Of course, it is also important for our guests to stay comfortably overnight and choose our hotel for a single night stay. But staying for long periods at our Hotel is ideal. It is crucial for the sustainability of a destination and any accommodation to be able to increase the number of nights per booking. But what we are talking about here, for now, is seduction, enchanting customers- innovation in hospitality.
It is a TH2's obsession: all this love and enchantment for the guest. Anyone who knows us will already be rolling their eyes by now thinking of yet another boring “gimmick” to exceptional treatment, excellence in service and everything else. But if it is already known for sure that loyalty work pays off, why that much resistance on seriously implementing it? There are no magic formulas, nor do pharmacies sell single doses of “innovation in hospitality”, but there is a joint effort that starts with simple “love”. What is this reluctance to be cordial, helpful and available?! How can there be so much distraction, misinformation and alienation in hospitality performance? Isn't there already enough automatism and procedural mechanisms to make the mind of those who attend and deal with guests more receptive, available and proactive?
5 Evidence your client needs to be sure you really want them:
1) Reviews: are you one of those who only respond to negative reviews? It's good that you can always identify what went wrong and that you can publicly expose and justify it, however, positive reviews also have to be answered and highlighted. If a guest has just posted that they had their lifetime vacation, do you think a simple "thank you" is enough? Really, if you do that, you really don't know how to maintain love relationships... You should foster this relationship by reinforcing how the pleasure in receiving it was yours, that not only do you feel grateful for having had the opportunity to serve that guest, but you are publicly flattered by him to express it and to have taken the time to say it. At least! Reveal what fiber you're made of. On these "small gestures" you reveal character and how hospitable it really works for you.
2) E-Mail reminder
It is true and well-known, both by hotels and by customers, that reservation confirmation emails are generated automatically through online channels. However, a personalized message is worth a lot. Or even what you include in those automatic emails! Ask about customer's preferences (cushion, type of tea, mini-bar options), suggest additional services, include a google maps link with tips on how to get to the property, including adventures and departures that the GPS can generate (paths land alternatives), etc. Talk to your guest. After all, he is your guest.
3) Welcome gift on bedroom, personalized welcome message
Feeling that, despite being in a 50-room property you are able to prepare each accommodation with care and respecting the taste of each guest, is LOVE, or rather, hospitality. The joy to serve and work in the hotel industry goes through this delivery and willingness of the team to understand the preferences of each guest: with children, disabled, at work, on a birthday that requires fresh flowers, late arrival-starving-and-tired . And adjust the check-in accordingly. No, customers are not all the same. And your accommodation will only stand out from the rest if you manage to successfully implement this care.
4) Call the guest by the name, remember preferences
Get synced with your team so they know the guests and have the ability to recognize and call them by the name. Even if the team on the first shift is different, make sure they communicate internally that customer "A" prefers coffee with sweetener for breakfast and that guest in accommodation Y requires that his bed not be disturbed.
5) Goodbye and Keep up: should the last thing your client takes away the bill of their stay!? A treat, however symbolic as it may be (homemade cookies, a postcard, a pin, an Alentejo bread, a bouquet of dried flowers, etc.) are some of the ideas. And just like in a romantic relationship, the intention is to keep in contact with the client after he leaves. Lovers communicate that they miss one another, in the world of hospitality we must at least reinforce that we take the customer into account. Knowing if he had a good trip and arrived safely at the destination two days after leaving (and the right time to ask for a review), remembering that 1 month (or 1 year) ago he was staying with us and how good it would be to return to what makes him happy . If normally you already pay up to 18% commission to agencies, why not offer your guest a 15% discount so that they can return soon or indicate strategic dates (holes in the planning) that you can receive them at exclusive prices - to make them feel special. How healthy is your email marketing? And does your hotel marketing positioning "work"?
Above all, reinforce your team's communication and conversational skills so that they feel confident and motivated in talking to your guests, instead of being withdrawn robots afraid to ask and that the answer will be too much work... Pro-activity means this ease and above all this pre-disposition to want to please, to like to serve and to surprise. And this is only possible with communication.
Strengthen your team's communication skills with TH2 Personal Marketing & Hospitality Service training and promote hospitality, spreading LOVE ;)