19 minute read
MARKETING
BUILDING A BRAND
In a time where the hotel industry is driven by digital, Reena Pabari, Director of Marketing at Shiva Hotels shares five simple marketing tips for the success of an overnight venue.
1SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media has created a new generation of traveller – one that is booking their trip based on reviews from their network. Facebook, for example, is a great channel to use for personal recommendations due to the more interactive nature of the platform. Today when you meet someone for the first time, they are more likely to give you their Instagram details than their phone number or email. Instagram is the new CV, the new shop window if you will. I believe for our hotels that Instagram, because it is such a visual medium, translates really well. The different social media channels depends on the brand, the message, and the audience. Each platform creates a different form of engagement.
3DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
At QT Presents The Green Room, we chose to start our journey as an entertainment venue of choice in Covent Garden, to bring on board a resident artist. Leo Green is a renowned saxophonist with an amazing band who entertains guests with shows every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We believe that continuity gives the venue a point of difference. By positioning QT Presents The Green Room as a speakeasy with a party, we immediately give guests a clear picture of what they can expect and gives us continual relevant and interesting content to push out to online audiences.
2CREATING A BRAND IMAGE
Middle Eight and The Guardsman are two new independent hotels. Everything we have done to date has been about understanding what our guests are looking for, what our two brands stand for and offer, and how they are translated. Often, consumers take to social channels as a first principle to discover more about a brand. We continue to spend huge amounts of time defining the unique selling points of our hotels and how this plays out for customers. As well as communicating relevant topical moments in time across social media, we need to ensure we talk about the core defining pillars of the businesses in a consistent manner. To build a brand on social media, make sure content is in line with genuine guest experiences.
4KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH PAST GUESTS
Guests opt in to be part of future communications. Based on their likes and dislikes we can send tailor-made information that we know will be of interest to them. The next few years will see travellers requiring an increasingly personalised service, with companies able to suggest to them customised products based on their profiles and past behaviour. There is no guest persona, only the treating of the guest as a person.
5PROMOTIONS OR COMPETITIONS
Promotions and social media giveaways can be deployed tactically to support brand values, to strengthen the position of a business, and to provide surprise moments to potential customers. It’s important to adopt a balanced approach to promotions to not be reliant on them as a means to drive sales; however a successful brand or partner collaboration can work wonders in reaching an extended audience.
Images courtesy of Middle Eight Hotel
EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT...BUSINESS
In a time where overnight venues are high in demand and therefore competing for attention, effective promotion is of optimum importance. We look into how overnight venues can be marketed successfully to ensure they gain repeat business.
Upon the departure of a hotel stay, guests are highly unlikely to return if they are not made to feel welcome. Underappreciation or lack of comfort at a venue is undoubtedly a major factor in lack of repeat business. For this reason, initiating and maintaining strong relationships with your hotel guests is a vital part of growing a successful business within the hospitality industry.
Repeat guests are like an investment for hotels that give you a good return. The more the investment (loyal guests), the more you will see in return (profits and ROI).
Whether you run a large hotel with 300 rooms or a smallscale bed and breakfast, you must ensure there is enough focus on keeping existing clients, as well as reaching new ones. Retaining guests is achieved by applying successful marketing techniques and strategies in order to keep consumers returning to your hotel, time and time again.
General Manager at Manchester’s Hotel Brooklyn, Paul Bayliss, believes that staying in contact with past guests plays a huge role in gaining repeat business.
Paul’s top three suggestions for increasing client retention rates at a hotel or guesthouse are as follows: “Let the guest know that you know they visit you often.
“Make them feel valued by offering a prompt and impressive service.
“Finally, find out who they are and get them on your client list so you can let them know about upcoming events or offers at the venue.”
As an overnight venue, it is comforting to know that you are firmly placed at the forefront of guest’s minds when they are looking for a location to stay. So, how can you ensure you remain as a first choice for previous guests?
Paul sees that it is all in a hotel’s reputation and this is something which can be built over time through positive online reviews and good old-fashioned word of mouth.
Placed in a competitive industry, like any, there are periods which are much busier than others. For example, the weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day are bound to see an influx of customers. Much alike, Christmas will no doubt see a spike in hotel custom but it’s all about knowing how to capitalise on these seasonal celebrations/holidays in order to reap the benefits via client retention rates.
During these busy weeks, Paul believes that it is all about getting there first, beating the competitors to be at the front of the queue with a strong story and pitching it at the right time.
“Make your offerings stand out from the crowd by planning the marketing activity in advance. This will ensure you’re ready for guests to attend and have their expectations exceeded, encouraging them to re-visit in the future.”
Head of marketing at Hawkstone Hall & Gardens, Carly Roberts, trusts that past guests can become your loyal, returning customers: “Repeat custom marks the success of any business and should be strived for.”
Reliable marketing techniques are pivotal within the success of a hotel. Once you have found what works well for you, it’s important to stick to it. Monthly or weekly newsletters are a staple amongst many businesses within the hospitality sector, no matter their size, as there is sufficient evidence that they work effectively.
Carly explained that with data protection, guests no longer receive spam emails from Hawkstone Hall & Gardens and they only sign up and read the newsletters they want to.
“It’s important to use newsletters to keep guests informed of what’s new, tell stories of past and present events and share anything exciting rather than solely using it to sell. This way guests feel like they are being reached in a more personal way.” Added Carly.
However, a question which many hotel managers often
pose, is ‘how can marketing for repeat business be kept subtle without becoming bothersome or too much for a receiver?’ Many will agree that there is nothing worse than receiving hassling emails that you’re not remotely interested in.
Carly explains that it’s important to not only use marketing to hard-sell or gain repeat business, it’s about telling stories, interesting news and nuggets of information about your hotel and the people who go there: “We make sure we always share our passion about the fun and memorable things that happen in the hotel.”
Along with impeccable service, which they pride themselves on, Hawkstone Hall & Gardens offer unique marketing collateral that guests can take away with them. As an example, they have a seasonal Hawkstone Herald Newspaper that contains articles, happenings in the building and news on Hawkstone and the surrounding areas which guests are more than welcome to take away with them. The venue also create weekly email marketing campaigns that are sent to past and present ‘opt-in’ guests containing special promotions and news.
Interestingly however, remembering customers’ birthdays and reaching out with special offers is not something which the venue have had a massive uptake on, even though Hawkstone’s email marketing platform does this automatically so long as the guest opts-in to enter their birthday. So, does this mean birthday offers are a thing of the past? Perhaps social media giveaways are the
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It all comes down to creating a memorable experience, both inside and outside the building. Be sure to keep social media fresh daily and marketing collateral memorable and easy to digest. Guests always remember the people, so it’s vital to have a team that is primed to excel in selling an experience.
So, what is the ideal marketing strategy for an overnight venue to ensure guests are returning? Carly agrees that it’s all in the unforgettable experience, from enquiry right through to when they walk back through their own front door. Carly explained: “Sparking initial interest online, in social media and marketing to create excellent marketing collateral in-house and streamlined branding, to continuing the engaging content once the guests leave. Ensuring that staff know the product is also key, as it’s the people guests are more likely to remember.”
Of course, every overnight venue is different and sets out to appeal to a certain audience. It’s about finding what works for you, familiarising yourself with it and then capitalising on the technique, and this depends entirely on the nature of the specific hotel. For example, Hawkstone Hall host a lot of weddings on weekends, so they try to capitalise on the mid-week getaway market. Get to know your guests, work on building rapports and they won’t be able to stay away.
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MAXIMISING PROFITABILITY
Premier Software has spent over 27 years developing and perfecting software solutions specifically for the spa, wellness and leisure industries. Providing intuitive software to clients both in the UK and across the world, Premier has built a reputation for delivering business management software systems that help to improve the client journey and support business growth. Detailed here is how it can tie in to the day-to-day running of an overnight stay venue.
Premier’s flagship business management solution, Core by Premier Software®, has a depth of functionality that is unrivalled in the industry and can be adapted to meet the needs of a business as it grows.
Core’s dashboard offers a complete business overview at the touch of the button, helping to maximise profitability, manage day-to-day operations, and highlight areas of growth. Key features include memberships, marketing and reporting, through to retail, online booking and scheduling.
Premier believe partnering with the right organisations is essential, whether to ensure Core meets industry standards or as testament to its capabilities. As such, Core integrates with leading property management systems and third parties to help boost revenue and streamline the client journey.
Importantly, Core is also GDPR compliant and SEPA accredited, ensuring client data is safe. 42 www.thehotelmagazine.co.uk
How can the software be specific to a hotel setup?
Core’s functionality can be configured to meet your exact requirements. Premier listen to your needs and configure the software to suit your business operations.
Whether you are an independent spa or health club, or a large international hotel chain with spa and leisure facilities, Core offers a single and multi-site software solution. Providing you with a single database structure, Core can be used as a standalone or as a centrally-hosted server solution.
The system is forever evolving just like your business. Its depth of functionality ensures that as you grow, Core can meet your on-going needs.
A focused in-house development team provides firstclass software based on client feedback, utilising the latest tools to ensure technical requirements are met.
Core is accompanied by a comprehensive support
Matt Linkin, Revenue Manager at Alexander House Hotels.
package, including real-time advice from its in-house support team, software updates, and access to Premier’s browser-based app for quick, easy and effective appointment booking on-the-go.
Training is also essential for a return on investment. Therefore each session is personalised to your business’ exact requirements. An extension to your team, Premier’s trainers focus on areas of the software you will find most beneficial. This training can be delivered at your spa/ leisure club, Premier’s offices or remotely.
Benefits of the platform for a business owner/ hotel manager:
clients - Run reports in real time to keep a finger on the pulse of your business - Analyse client spend, generate orders, transfer products and manage product levels - Book appointments, classes and packages accurately and effortlessly time after time - Remain open for bookings, membership sign-ups and gift vouchers sales 24/7 with Online by Premier Software – Premier’s web-suite, available for free as part of a Core support contract - Integrate with leading PMS, payment interfaces and access control systems for a seamless client journey - Utilise Premier’s partnerships to improve brand visibility, increase revenue and improve operational efficiencies www.thehotelmagazine.co.uk 43
A FRESHA APPROACH
The world’s number one appointment scheduling software is free for hospitality businesses.
With many hotels now also providing beauty, spa and gym facilities for their guests, visitors, local residents and the local business community, managing appointments and team members, and accessing reports to see how these facilities are performing commercially is important. Equally, guest communications and marketing promotions, news and events are too. While many hotels include these facilities for staying and paying guests, many open these facilities up to the general public, through gym and spa memberships, and provide access to their hair and beauty services by appointment. Often these facilities can be managed and owned by independent service providers or franchisees.
Fresha – the world’s No.1 top-rated booking software
As the world’s No.1 subscription-free appointment scheduling software, Fresha is ideally suited to hospitality businesses where an appointment scheduling and marketing resource is essential. With over 60,000 hair, beauty, spa and wellness partners and 200,000 professionals using Fresha to manage their calendar and team, promote their business and protect incomes from no-shows and late cancellations – including gyms and fi tness businesses – Fresha is the go-to platform.
With appointment scheduling and calendar management, an in-built marketing suite with auto-campaigns and Blast marketing campaign features, in-depth reports, and a new e-commerce feature that enables partners to create an online store and sell products directly to customers, Fresha is transforming the software landscape. And the best bit – Fresha is 100% subscription-free and most of its features are free-to-use.
Fresha Store is here – create your own online store William Zeqiri, Fresha CEO and founder: “Partners can have unlimited team members, locations, product inventory, bookings and client notifi cations, and now they can create an online store too. There’s huge potential for salons, spas and wellness businesses to sell products online and we’ve made this a reality from within the Fresha platform.” Fresha offers premium SMS text and Blast marketing features at very competitive fees, and Fresha Payment processing for seamless payments online or via a contactless terminal, but everything else within Fresha is free-touse. “We charge a competitive transaction fee of 1.29% +20p, so Fresha receives fees only when our partners generate an income from appointment bookings and online sales,” says William. Generate new customers – meet Fresha marketplace
Key to boosting success for its partners is Fresha marketplace*. This consumer-facing part of Fresha is a powerful search engine that consumers use to fi nd their nearest beauty or wellness business. “Fresha has processed over 250 million appointments worldwide and Fresha marketplace helps generate new clients for our partners. People commuting or visiting an area and looking for wellness services can book via the Fresha website and App and consult reviews to give them complete confi dence.”
To benefi t from the industry’s most comprehensive, subscription-free appointment scheduling platform, visit https://www.fresha.com/for-business * Fresha marketplace: a 20% one-time commission is charged for new clients only on their fi rst appointment. Normal transaction rates apply of 1.29% + 20p
Restore the Rhythm
Your business may be back up and running, but understandably, it may not be quite back to normal just yet. Playing music is one way in which you could help get your business back to its best. Even small changes could make a big difference, and music could help enhance the atmosphere, lift the mood and create a more positive environment. If you are going to introduce music, or if you are already using music in your business, you’ll usually need a music licence. TheMusicLicence covers virtually all commercially released music available – millions of songs & recordings, including the most popular & well-loved music, not just from the UK, but globally. So while you are making all of the arrangements to get your business back to its best, now is the perfect time to turn the music back on and ensure you that you are appropriately licensed, and set up TheMusicLicence for your business.
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CELEBRATING SCENERY
Hotel group makes CHAS donation following sale of landscape calendar.
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) have received £500 from the sale of a 2022 calendar celebrating the scenery around the Crieff Hydro of Hotels.
The family of hotels which are located in Peebles, Crieff, Dundee and the West coast of Scotland, invited guests to submit snaps of the local landscapes surrounding the hotels that they had taken during their stay, with the best compiled in the calendar.
Nic Oldham, Head of Customer and Commercial at Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “We are pleased to donate the proceeds of our 2022 calendar to CHAS.
“We hope the money will help them continue the vital work they do with families across the country.
“We would also like to thank all guests who took the time to submit photos and gave us so many beautiful images to choose from.”
Imagery featured in the calendar includes the River Etive located near Kingshouse Hotel, Ballachulish Hotel, and Isles of Glencoe; and Lady Mary’s Walk which is close to Crieff Hydro Hotel and Murraypark Hotel.
Crieff Family of Hotels is lucky enough to have eight of their properties in aesthetically pleasing locations throughout Scotland which showcase the panoramic views of the Highlands, Perthshire, and the Borders.
Angharad Low, Corporate Partnerships Manager at CHAS said: “We would like to thank Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels for their donation.
“Every penny raised will support families caring for a child with a life -shortening condition right across Scotland, keeping joy alive even in the hardest times.”
Now in our 30th year, Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) has been providing help and support to families across Scotland. It is the only charity in Scotland that provides hospice services for babies, children, and young people with life-shortening conditions.
For more information please log onto: www.crieffhydrofamily.com/
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