Yesterday I attended a lively debate held by BAHA (the British Association of Hospitality Accountants) on the pros and cons of ‘Dynamic Pricing’. Dynamic Pricing is what you see airlines using with their fares. It is based on the principle that the right rate to charge for a room night is what the customer is […]
If you are analysing your sales you’ll know what your average customer spend. But do you know what percentage of your customers buy what products and services? Unless you do you wont know where you are losing out on sales opportunities. For example of only 45% of your guests take breakfast, this leaves another 55% […]
Building a mailing list Your customer mailing list is one of the most valuable marketing assets of your hotel or restaurant. I am amazed how few hotels and restaurants use e-mail marketing. It’s never too late to start building a database, and e-mail marketing is a great way to continue to build the relationship with […]
Celebrating British Tourism will attract the crowds but will they stay at your hotel or B&B? Today is the start of British Tourism week (15th – 21st March) and the whole country is being promoted. This should mean an increase in awareness and enquiries for guest accommodation and holiday bookings. But how can hotel, B&B […]
There’s nothing like a testimonial or referral to endorse your hotel or restaurant. Pick up any research on advertising effectiveness and you’ll see word-of-mouth at the top of the list. Many people are likely to be influenced having read testimonials from other guests. One of the best things about word-of-mouth is it is essentially free. […]
Yesterday I went to Hotelympia. I saw some interesting new ideas, and met some knowledgable people, and it’s always a good opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues. However, I was somewhat less impressed by the lack of enthusiasm by some of the stand holders to tell you much about their products. But one […]
It can be easy to get defensive when we receive feedback, particularly when we feel it is not justified or we totally disagree with it. What we need to ask is what led to this customer’s perception. This sometimes involves asking questions in a tactful way. The key thing is to show some empathy with […]
Love them or hate them, online reviews do get read and will influence prospective customers. Sadly statistically people are more likely to be prompted to post a review if they’ve a bad experience than when they’ve had a good one. So aim to redress this balance, by encouraging as many of your guests as possible to […]
Make it easy for your customers to give you the feedback you need. Ask direct open questions Making statements such as “I hope you enjoyed your meal” or “was everything all right for you?” is not likely to get the customer to open up. We need to ask specific questions that will give something more […]
Simply relying on questionnaires or a visitor’s book when your guests leave is not only impersonal, but is leaving it a bit too late to get feedback if things weren’t perfect. You need to talk to your guests throughout their stay. Face-to-face feedback will always be the most effective and ideally we need to get […]
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