15 Ways to Attract & Motivate More Guests to Stay at your Hotel

Understanding what motivates people to take action is the underlying force that allows the best hotel management companies to increase demand for their guest rooms. Selling your hotel to the traveling public is a very complex process. Attention must be paid to every detail. If you can provide more of what a guest wants at a better price than the competition, word will get around and your occupancy rate will soar.
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Presenting your lodging facility in the best possible light is the job of everyone who works at the hotel. Financial costs must be borne by the owner of the property. Management and the maintenance staff are responsible for the physical appearance of both the inside and outside of the hotel. Interior decorators play a role in furnishing the guest rooms and making them warm and appealing. Having great people who check in guests, clean the rooms and take care of the landscaping duties are all very important. Overseeing it all is the General Manager.

You can undertake big projects or concentrate on small details to make your property more welcoming. The possibilities are almost unlimited. Following is a list of 15 simple and not so simple ways to get travelers to want to stay at your hotel.

1. Renovate the Building

A hotel that has been neglected over the years and is showing its age is not very appealing to guests. A substantial investment may be required to do a complete renovation. If you have the finances to spruce up the property, you can dramatically improve the appearance and add new amenities that guests desire most.

2. Evaluating Management

Managers get paid more because they have more responsibility than the employees they supervise. Having a manager that does not have the skills, enthusiasm and drive to produce positive results is a manager that should be replaced.

3. Evaluating Other Employees

Professional attitudes and pleasing personalities are two of the most important qualities that a manager should seek when hiring new employees. Employees should possess the skills or be able to learn all aspects of their job. While they are doing their job, they should also maintain a friendly disposition and always be willing to stop what they are doing to assist a guest in need. Both new employees and those that have been part of the staff for years need to be evaluated periodically. Those that are underperforming should be warned first, and then, if they do not raise their game, be replaced.

4. Empowering Employees to Make Decisions

Is there anything worse than having to tell a guest that you can not help them and that you will have to call the General Manager to resolve their problem? Any issues that may arise during a guest’s stay should be able to be handled by the front desk and the hotel staff. Part of that process is having a well-trained staff. Empowering employees to make immediate decisions and then take action will quickly resolve most problems to the satisfaction of your guests.
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5. Make Sure the Front Desk Responds Immediately to Guest Issues

Empowering employees to make decisions goes right along with providing excellent customer service. When a hotel guest calls up and says that the water is not draining out of their shower fast enough, a really good hotel staff will summon a maintenance man to that room in minutes. There is no excuse for saying someone will be by in the morning to take a look. Fast responses to problems are an indication to guests that customer care is more than just lip service.

6. Creating an Enthusiastic Team Spirit

Enthusiasm is one of the best qualities any worker can have. You can overcome a lack of skills through training much more easily than trying to instill an enthusiastic spirit in workers who are working long hours for low wages. Enthusiasm is catching. Having a bubbly personality to greet guests when they check in or always walking around with a smile on your face does matter. Enthusiastic employees work harder, talk positively about their jobs and promote the virtues of their hotel.

7. Encourage Guests to Share their Experiences During their Stay

Learn more about your guests by using your website, handing out customer satisfaction surveys or just having a conversation with them before they check out. Encourage guests to post videos or pictures of their trip and time they spent at your hotel. Ask them how they found your hotel and if they would recommend it to a friend. Making guests feel important is a surefire way to keep them interested in your property. People who feel appreciated and valued are much more likely to come back in the future.

8. Always be Polite and Treat Guests with Respect

It might take all of your inner strength to restrain yourself when an angry guest starts swearing at you because they had to pay $10 extra for wireless Internet service, but always be polite and act professionally. As long as you treat people with respect, they will usually not make a scene. Your mother would be proud to know that you are behaving in a civilized way and minding the good manners she taught you.

9. Do Daily Inspections of the Guest Rooms

A dirty and stained mattress or paint peeling off the walls is a definite turnoff to any guest staying at your hotel. Inspect rooms daily and make sure everything is clean and in good order.

10. Make Every Guest Room Comfortable and Inviting

When an individual is traveling on business, their room becomes very important. There should be a nice work area and, of course, a big, flat-screen TV to keep them entertained. Wireless Internet connectivity is almost a must. A coffee pot and other amenities like an upgraded shower head or a mini-fridge and microwave will be appreciated by all guests.

11. Eliminate Unpleasant Odors and Freshen the Air

Old hotels may have a musty smell in the rooms and in the hallways. Keeping carpets clean and adding a little carpet freshening powder will keep guests from being offended by lingering smells. Air fresheners are available in many pleasing scents and should be strategically placed throughout the interior space of the property.

12. Brand your property Through Multiple Channels on the Internet

Internet marketing is a great asset for branding and promoting your hotel. Establish a presence with your website. Add a blog. Participate in social media sites. Use a targeted email campaign to reach out to prior guests and invite them to come back and visit again. You can offer special rates, discounted tickets to area attractions or anything else to encourage people to stay at your hotel.

13. Integrate Both Internet and Traditional Marketing Strategies

While Internet marketing is fantastic, do not forget about traditional marketing and advertising methods. Every hotel should have a prominent sign that attracts attention. Depending on your budget, you can advertise on television and radio, place an ad in a magazine or newspaper and even hold special events that will bring in the crowd.

14. Promote your Hotel’s Green Programs and Policies

Travelers are more concerned than ever with protecting the environment. Companies that practice and promote themselves as being green have an advantage over their competition that has not kept up with the population’s changing views.

While the best way to be environmentally friendly is to start with the design and construction of a new property, existing hotels can also do a lot to become greener. Replacing inefficient air conditioners and other energy-hogging appliances with new, high-efficiency products can require a large outlay of cash. However, the monthly savings in electrical costs and the goodwill that you build in the community and with guests will pay you back handsomely in the long run.

Less expensive but equally important ways of going green might include a recycling program for both employees and staff, saving paper by storing and viewing data in digital form, and encouraging guests who are staying for more than one night to have their sheets changed and washed less frequently than everyday.

Post any certifications or awards that your hotel has received for achieving green status. These can include national, state and local recognition of your hotel’s environmentally sound policies and practices.

15. Make Everybody Happy!

Everything that you can do to make your guests and employees happy will make your hotel a more desirable place to stay or work. Happy guests will want to write positive reviews and tell their friends about their experience. Happy employees will work harder to improve the hotel and also promote their hotel among their family, friends and acquaintances.

If you do not feel that you are up to the task on your own, you can hire a hotel management consultant to assist you. While getting your hotel to be the best requires a huge commitment, the results will be well worth the effort.

Do you want to get more clients?  Isn’t it time to do something different?  Isn’t it time to start making a change?

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