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As a hotel, you are constantly focused on pampering your guests. A pleasant stay is worth a lot and can strengthen word-of-mouth advertising, leading to positive reviews and returning guests. Nearly half of the guests will not give a second chance if their stay was not enjoyable. Offering a total experience—where do you start, and how do you excel in it?
Guest experience before arrival
The guest experience starts even before they arrive. Unfortunately, we have no control over any traffic jams your guest might encounter on the way, but we can optimize the ‘anticipation’ (primarily for tourists and less so for business stays). When separating these two categories, we see clear differences in how they wish to be approached prior to arrival. Below is a list of tips on how to welcome guests based on their backgrounds (tourism vs business). With MyTourist, you can easily automate a ‘mail follow-up’ for each guest type, sending automated emails at various moments before arrival, where you can develop a different approach for each type of guest addressed.
Business stays
Business stays are generally practical overnight stays. There is more value in concrete information that assists in simplifying the purpose of their stay. A business guest might have attended a trade fair or is on their way to a client. These guests plan their stay, and you can help them with this.
- Be specific: what facilities can guests use?
- Provide clarity: from/to what time is check-in/check-out? What is the breakfast situation? Is there a 'quick bite' available in the evening?
- Perhaps your guest wants to receive a client or conduct a meeting in the hotel. What options do you offer, and what do you provide?
- Is your Wi-Fi connection optimal? Clearly communicate this in advance to avoid annoyance at the reception.
- How is the public transport? Is the hotel easily reachable?
- A business stay cancellation due to a meeting being canceled; how easy can this be done? It's better to have a cancel button in the email than to annoy your guest (too much) with a convoluted cancellation process.
- Easy contact options: what to do in case of questions or problems?
- Overview of practical phone numbers and addresses, such as taxi services, carpool locations, and good restaurants in the area.
Tourist stays
Tourists come for a different reason altogether. They expect (and benefit) from a completely different content in pre-arrival emails. We can engage more with emotions and can utilize email for this purpose.
- Make it personal: Who are you (name, photo, and introduction about yourself)
- Which fun activities in the vicinity should your guests absolutely not miss? How can they be accessed (public transport, etc.)?
- Provide useful tips about the stay and preparation, and send impressions through videos/photos.
- Tourists are individual guests, so they would like to know what extra costs may apply.
- Very nice: create a video that you can automate to send to all guests a few days before arrival. In this, express how you look forward to their arrival in X days and perhaps provide a guided tour of your accommodation.
To make it as concrete as possible, you can easily provide business stays with a single email beforehand containing the most frequently asked questions. Their agendas and inboxes are already full, and they prefer everything to be direct, quick, and clear, whereas tourists can be engaged through a series of emails highlighting a couple of points each time as they genuinely look forward to a pleasant stay. You can involve them, warm them up, and already give a good first impression.
Guest experience starts with hospitality
Once they arrive, of course, you warmly welcome your guest. Throughout the stay, it’s good to apply the same strategy and empathize with your guest. Business stays should be approached differently than leisure stays. Based on the booking, you know who is checking in and can easily tailor your approach.
It's simple to have a protocol or instructions in place for this. Thus, every colleague can easily adhere to a protocol that specifies how to approach guests. This way, you always warmly welcome your guests with the same enthusiasm.
Online check-in
Online check-in options are practical and increasingly sought-after. A kiosk where guests can check in is also valued. They do not have to wait at the reception and can process quickly. If you use these techniques, a 'welcome protocol' is crucial to ensure that someone is always present to personally welcome your guest. Naturally, for those who prefer to check in at the counter, the kiosk will not entirely replace traditional check-in.
Colleagues and freedom to act
Giving staff freedom pays off. We see this more in support-oriented companies and webshops, where employees feel empowered to take a ‘director’s chair.’ Of course, this needs to appear genuine and convincing, allowing staff to act in a way that they deem best.
The feeling of responsibility fosters self-confidence, flexibility, and problem-solving thinking. Creativity improves and can even lead to a tighter collaboration within the team as these attributes are shared and stimulated among them. An ultimate experience starts with open-minded and creative staff, so empower them to express themselves.
Note guest birthdays
Do you record guests' birthdays? It’s a small effort but a significant gesture to offer a complimentary drink. It will surely be appreciated to acknowledge your guest on their special day. Referring back to the previous point; staff often receive positive feedback from such actions, enhancing their bond with guests and potentially sparking spontaneous conversations. What a small gesture can accomplish!
Proactively compensate guests
Naturally, something may go wrong at times. By responding proactively and offering apologies, your guest feels heard. They are likely to understand if something didn’t go perfectly and will quickly forgive you if you take action. Again, a small gesture can work wonders and prevent a negative review. After all, a negative review online can remain visible for a long time and haunt an accommodation.
