Simply put, change is constant, both in marketing and in the world around us. Your hotel’s
guests are constantly changing, as are their wants and needs. Ensuring that your hotel evolves alongside your guests and paying
attention to the details can generate significant returns in the hospitality industry.
Personalisation is key to guest retention. Understanding what brings your guests back and promoting those features and amenities time and again is what can set your hotel apart from the rest.
While paying attention to your guests is the number-one priority, instilling a culture of continuous learning among your hotel staff from the outset is also key to your hotel’s success. The more your staff learn and continue learning, the less likely your hotel is to become outdated. Evolving with your guests will become routine and, in return, you will better understand their wants and needs; this will benefit your hotel in the long term.
If you focus on the details and make an effort to learn about guests’ interests and what they entail, most of your guests will be happier. This established trust on both sides can encourage your guests to contact you and let you know whether something is working or not. This relationship will help eliminate the negative or less popular aspects of your hotel and allow you to focus on the specific elements your guests genuinely enjoy.
The moment your hotel moves away from what appeals to travellers, potential guests may unfortunately choose to stay elsewhere. We know you care about your guests, but they may not feel that appreciation as much as you think. Here are some skills and techniques you can adopt to keep your hotel’s business flow steady and, hopefully, even increase revenue over
time.
Be present where your guests are
The experience begins long before your guests arrive in person. Well before a guest sits down in front of you to check in, you must ensure that their research and booking experience is seamless. Promote and highlight the best aspects of your hotel online, and show how your hotel will make them feel completely at ease.
Building and maintaining a positive online presence is crucial. If you are directing your hotel website to the right audience with your unparalleled services, you cannot lose.
It is not only important to be present, but also to be active across all
social media platforms. Be sure to identify the popular platforms where your
target audience is present. The more exposure guests have to your hotel’s incredible feed, the more likely they are to stay with you. Gain more loyal followers by regularly posting fresh, exciting content. If you build a community of devoted guests, you will be able to make even greater use of your social media presence for the benefit of your hotel. Depending on your hotel’s goals, partnering with an influencer could also be a strong option for spreading the word, attracting new guests and building a new customer base. Paying attention to the content your guests engage with and developing it to sustain success both online and offline can lead to success for your hotel and a satisfied guest.
If you are not sure where most of your guests like to spend their time on social media, ask them as part of your online booking process. If that is not possible, try conducting a poll through an Instagram story or Facebook post. For example,
what is your favourite social media platform? Then watch the results come in.
Once you know their preferred platform and have a fairly clear idea of who your audience is, try to have fun with it. Engaging with your guests and learning even more about them is always helpful. It is important to use the responses guests provide, so users know that your team is reading and listening to their feedback and that their voice is being heard. For example, implement their feedback at your hotel or share their responses on your story with a comment such as, "Great idea!" Building an online community through your hotel’s social media is a major step in the right direction.
Use guest feedback to guide future decisions
Maintaining guest relationships through reputation management and resolving the issue at hand, or at least addressing it as quickly as possible, is vital to your hotel’s progress. Use feedback as a learning opportunity and do everything possible to avoid making the same mistakes again. According to social media marketing trends, responding to guests quickly is
now more important than ever. Putting guest satisfaction first will always pay off, and guests demand faster responses as social media continues to grow. When you respond promptly with a positive attitude, guests can see that you not only acknowledged their comment or suggestion, but also took the time to respond thoughtfully and truly listen to what they had to say. This demonstrates the care and quality invested in your services and the hotel as a whole. Direct responses that address feedback positively and promptly will result in a happy guest and, ultimately, a better overall rating.
Ways to avoid in-room surveys or questionnaires
Make providing feedback fun for guests to encourage online engagement with your hotel. Social media has become incredibly interactive, partly because most people love it. Social media allows people to be seen and heard in whatever way they choose. Another thing that excites social media fans is the ability to connect with their favourite brands, and hotel brands are no different. Social media can associate positive feelings and reputations with your hotel.
Engaging with your guests whenever you have the opportunity is the perfect way to participate and gather information and, if you are very lucky, secure a few bookings. For example, an Instagram story asking:
Did you enjoy our restaurant specials this week? Then give them the option to simply answer yes or no. Gain valuable insights from the interaction and use them to your advantage, because not everyone feels inclined to pick up a pen and answer a few boring questions on a sheet of paper that comes with their room key. As time goes on, you will gain an understanding of what your guests like and what their interests are. This is when your questions can become more detailed.
Ultimately, listening to, learning from and engaging with your guests will grow your business. People want to be heard, and your guests are no different. So respect their opinions, speak with them and build trust. That said, taking action as soon as possible can benefit your hotel in multiple ways and, in turn, generate more business.
