staff from repeating a bad experience if the guest makes a return stay. When your staff sees the note in the guest profile, they’ll pay special attention to this guest. You can also add a note in your PMS when a guest is happy with their stay. On future visits, your staff can then maintain the quality standards to which this guest is accustomed.

Make targeted efforts

When you assess the results of your satisfaction survey, you may notice that your guests are dissatisfied because your hotel is simply not suited to their market segment. Depending on your location and the services your hotel offers, it’s essential to evaluate which market segment(s) your establishment falls into to target your communications better. If your establishment is more couple oriented, advertise this on your website and in your marketing strategy. This way, you’ll avoid having a business traveller book with you and be disappointed with their stay. Once again, your PMS software can be of great help if it offers guests the option to complete their guest profile before they arrive at your hotel. This profile will often provide information regarding guest type and reason for stay. With this data in hand, you can cater to a specific clientele with which you excel or to a clientele you don’t often see but want to develop.

Pay attention

Once you’ve tagged the market segment(s) you want to target, you must pay attention to preferences for the segment(s) so that you can exceed expectations and ensure stays at your establishment are a memorable experience. Use creativity to find ways to increase customer satisfaction. For example, if you’re targeting families, why not put lollipops on the bed to please both kids and parents? You could even program the children’s channel on the television so that the family doesn’t have to search for it. Also, when parents check in, don’t forget to mention the pool’s opening hours and other family activities that you offer. These simple little touches could make a big difference in parent satisfaction and lead to positive reviews. If you’re targeting business travellers, forget about the suggestions mentioned for families. For the business traveller segment, provide the guest with the Wi-Fi password as soon as they arrive and focus on delivering a quick and efficient check-in and check-out process. You must keep on top of trends that affect your target segment(s) and establishment type, otherwise, you’ll soon be overwhelmed. Recent trends include paddleboards for waterfront facilities and robots in urban hotels.

Be effective

Guests in all market segments have one thing in common: they hate waiting. To maintain guest satisfaction, make sure wait times during their stay are as short as possible. To make arrivals and departures more efficient, consider investing in check-in and check-out kiosks to increase guest satisfaction. Often, even without such kiosks, having a fast and efficient property management system (PMS) is enough to satisfy most guests. However, while it’s always a good idea to use effective tools, you must also know how to use them. Nothing beats proper training when it comes to increasing your staff’s efficiency. Efficiency also depends on how quickly you respond to your guests’ requests. If a guest calls the front desk for a towel, it’s because they need it right away, not in an hour. Try to meet your guests’ requests as quickly as possible, and you’ll see a positive impact on their level of satisfaction. To this end, make sure you have the appropriate number of staff on hand for each shift. To help you plan staff needs, you can rely on your PMS’s various reports.

Personalize

Another way to increase guest satisfaction is to personalize guests’ stays. Keep in mind that, every time a guest interacts with a member of your hotel staff, guests provide valuable information. Your staff can record guest comments in your PMS, and you can leverage this information later on to personalize the guest’s stay. For example, if a woman calls to book a stay and mentions to the receptionist that the stay is to mark her 25th wedding anniversary, the receptionist can note this detail in the guest profile. When this woman checks in, the receptionist on duty will see the note and wish her and her spouse a happy anniversary. Not only will the couple be pleased you took the time to highlight this important event in their lives, you can also increase the satisfaction of these lovebirds by offering them a free bottle of wine in their room. These personal touches can be simple or more elaborate. Simply calling a guest by their name is a detail that is sure to please, especially if they are regular guests. Decidedly, these little details can have a positive impact on guest satisfaction. You may also want to consider equipping your televisions with a tool that welcomes guests by name. Keep in mind that it’s also possible for the guest to customize their own experience. Indeed, several in-room customization options exist that allow guests to modify some options directly. For example, they can select the colour of the mood lighting or create a list of favourite channels on the entertainment system. Finally, consider offering guests the opportunity to create their own custom package. Whether they’re booking by phone or via a booking engine, guests will be delighted to create a personalized package tailored to their needs, which will naturally have a positive impact on their satisfaction level by extension.

Innovate

To further increase guest satisfaction, you must innovate. Always be on the lookout for new ways of doing things. If you’re lucky enough to have a recurring clientele, consider introducing a loyalty program. Try to find ways to renew your offering by adding fresh activities or features, such as a new spa treatment, a new dish on your menu or a new décor. Make the most of all the opportunities open to you! Also, remember that a new service or feature is a great pretext for communicating with previous guests, especially by email, to invite them to come back and discover what’s new. These innovations will make your offering unique, thereby setting you apart from the competition.

How to attract business travellers

Posted on 7 March 20184 October 2021 by Sarah Trépanier

Technology is essential

C’est simple, pour inciter les voyageurs d’affaires à séjourner dans votre établissement, celui-ci doit être bien équipé au niveau technologique. En effet, lorsqu’un voyageur est en déplacement pour affaires, il doit quand même travailler et avoir l’équipement nécessaire pour y parvenir. Une connexion Internet rapide est donc inévitable dans la chambre ainsi qu’un espace de travail adéquat doté d’une chaise ergonomique, de prises de courant accessibles et d’une planche à repasser avec fer. Il est également important de diminuer au maximum les pertes de temps afin de maximiser la productivité du travailleur en déplacement. Les arrivées et départs accélérés sont très appréciés auprès de ce segment de marché pour qui le temps est précieux. Vous pouvez parvenir à accélérer ces processus au moyen de bornes d’enregistrement, de fiches d’enregistrement en ligne ou simplement grâce à un logiciel de gestion hôtelière Cloud rapide et performant.

Having up-to-date technology and amenities is a simple solution to encourage business travellers to stay at your hotel. When a person is travelling on business, they must continue working and have certain tools close at hand. To this end, rooms should be equipped with high-speed internet, adequate workspace, an ergonomic chair, accessible power outlets and an ironing board and iron. It’s also important to maximize business traveller productivity and avoid time wastage with accelerated check-ins and check-outs. Having a fast and efficient Cloud PMS or offering online & kiosk check-in and check-out are very popular options with this time-conscious market clientele.

Guest profiles are becoming more diverse

More and more business travellers are extending their hotel stays, so they can explore the local attractions or country they are visiting. In 2017, close to 40% of North American business travellers chose to do this. This trend is especially strong among millennials (48%) compared to baby boomers (23%). The business traveller cohort no longer consists strictly of middle-aged men; they are becoming more diverse in age and gender, and their profile differs more and more. Your communications must target multiple audiences, older and pragmatic businessmen and younger recruits eager to discover the working world. To gain more information about your business clientele, it is important to set up custom fields in your PMS so that your front-desk staff can gather details about your business traveller’s profile. With this data, you will then be able to set up an effective email marketing strategy. Obviously, you can continue to suggest your business travellers to book a meeting room, a table at a restaurant or an airport shuttle. According to their profile, you can also offer business guests to extend their stay at your hotel by suggesting activities and attractions to explore in your area.

The importance of retaining business travellers’ loyalty

Nous le savons, les clients fidèles sont un atout précieux pour un établissement hôtelier. Par contre, une mère de famille ne viendra pas séjourner dans votre établissement tous les mois. Les clients d’affaires, eux, ont l’occasion de le faire. Ainsi, si vous réussissez à rendre fidèles les voyageurs d’affaires qui visitent plusieurs fois par année votre région, vous vous assurez un revenu récurrent. Pour convaincre la clientèle d’affaires de retourner dans votre établissement, vous pourriez lui offrir des tarifs négociés ou encore, un programme de fidélisation avec des récompenses adaptées à ses besoins.

It goes without saying that loyal guests are a valuable asset to any hotel. However, a mother with a young family is unlikely to visit your hotel on a monthly basis, while business guests have more opportunity to do so. So, if you can successfully retain business travellers as guests multiple times a year, you’ll generate recurring income. To convince business travellers to make return visits to your hotel, consider offering them preferential rates or a loyalty program that features rewards tailored to their needs.

Always remember that a satisfied business traveller can also become a potential family segment guest. You have everything to gain by offering special offers or packages to your business guests, so they make a return visit to your hotel in a context other than a professional one.

Everything you need to know about loyalty programs

Posted on 7 February 201830 August 2022 by Sarah Trépanier

Reasons for a loyalty program

Loyalty programs are well known for creating a win-win situation: Guests get rewarded for their loyalty, and, in exchange, the hotel collects guest data and increases its retention rate. Loyalty programs are proven to have a positive impact on member-guest stay frequency and hotel revenues.

Types of rewards to offer

Loyalty programs make it possible for guests to accumulate points to get free nights. However, there are other rewards you can offer your guests. As a hotelier, it’s up to you to survey guests and ask them what they want. Some guests may prefer immediate small discounts or other rewards rather than having to wait for a more substantial gift on a future stay. Immediate rewards you can offer guests are free access to the mini bar or a credit applicable to your spa or restaurant. You could also offer them a free drink at the bar, free late check-out or free movie rental. The point is that the guest should feel privileged to be a member of your program and view membership as real added value.

However, rewards need not be limited to your establishment. In partnership with local attractions, you can offer discounts or free admission to local activities such as winery tours, festivals, museums, spas or ski resorts. Moreover, you need not offer these rewards in exchange for points; you can choose to offer guests rewards simply because they hold privileged “member” status.

Making sure your program is effective

It’s a good idea to have a loyalty program, but it’s more important to keep your members active. If your members feel confused, disappointed or frustrated with your program, they’ll stop being active. To avoid this pitfall, you must communicate with your members clearly and frequently. Tell them how they can use their points or what reward they can receive during their next stay to encourage them to stay active. Also, the process to redeem reward points must be as easy as possible. To keep things simple, consider creating a member web portal where they can log in and view their member profile, points balance and the rewards available.

To make the most of the points offered to your member-guests, it might be a good idea to offer them points as soon as they purchase something in your establishment, such as dining at your restaurant or using your spa facilities. This way, you encourage your guests to take advantage of your various services and allow them to increase their points without having to stay at your hotel overnight. You could also offer points to guests when they book a stay directly on your website. In this way, you’ll increase direct bookings and let your members accumulate points.

When setting up a loyalty program, it’s essential to feature it on your website, ideally, with a dedicated webpage. Your reception staff should also be trained to promote it to guests.

Setting up a user-friendly loyalty program that offers members relevant rewards can have a significant positive impact on your operations.

6 tips to improve your customer service skills today

Posted on 26 January 201729 August 2022 by Catherine Daoust

1. Nouez le dialogue avec votre public cible

L’objectif du service à la clientèle est d’offrir une expérience positive à vos clients afin qu’ils puissent l’associer à votre établissement. Quand un client se tourne vers vous pour un achat, comment réagissez-vous? Vous contentez-vous de lui donner le prix de ce qu’il recherche? Lui posez-vous plutôt les bonnes questions pour cerner tous ses besoins? Lui exposez-vous les principales raisons justifiant qu’il fasse affaire avec vous plutôt qu’avec un concurrent? En nouant le dialogue avec votre client – et ce, dès le premier appel – vous vous donnez l’avantage de savoir ce dont il a besoin, pour ensuite être en mesure de lui donner entière satisfaction.

2. Montrez de l’empressement

Quand un client se présente à votre réception pour prendre possession d’équipement ou pour s’enregistrer, lui donnez-vous simplement les clés de sa chambre ou lui posez-vous des questions sur ses attentes? Une fois que votre client a reçu ce qu’il voulait, vous enquérez-vous de son expérience? Montrez de l’empressement à l’endroit de vos clients : ils vous seront reconnaissants d’avoir pris le temps de vous informer de leur expérience, et vous saurez ce que vous pourrez améliorer la prochaine fois.

3. Écoutez le client

L’un des points sur lesquels nous insistons le plus, c’est d’écouter le client peu importe son état et surtout faire preuve d’empathie. Vous seriez surpris de la vitesse avec laquelle une bonne écoute peut désamorcer une situation problématique. En tenant compte des préoccupations de votre client, trouvez une solution qui satisfait toutes les parties. Nous ne disons pas que le client a TOUJOURS raison, mais en comprenant son point de vue, vous êtes plus à même de trouver la solution qui lui convient.

4. Trouvez une solution qui satisfait toutes les parties

Les solutions peuvent prendre différentes formes ; il ne s’agit pas uniquement d’offrir des produits ou des services gratuits. Une solution peut être bien simple : il suffit parfois d’accéder à la demande d’un client dès le premier appel ou de lui envoyer en temps voulu un technicien à l’apparence soignée et à l’attitude respectueuse. Si vous tenez les promesses de votre entreprise, vos clients n’auront que du bien à dire de vous!

5. Ne perdez pas vos clients de vue

La fin de la transaction avec votre client ne sonne pas forcément le glas de votre relation. N’hésitez pas à communiquer avec votre client par la suite et à vous informer de son expérience. Si vous ne voulez pas l’appeler, vous pouvez lui envoyer un bref sondage de suivi par courriel. De cette façon, non seulement préparez-vous le terrain pour votre prochaine interaction, mais vous vous assurez aussi que la transaction qui vient d’être effectuée s’est bien déroulée.

6. N’oubliez pas vos résultats

Assurez-vous de fournir un service à la clientèle cohérent, ne serait-ce que pour améliorer vos résultats. Mieux vous traitez vos clients, mieux ils vous traiteront. Si vous offrez un service à la clientèle irréprochable en toute situation, vos clients ne se tourneront pas vers des sites Web comme Trip Advisor ou Yelp ou ne proclameront pas leur insatisfaction sur les réseaux sociaux tels que Facebook, Twitter et Instagram. Bien au contraire, ils n’hésiteront pas à poster des avis en ligne et vous recommanderont à leurs collègues et à leurs amis. Au fil de ces bons mots, vos ventes croîtront chaque année.

Pour ancrer l’application de ces conseils dans vos habitudes, rien ne vaut l’entraînement. Votre personnel et vous pouvez donc vous exercer à mettre ces conseils en pratique chaque jour durant vos réunions habituelles. Discutez de chacun des conseils et de la signification qu’il revêt pour chaque membre du personnel, et mettez-vous au défi de les mettre en application. Quand leur mise en pratique deviendra plus naturelle, non seulement cela se reflétera sur votre équipe, mais son travail s’en trouvera facilité chaque jour. Vos employés y trouveront donc également leur compte!