A top priority for hoteliers is providing guests with a quality experience. Recently, I was speaking to a luxury hotel manager who told me, “Investing in our guests is investing in ourselves.” He explained that going the extra mile in service, with it bearing additional time and expenses, ultimately turned over more profit in the hotel. Top hotel chains already know this, with hotels like Hilton, InterContinental, and Four Seasons consistently topping the charts. Here are five ways improving the hotel experience can improve the bottom line :
At it’s basis, value in hospitality translates to the standard a hotel meets in relation to its pricing; in laymen’s language, it’s the “bang for your buck.” When you provide a higher standard of service, even if it’s a $5 additional expense, your guests will perceive a better value. Ideally, guests perceive the $5 additional expense as a $20 additional expense, allowing you to raise your rates slightly. Even if your hotel charges slightly more than your competitors, many guests will be willing to pay the extra money if it equates to a better experience. In fact, 80% will.
Frequent travelers are oftentimes busy people who don’t have the time to look into a new hotel with each trip. These guests seek a “home away from home” that consistently delivers to their needs. Upgrade your guest experience (and consider implementing a loyalty program) and watch popularity soar with returning guests. A cloud-based hotel operations management solution, such as RoomChecking, will allow you to incorporate room/guest-specific service requests visible to all staff. Take advantage of this feature and add thoughtful touches to the rooms of your returning guests.
On both TripAdvisor and in person, hearing from other guests can make or break future business. Potential guests rely on these reviews to make their hotel choice, but oftentimes guests with just a fair experience won’t feel inclined to say anything. Simply put, if you provide an experience worth talking about, guests will talk!
Hoteliers know that calming a difficult guest can be just as difficult as dealing with a grumpy child. Often, the hotel must extend its service, such as issuing a free room upgrade or even waving the charge of the stay, in order to diffuse the situation. Whilst there is no way to avoid all of these sticky situations, going the extra mile to provide guests with a luxurious experience can sooth a particularly picky guest.
It is also important to consider how the average wronged customer will tell 8-16 others about their bad experience. In this day and age, that number can grow exponentially with a bad online review visible to the world. Do your hotel a favor by ensuring guests a quality stay. RoomChecking makes it easy for staff to address any potential problems by unifying the team under one cloud system.
