There’s no denying that the development and expansion of mega hotel chains and Vacation Rental sites like Airbnb has left many smaller hotels struggling to find their niche. To survive in any business it is vital to find that all important Unique Selling Point, a good marketing strategy. If you don’t find a way to stand out, you are just another hotel offering up business to the competitors. So get the edge by giving your guests a reason to choose you; a reason to come back again and again.
To give our boutique hoteliers some inspiration we reviewed the BLLA Annual Sentiment Survey 2017. It takes a in depth look at the future of the Hospitality Industry and was created to help hoteliers make informed and savvy decisions for the coming year. To save you time planning your marketing strategy we have broken the survey down into the following five points:
- It is important to offer unique moments, «Instagrammable moments”, making your guests feel like they’re the one and only. Instagram has become one of the main apps for travellers to share their experiences, this is why the focus sharing should be on offering guests moments that are worth keeping.
- Originality is a key factor. The design of your hotel is a great way to stand out from the crowd and market your hotel brand. This is a point in the favour of small hotels or boutiques compared to chain hotels – due to their smaller space it is easier to change themes, update decor and incorporate local touches into the design.
- Staff should be trained to please guests beyond their expectations, to anticipate their needs even before they know they have them. Providing responses and solutions to the customers’ requirements in different and unexpected ways creates a lasting memory. Identify the needs of each type of traveler (business and leisure). Try not to say “No” to the guest – look for a way to make their expectations possible or offer different options. What you want is for your customer to remember your hotel because you tried to do everything possible to meet their needs.
- Highlight the importance of the local environment in the design of your hotel. It’s not just the amenities that are important, the guests want to experience the location with its history and culture.
- Being a small hotel does not mean that you should stay behind in terms of technology and this survey highlights different technologies that are being implemented in other small hotels. These include online check-in, keyless entry systems, TV on demand and guest-profiling technology. This is particularly important because today the largest number of travellers are millennials, the generation most aware of the latest technology who consider it imperative to be connected all the time. Sirvoy can help here, as our software continues to be one of the most innovative systems on the market. We aim to remain technically relevant and we work hard to provide meaningful solutions for hoteliers around the world. We have several new releases planned for 2017/2018 which includes an improved hospitality CRM tool to help hotels stay even more connected to their guests, as well as additional language releases so that hotels can continue to appeal to a global audience.
We hope that you will take something away from this short synopsis and found some practical solutions for your hotel marketing. There’s no denying that it can be difficult to remain consistently on trend in an industry as fast paced as this one. However, the benefits are well worth the expended effort and one thing is for sure; it certainly will not go unnoticed by your guests!
