Easiest Ways To Boost Your Hotels Occupancy Rates

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13 July 2017. You don’t have to a business mastermind or a rocket scientist to know that hotels need guests. Guests are the people that are paying you money and money is goooood. However, knowing how to attract more guests to your hotel and keep that shiny, revolving door of yours spinning all year round is no easy feat. Sure, you may be enjoying peak times and weekend flurries, but what about those mid-week slumps and long winters of discontent. Yeah, they are the things you really need to be figuring out because if you address and fix this issue and the only thing that will be smiling than your reflection in the concierge mirror is your bottom line.

Read on to see advice on how to attract more guests to your hotel.

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Make booking a dream

The easier it is for potential guests to make a reservation at your place the more likely it is you will see an increase in sales. People just don’t have much patience these days. They don’t want a lengthy form to fill out, or five next buttons to click through. They want a hassle-free process, which is why you need to discover the cloud. A simple, two-click, direct to website reservation system is what your customers want and what you need. Something that synchronizes your channels and provides reports and makes everyone’s experience faster and more agile. Get that right and you’re onto a winner.

Prices and promotions

You don’t want to be the cheapest because being cheap is never good for business. Think about when you go into a restaurant; the majority of people look at the wine list and go for the second or third cheapest bottle. That’s because the value will be better. You want to be is the best value while still offering competitive rates, especially in off periods. Consider using midweek offers and discounts and loyalty programs. Of course, this extra workload and added complexity can cause problems, so use a cloud system that manages rates. Tech that speeds up business and enhances operations should never be ignored, so going down this route could allow you to better understand exactly how a value-added package is boosting occupancy.

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People like personalized

It costs seven times more to attract new customers than it does to keep existing ones, and one of the best ways to attract repeat business is to offer a hotel experience that is that much more personalized. So figure out a way to make a better emotional connection. Try and remember the names of your guests, especially first names. Deliver them a fresh cup of coffee in the morning, along with some local knowledge about what is happening that day. If they drop a hint about something they like, remember it and use it; even if it is something as small as them preferring red apples to green. There is even booking software out there that will allow you to create bespoke itineraries that could come in handy.

Stay at your hotel

We recently watched a delightful film called The Intern, where a woman starts a very successful online retail business from nothing. The thing that struck a chord with us was how attentive she was to her own business. She would order items from her own website and then address everything from the packaging, the customer service, the delivery times and the presentation. How does this translate to you? Well, when was the last time you stayed at your hotel and experienced what the guests were experiencing? Only then can you really see what needs updating or changing or improving or removing? Encourage your staff to as well. That way they can empathize better with guests and empathy goes a long way in hospitality.

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