The success of a hotel is largely dependent on customer loyalty. With an overwhelming abundance of choices, travelers can easily go elsewhere if their experience at a hotel was ‘meh’…or worse, just plain bad. New technology, trends, and services like AirBnB have set the bar pretty high for convenience and guest experience. So what’s a hotel manager to do? Here are some tips to help gain customer loyalty for your hotel.
Focus on Guest Experience
This doesn’t just mean more smiles and better customer service. You need to think about the guest’s journey in its entirety–from booking to returning home. Make sure it’s easy for guests to book their stay. Once they do, stay in touch with them. Send follow up emails about their upcoming trip and provide relevant information, such as food and entertainment suggestions. Offering a simple survey during the booking process can help. For example, find out what the reason for their visit will be, business or pleasure. This can help you provide information that’s specific to their needs.
Incentives
For guests to be loyal to your brand, they need a reason to be loyal. After all, consumers always want to know what’s in it for them. A few ideas to keep them coming back (or booking direct) include:
- Complimentary room upgrade
- Complimentary tickets to nearby attractions
- Flexible check-in times
Give them a reason to come back, and they will.
Add a Personal Touch
If you haven’t been relying on data from your guests, then it’s certainly time. Information is an important factor in providing guests with the sort of personalized experience many consumers now want. Keep information on hand from guests, so when they do return, you will know what they’re looking for when they stay at your hotel. This provides guests with the feeling that your entire operation is there just for them.
Ask for Feedback
A survey is the best way to get feedback. But we’re not talking about writing down random questions and mailing them out, then waiting for people to respond. Remember: this is the age of big data. You need to reach the right people at the right time with the right questions. How do you do that? Research. According to this research, 35% of guests prefer to fill out a survey within a few days after their stay. And of those people, 59% are female and 41% are male. See where this is going? Get the right information from guests and take action to make the necessary improvements.