Tag: hôtel

How to encourage guests to return to your property?

encourager-clients-revenir
Posted on by Laura Yee Kui Choi

Les premières impressions positives

Il est important que les premières impressions de vos clients soient positives. Que ce soit au début du parcours client lorsque celui-ci visite le site web de votre hôtel, lorsqu’il valide sa réservation via votre moteur de réservation en ligne, lorsqu’il reçoit un email de confirmation de réservation personnalisé ou bien une fois arrivé à l’hôtel lorsqu’il échange avec votre personnel de la réception ou qu’il découvre une petite attention personnalisée dans sa chambre. Tous ces points de contact reflètent le professionnalisme et l’authenticité de votre établissement hôtelier. Ces points de contacts sont aussi votre vitrine en ligne, que ce soit le moteur de réservation en ligne qui doit avoir une usage facile et une présentation soignée mais aussi votre PMS (Property management software) qui va se charger de l’envoi des courriels et permettre à votre personnel de répondre rapidement à vos clients lors des différentes interactions.  

Pourquoi ces premières impressions sont-elles si importantes? Tout simplement parce que ce sont des moments qui marquent vos clients mais aussi une opportunité pour vous de créer le fameux effet “wow”. Ainsi, leurs premières impressions peuvent être décisives et pourraient les convaincre de revenir séjourner chez vous.

Les procédures de réservation simples et rapides

Avec l’essor du digital, les voyageurs sont de plus en plus nombreux à réserver leurs séjours en ligne. Ainsi, le processus de réservation en ligne de votre hôtel est un élément déterminant et il devient alors important de le rendre le plus simple, rapide et intuitif possible si vous souhaitez que vos clients renouvellent leur expérience. À l’inverse, si vos procédures de réservation sont trop complexes et longues, cela pourrait frustrer vos clients, les décourager à réserver leurs séjours et potentiellement les convaincre d’utiliser les plateformes OTA pour réserver leurs séjours chez vos concurrents. 

De ce fait, optimiser votre moteur de réservation en ligne vous permettra de simplifier la réservation des voyageurs et que ceux-ci passent par le moins d’étapes possibles. De plus, connecter votre booking engine à votre logiciel de gestion hôtelière vous aidera à automatiser de nombreuses tâches comme la gestion des disponibilités, stocks, réservations et à procéder au paiement en ligne. Les voyageurs auront donc la possibilité de voir en temps réel les hébergements disponibles et leurs tarifs. Aussi, ceux-ci pourront enregistrer leurs informations personnelles, ce qui facilitera leurs prochaines réservations et rendra le processus de réservation encore plus rapide.

Pour finir, assurez-vous d’avoir un service à la clientèle réactif, qui répond aux appels et courriels de vos clients et qui reste disponible pour répondre à leurs questions.

L’expérience offerte et la relation avec vos clients

L’expérience client représente toutes les interactions entre vos clients et votre hôtel, que ce soit avant, pendant ou après leurs séjours. L’objectif de tout établissement hôtelier est donc d’offrir une expérience mémorable à ses clients, mais comment y arriver?

Tout d’abord, votre expérience doit être centrée sur vos clients, ceux-ci doivent se sentir uniques et privilégiés. Il convient alors de connaître leurs besoins et attentes afin d’adapter vos offres et services. Sur ce point, il est primordial de consulter les données statistiques de votre PMS qui est une réelle mine d’informations sur votre clientèle et le type de consommation qu’elle effectue dans votre établissement.

Par la suite, équipez-vous de nouvelles technologies qui vous aideront à simplifier vos opérations, à automatiser les tâches répétitives de vos employés afin qu’ils soient plus efficaces au quotidien et qu’ils puissent être plus disponibles pour vos clients, pas juste des nouvelles technologies à l’affût des nouvelles tendances hôtelières. Il existe plusieurs innovations telles que l’enregistrement en ligne, les bornes d’accueil, l’intelligence artificielle, la réalité virtuelle et bien plus encore.

De plus, assurez-vous que vos clients soient satisfaits de leur expérience. N’hésitez pas à leur demander comment s’est passé leur séjour que ce soit lorsqu’ils passent à la réception ou bien en leur envoyant un sondage de satisfaction. Il est également important de toujours répondre aux avis client en ligne, qu’ils soient bons ou mauvais afin de remercier vos clients d’avoir pris le temps de partager leur expérience au sein de votre hôtel ou de leur montrer que leurs commentaires ont bien été pris en compte et qu’ils permettront d’améliorer l’expérience client de votre hôtel. Vous pouvez aussi vous référer à plusieurs indicateurs incontournables qui permettent de mesurer la fidélité de vos clients comme le NPS, le taux d’acquisition, le taux d’attrition de la clientèle, le taux de réachat ou encore le taux de rétention.

Les offres exclusives et les récompenses

Comme vous l’aurez compris, fidéliser vos clients n’est pas une tâche facile. Pour y arriver, il est possible de mettre en place un programme de fidélisation, des offres exclusives, un système de points ainsi que des récompenses, réservés aux clients les plus fidèles.

De plus, utilisez votre logiciel de gestion hôtelière pour récolter de l’information sur vos clients, faire des campagnes marketing qui cibleront vos clients fidèles et effectuer des actions de retargeting.

Lorsqu’un client séjourne dans votre hôtel et qu’il en repart très satisfait, n’aimeriez-vous pas qu’il revienne? Ainsi, des clients fidèles représentent une véritable opportunité pour vous de les transformer en ambassadeurs. Ceux-ci sont très satisfaits de leur expérience et vous font confiance, ils n’hésiteront pas à vous référer à leur entourage et à revenir régulièrement.

De ce fait, plusieurs éléments tels que les premières impressions positives, un processus de réservation simple et rapide, une expérience client mémorable et des offres et récompenses exclusives seraient de bonnes raisons pour vos clients de revenir dans votre hôtel!

How to practice social distancing in a property?

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Posted on by Nicolas Audiffren
distanciation-sociale-hotel
How to practice social distancing in a property?

Online check-in

First of all, online check-in allows your guests to complete the process from a mobile device before arriving at your property. Moreover, they will have the possibility to complete their check-in and validate their payment information in only a few clicks. This tool will help you reduce contact with your guests upon arrival and minimize waiting time at your front desk, since your guests will only have to collect their room key at the reception or directly at your welcome kiosk.

Pre-registration

Pre-registration is a new feature which allows your guests to confirm  their personal information online in an easy, fast and independent way. After receiving an email from your property, they will confirm their contact information and accept the stay’s conditions on a web form, using their personal mobile device. Also, pre-registration allows your guest to accept a credit card pre-authorization in order to guarantee its stay. Once at your property, all he has to do is to collect its room key at the front desk.

Welcome kiosks

Nowadays, some properties are providing welcome kiosks that give the opportunity to their guests to self check-in. Thanks to this 100% contactless and secure solution, your customers will be completely independent, since they will be able to collect their room keys without even going to the property’s reception.

Integrated payment

The connectivity between your payment terminals and your property management software (PMS) facilitates deposits and pre-authorizations. Operations are entered by the employees in the software so they don’t have to handle payment terminals. Integrated payment can be virtualized, in addition to being secure. It will speed up the check-in process at your property and will increase customers’ satisfaction. Since operations are done directly from the PMS, customers don’t have to take out their payment card upon departure.

The hospitality industry has always been focused on customer service, so hoteliers must find alternative ways to continue delivering memorable experiences while opting for solutions that prioritize social distancing. To do so, it is important to reassure and restore travelers’ trust by communicating all the safety and health measures of your property in a clear and effective way, as well as providing them innovative solutions to help them respect social distancing.

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

communiquer-avec-clients-pms-hotel
Posted on 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.

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

How to increase your property’s occupation rate?

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Posted on by Sarah Trépanier

Understanding occupancy rate

The occupancy rate is used to determine over a given period the proportion of your rooms that are rented compared to the total number of rooms available. This rate can be calculated by day, month, week or another frequency and will vary according to the period under consideration. The higher your occupancy rate, the more your rooms are booked, and the busier your hotel is. Your occupancy rate may be lower at certain times. This situation happens at every hotel, even if you’re looking to have the highest possible occupancy rate as often as possible. Factors that will affect your occupancy rate include the season, weather, less favourable political or economic conditions or even a poorly positioned offer.

While your average occupancy rate may be close to 100% on Saturdays, on Wednesdays, it may hover at 30%. By studying your occupancy rate trends, you can learn a great deal about your establishment and implement targeted actions to increase your occupancy rate when needed, whether it’s for days of the week that aren’t as busy or for times of the year when business is slower. You must identify when dips in occupation occur and the reasons for them. Conversely, you also need to pinpoint the factors that boosted your occupancy rate for a given period. By doing this, you can repeat what you have done to increase your occupancy rate at other times when occupancy isn’t at its peak.

Things that impact occupancy rate

Occupancy rate will vary depending on your hotel’s type and location. For example, it stands to reason that the occupancy rate at a hotel located on a ski mountain will be much higher in winter than in summer. Conversely, if a hotel is located on the beach, it will be busier during the summer. Many other factors can affect your occupancy rate, including room rates, the guest experience, your online reputation, room cleanliness and the quality and availability of your facilities. That being said, without a doubt, a hotel located on famous ski mountain won’t need to exert a great deal of effort during the winter period. However, during the summer season, this hotel can attract as many guests if the surrounding attractions are just as active.

How to increase your occupancy rate

Define your target market

To increase your occupancy rate, you must define your target market. If you don’t target the clientele that best matches your hotel, you risk missing out on many potential guests. To define your target market, analyze the data your hotel management software has collected. If you analyze this data deeply, you’ll discover your clientele’s demographics, type and geographical origin. With this data in hand, you can determine which market to target to focus on by implementing marketing initiatives that will attract more guests from this segment.

Create customized packages and promotions

One of the initiatives you can implement to attract guests from your target market segment is to create packages and promotions that are likely to appeal to this clientele. Guests’ expectations vary according to certain factors, including income, age, cultural background, nationality and occupation. You must consider these factors to create packages and promotions your target clientele won’t be able to refuse.

Make the most of events

When creating packages and promotions for your target clientele, be sure to make the most of events being held near your hotel. This approach is sure to increase your occupancy rate. Cultural festivals, big conferences, concerts or other similar activities are golden opportunities to attract guests to your hotel. You can take advantage of these events in several ways. First, you can create an event-related package by including event tickets in the booking price, for example. You can also offer a special discount to people who show you their tickets for the event. Naturally, the best approach is pairing up with the event organizers so that they include a link to your hotel on the event website or their flyers. Remember, by promoting an event, you’re promoting your hotel. Even though these events may last only a few days, they can draw attention to your hotel and increase your occupancy rate. Moreover, if these events are recurring, they can attract a recurring clientele as well!

Offer tempting loyalty programs

Nothing works better than an advantageous loyalty program to guarantee a recurring guest base. Why would a guest come back to your hotel when they have so many other options? Of course, if they enjoyed their experience, they may be tempted to return, but they may also be looking around for new experiences. That’s where loyalty programs come into the picture. When such a program offers rewards that are attractive to guests, you ensure they’ll return to your hotel to make the most of them. Consider offering guests free nights after a certain number of stays or points accumulated, discounts, gratuities or any other reward that is likely to attract them to return to your hotel.

Ensure your hotel is accessible

Despite all the efforts you roll out to increase your occupancy rate, keep in mind that many elements can still deter potential guest from staying with you. You must consider these elements to make your hotel as inclusive as possible. First, make sure your facility is wheelchair accessible. Disabled people and the elderly may eliminate your hotel quickly from consideration if they feel it isn’t suitable for them. For families travelling with small children, make sure high chairs are available at your restaurant and cradles for the rooms. Have many people asked you whether your hotel accepts animals? It may be worthwhile to give it some thought. As these establishments are rare, accepting guests with animals would give you access to a new type of clientele. Depending on the size of your hotel, it could also be interesting to give your guests the opportunity to organize events such as weddings, corporate meetings or family gatherings. Based on your target clientele, all these elements should be kept in mind because they could all broaden your horizons and contribute to increasing your occupancy rate.