For many hoteliers, competing with large chain hotels can seem overwhelming and intimidating. They can often fall into the mindset that due to their limited resources they are not able to compete with ‘the big guys’. However hoteliers need to understand that large hotels are still competitors, and they must address this with the resources they have available. Fortunately, there are many advantages independent hotel owners have over chain hotels, and if utilised correctly, can produce excellent results. To succeed today, hotels should strive to have the best service rating in their price category and location.
There are many advantages that independent hotels have over chain hotels, they should use these to their advantage, including
- Individuality – small hotels are often unique and original, which is a charming feature that attracts many guests
- Focus on individual property – managers are able to focus their attention and resources on an individual hotel, rather than spreading resources across a number of hotels
- More focus on guests needs and experience – hotel staff are able to create more personalised experiences for their guests
- Original concepts drive higher guest review – unique features of small hotels increase the likelihood of positive guest reviews
- No licensing or franchise fees- this allows hotels to use their funds elsewhere
Create Experiences and Build Loyalty
One of the main advantages of being a small hotel is having greater control over the individual guest experience. Whilst you may not have the huge marketing budgets and resources of larger hotels, you do have the ability to mould and create a personalised experience for your guests. By creating added value for your guests, anticipating their needs and providing solutions, you are providing outstanding hotel service, as opposed to the standardised procedures they may experience at a large chain hotel.
Upselling is also important during this stage, to really ensure the guests are getting the most out of their stay and you are maximising each customer. A hotel that delivers great experiences can compete in its price category/ location regardless of how big its competitors budgets are. By creating more personalised and memorable experiences, this builds up customer loyalty. You should also employ a CRM to ensure that every step of the guests process is a smooth as possible, this includes everything from pre-arrivals, on property and post stay.
Online Presence
Your online presence is everything in this age of modern consumerism, and for hoteliers online reviews are critical. Many people rely on online reviews to guide their purchase decisions. According to a recent New York University study, 93% of travellers check online reviews before booking a hotel, and 53% will simply presume the worst and ignore you entirely if they cannot find a current review of your hotel. Encourage and incentivise guests to leave reviews and don’t forget to respond to the reviews within 1-2 days. Through the use of Online Travel Agencies (OTA), you are able to access niche markets, a valuable resource to attract new travellers to your hotel. You should also take advantage of metasearch engine, this is a search engine that gathers data from other websites and displays them together, e.g. Trip Advisor.
Website
Your website is another very important marketing tool, that should be properly managed and optimised for user experience. The website should persuade potential customers that your hotel is a relaxing, stress free environment and it should contain relevant, accurate and engaging content highlighting your hotels features. The design of the website should be simple and easy to use with the ability to directly book and purchase your hotel room.
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