As a new year begins, it’s always a good idea to reflect on the year gone by. We at Hotelogix have chosen our 10 of our best blogs from 2016 that hoteliers should not miss.
Revisit these blogs because many of them contain valuable tips that can continue to help your hotel’s growth through 2017!
#10.Attracting Guests in 2016: What You Need to Know to Improve Your Hotel’s Online Reputation
With competition in the hospitality industry becoming fiercer by the day, it’s extremely important that hotel brands manage and foster their online reputation. It’s not sufficient for hotels to just be present across numerous online forums, they need to engage, interact and respond to their guest’s feedbacks and reviews.
Read about forums where independent hotels should be present, and how they improve their online reputation.
#9.Dear hoteliers, high ADR is the key to your hotel’s profitability – not high occupancy!
Hoteliers, please note that high occupancy need not always mean high profitability. Hotels need to focus more on Average Daily Revenue and not just chase high occupancy. ADR calculates the average incomes generated per occupied room which is a better reflection on the hotel’s financial health.
Hotels should combine occupancy forecasting with revenue management and accordingly work on the pricing of the hotel, and voila – better profitability is achieved.
#8.Top Hotel Marketing Trends for the Future of Hospitality
Stay on top of marketing trends, most of the trends we talk about are relevant in 2017 as well. Mobile friendly, user generated content, personalised emails, innovative marketing, and user friendly payment options are all core areas that hotels should focus on if they want to stay ahead of their competition.
Hotels should always be on their ‘A’ game when it comes to being on top of the latest hospitality trends.
#7.Handling unpleasant guests – a hotel manager’s worst nightmare
‘Ignorance may be bliss’ in many situations, but that is definitely not an option when it comes to dealing with unpleasant guests. Being in the service industry, every single hotel shall come across unpleasant guests – it may be once in a while or sometimes frequently. Hotel managers must be well equipped to handle unpleasant guests and also filter out the guests who have genuine concerns from those who are only looking for ‘freebies’. Hotel managers should not crumble at the threat that guests shall post ‘bad reviews’.
#6.5 Front Desk Traits That Will Help Your Hotel Build Guest Relations In 2016
In this age of automation and social media interaction, many travellers still prefer the human connection. Mobiles, technologies and computers are all good in their own place, but many still want face-to-face communication with the front desk.
The check-in staff and the front desk manager have the power to make an extremely impactful impression with the guest which shall stay with the guest through the whole length of their stay.
So it’s important that the front desk staff is attentive, proactive, read up on local events and can help cater to the needs of their guests.
#5.Dear hoteliers, make sure your hotel covers these areas before the end of 2016!
OK, do not fret; it’s only the beginning of the year. If you didn’t get a chance to look at any of the areas mentioned in the blog, you still have time and ensure that the beginning of 2017 covers them. Staff appraisal, identifying the right target group, creating a realistic budget with targets are areas that a hotel needs to focus on, so that they can work towards a profitable year.
#4.5 simple steps to promote your destination and increase your hotel’s RevPar
The millennial traveller wants a complete experience when they are travelling. More than the comfort, it’s about having a different experience, exploring the local areas and being able to give live feeds about their trip.
Hotels need to entice these guests with the right marketing campaigns and ensure that they sell not just the property but the destination as a whole.
#3.Discover simplified hotel management on the go with a PMS Mobile App
Contrary to popular belief, hotel apps need not just be focused towards the comfort of the guests so that they can have all the information at their fingertips. Hotels can implement apps to help manage their property.
PMS mobile apps are the way to go in the coming year, especially for small and mid-sized properties. This allows hoteliers to manage their properties on the go. They are cost effective and efficient.
#2.Hoteliers to watch out for mobile-moments and dayparting in 2017
With 2.16 billion Smartphone users, hotels need easy to navigate websites which are mobile- responsive; a smartphone user has high expectations with extremely low patience levels and wants everything at their fingertips.
2017 should strongly focus on mobile minutes (when people reflexively turn to a device, often to a smartphone — to learn or do something) and dayparting trends (breaking a day into parts, hoteliers can implement strategies and marketing plans to engage their potential guests during the mobile-moments) to ensure that they are reaching out to their target audience at the right time.
#1.Popular revenue management practices your hotel needs to adopt by 2017
For profitable returns at the end of the year all hotels, especially small and midsized hotels need to focus on revenue management practices. It may require a little effort but an effective PMS can ensure that it doesn’t cost too much time or money.
Rather than depending on OTA’s, hotels should optimize their own websites and apps so that the bookings can be made directly with them. Revenue management practices like data segmentation and adoption of open pricing shall help hotels identify their target audience and increase their hotels bookings.
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