It is weird, it is off-beat, but let’s talk about geek culture and what you can do to tap into this niche world to bring in more business to your hotel, shall we?
How Can Hotels Attract More Annual Convention-goers and Gain their Loyalty?
Why does a hotel want convention-goer loyalty in the first place? Because 1) most convention-goers (a.k.a. con-goers) attend these events annually so you know they will come back, and 2) they develop attachments to hotels in a very unique way.
Conventions add vital fuel to the geek community. They enable like-minded people to travel across the country to obsess over the stories they love just a little bit more than the average bear. Before geek culture and the internet infiltrated mainstream society, conventions were one of the few sanctuaries where nerds could come together, meet, view episodes, buy merchandise, and converse about nerdy things in a safe space away from judgement.
The internet now makes it easier for like-minded people to connect and buy merchandise from the niche media they love, but conventions have not lessened in a world with internet. In fact, they have grown larger.
Hotels are important to a con-goeing nerd’s overall experience. They remember the ones they like and the ones they do no like. Cosplayers and photographers rely on hotel decor for photo shoot backdrops. They know which ones have mini fridges, multiple mirrors, and free breakfasts. Hotels become their home for a weekend.
For gargantuan conventions like San Diego Comic Con and Atlanta’s Dragoncon, hotels in the immediate area are rarely hurting for reservations. However, hotels further away from these massive conventions or hotels near small conventions can reap some benefit by appealing to those who attend and gain return visitors year after year.
As an example, there is a small, cute, classic resort hotel in Chicago’s west suburbs called Pheasant Run. It is known more for its New Orleans-themed room, golf course, and suburban vacationers, but local nerds know it holds small to mid-sized anime conventions and historical reenactors conventions during their off season. People who had went there for conventions fell in love with the look and feel of the hotel and booked it for their wedding venue years later. Food for thought.
What Do Geeks Want out of a Convention Hotel?
Here is what nerds want in convention hotels:
- Affordable rates – cons are expensive! They want to save where they can
- Free WiFi – to post pictures
- Free breakfast – money saved = more money to spend at the convention
- Mini fridge/microwave – to make as much food as possible and save money
- Lots of mirrors – so multiple cosplayers can apply makeup at onceTwo-room suites – so some people can sleep early, while others stay up
Conventions are rituals for nerds and they often return to the same convention year after year, so there is a real advantage to gaining their loyalty. If you can win the heart of a nerd, you can have their reservations for life.
How Can Hotels Attract More Con-goers and Gain their Loyalty?
Develop a Good Relationship with the Convention’s Organizers
Develop a good reputation with the convention’s organizers. If the hotel does not follow through with something they agreed upon, con-goers will hear about it and that changes the way they feel about the hotel. If they hear good things about how the hotel treated the convention, they will book again, if not, they will try somewhere else.
On top of that, building a good relationship with convention organizers increases the likelihood of getting recommended as a hotel to convention guests. Whether your hotel arranged a set of room blocks with this convention or is more of an overflow hotel, the organizers could recommend you to guests on their website and social media channels. Not only is this good for referrals but for general link building as well.
Provide Customized Hospitality for the Con-goer
Do something special for the convention goers to enhance their experience. You can create specialty cocktails with nerd names like “The Hulk” or the “Wonder Woman” or host a Star Wars themed ice cream fundraiser for a charitable cause, such as Give Kids the World, like the Chicago Marriott Suites O’Hare did on May the Fourth.
