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In this blog post, we explore the different avenues you can take to ensure you’re utilizing the tools available to maximize your hotel revenue and improve your guest experience.
How can you manage your hotel more effectively?
Here are our top tips for streamlining communications to help you provide a more efficient service:
1. Use a custom-built booking engine
Implementing a custom-built booking engine is one of our top tips for streamlining communications in your hotel. Manually updating your offers and availability across different sites can be a strain on your time, and leaves you unprotected against human error, which can result in inconsistencies across the board. This can leave you open to overbooking and disgruntled customer. Having a booking engine will mean this is an automated process, happening in real-time, and therefore prevent the risk of inconsistencies and errors.
A custom-built booking engine will also help you to streamline your communications with your customers, as it will reduce the need for them to call up and complain, cancel or amend their bookings. Consequently, conversations you do have will be much more positive. It will also act as a method of communication on your behalf, and its ease of use will leave your guest feeling satisfied and likely to follow through with their booking and come back again in the future.
2. How can guest data help streamline communications?
Collecting guest data is vital in streamlining your hotel’s communications, as you can use it to personalise their experience. A personalised service is important to your customer as it will show that you’ve understood and valued their preferences and booking habits. A great way to streamline your communications is to send automated emails with direct links to upcoming events based on previous events they’ve visited. If they’ve made a booking, send them reminders, updates and suggestions, or ask them if they’ve got any last-minute requests. Tap into the excitement they’ll be feeling about their visit and send personalised offers and ideas to help them make it even more special. When they’ve checked out, make sure they receive emails about their stay, send suggestions about what’s coming up, and reiterate that you’d love to have them back.
3. Improve your guests’ stays with in-room technology
In-room technology can help you keep an open line of communication throughout your guests’ stays, offering them the ability to request additional services and information remotely. This is a great opportunity for you to streamline your communications and offer an advanced level of service without compromising your time. In-room technology cuts out the middleman, ensuring your guests have a better experience, whilst your staff can utilise their time doing other important tasks. This will not only enhance your guests’ experiences but will also help to reduce costs and increase revenue.
4. Improve your internal communication systems
Another one of our top tips for streamlining communications is ensuring you have effective internal communication. This is a key element for having effective external communication. Ensuring that all your lines of communication with your staff are optimal means you’ll all be on the same page and able to provide a better service for your guests. You can communicate with your staff via phones, walkie-talkies, email, or messaging services - but it’s important that all staff have access to those channels of communication, so everyone is kept in the loop and knows what’s going on in the hotel. It’s also a good idea to send out monthly staff newsletters - these can detail successes, plans, events, and other important information. Being kept informed of the business side can help your staff feel valued, respected, and part of the bigger picture. This will help to boost morale and improve their work ethic. Good communication with your staff will also help your guests feel valued and, as a team, you can effectively action their requests remotely. With post-Covid recruitment struggles, having a good internal communication system can help support staff that are working, and help to reduce the waiting time of your guests.
5. Be proactive and responsive
Whilst using technology to communicate is essential for streamlining communications, it’s also important to have a physical presence and face-to-face interactions. Monitoring your hotel and your guests throughout their stay can help you to pre-empt what they might need. Put yourself in your guest’s shoes and think about what they might want next. For example, if you know the weather is set to take a colder turn, leave extra blankets in their room with a personal message via their in-room communication devices reminding them how to use the thermostat. These personal touches when you communicate with your guests will help to improve their stay and leave a positive lasting impression of their experience.
6. Following up lines of communication after your guests check out
Monitoring and replying to reviews is an important method of communication as it can help to encourage potential guests to book again. Try to respond to all reviews - positive or negative - in the same tone. It may come across as bitter and distasteful to respond to negative feedback in a stern manner. Where possible, explain or accept the comments on a negative review, and offer a reconciliation or rectification for the guest’s problem. If you feel the review is unfair or inaccurate, try to balance your response respectfully and tell them how you appreciate the feedback and you hope that their next experience with you is more to their satisfaction. Be friendly and helpful towards all the reviewers to maintain a healthy reputation, and actively thank those who have left helpful feedback.
If you’ve found these tips for streamlining communications helpful, why not read our previous blog on our predictions for hotels in the next 5 years?
- Published on September 01, 2021
