Every hotelier knows that Hotel Software helps to automate various tasks, such as online bookings, room inventory management, payments, and many other daily operations. However, few know that it can help increase hotel bookings and generate more revenue.
NB: This is an article from mycloud hospitality
If you’re looking to double your hotel bookings before Cricket World Cup 2019, Hotel Property Management Software can come in pretty handy. Applying the following tips will help you improve customer experience and quickly spread the word about your business, driving lots of charismatic Cricket World Cup fans to your door.
Personalize the Guest Experience
According to a Google study conducted with Phocuswright, 57% of U.S. travelers actually want brands to use their data regarding personal preferences and previous behavior to personalize their experiences.
Hotel Software can help you do that and ensure your every guest has a wonderful stay, compelling them to book with you again and even bring you referrals.
You can personalize the guest experience with Hotel Software by:
- Integrating it with a CRM system that will store all your customer interactions and information about their needs and preferences in one centralized location.
- Integrating it with your email, so that you can send personalized offers before, during, and after the stay
- Integrating it with a web booking engine for cutting on commission and enabling your guests to seamlessly book accommodation with you.
- Adding extra sale items to bookings, such as spa massages, gym coupons, late check-out, etc.
- Offering discounted rooms to family bookings.
One of the most important steps for attracting new customers and personalizing their experience is optimizing your website for search engines. SEO is vital for increasing your online visibility and ranking better in organic search.
With a higher SEO ranking, people will find you easier, so you’ll attract more guests. Moreover, with proper SEO keywords implemented into your website and aimed at personalizing customer experience, you’ll help your target customers find exactly what they need, enhancing their experience right from the start.
Create Upsell and Cross-Sell Opportunities
According to a survey by Fusion and Ipsos Public Affairs, 61% of consumers would be open to spending more if an ancillary product or service enhances their main purchase.
This means that creating upselling and cross-selling opportunities can help you engage more customers and entice them to spend more at your hotel.
This is also something that integrating your Hotel Property Management Software with your CRM system can help you achieve. It can help you tailor your offers to your customers’ preferences and provide them with a more pleasant stay at your hotel.
For instance, you can offer a room upgrade before their arrival, or any other extra item that will genuinely interest every single guest. You should send pre-arrival letters or emails to upsell your services and offer room upgrades before your guests check in.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is offer customized menus. You can offer vegetarian menus, as well as allergy-friendly meal plans.
All of this will help you create excellent opportunities for improving your profitability because you will ultimately provide enhanced services and better experiences to all your guests. As a result, not only will they gladly come back again to stay at your hotel, but they’ll also recommend you to their family and friends, truly doubling your hotel bookings.
Use the Pooled Inventory Model
Your Hotel Software can also help you prevent double bookings, which could lead to frustrated customers and lost revenue. To do this, you should partner with various OTAs and use your Hotel Software as a channel manager.
That way, any guest booking with you through any OTA you’re working with will see all your available rooms, which will be updated in real time. This is what’s called the pooled inventory model.
It will save you a lot of time, and eliminate the risk of anyone booking an already booked room, enabling your customers to seamlessly book accommodation and prepare for their stay.
Enhance Your International Bookings
If you want to attract tourists coming to the UK for the Cricket World Cup this year, you need to enable them to seamlessly book rooms at your hotel.
The most important step is to partner with international OTAs, but it’s also vital for your Hotel Property Management Software to support multiple languages and currencies.
Make Guest Communication Seamless
This may be the most crucial step you need to take. You could provide compelling offers and wonderful amenities but, if there’s no transparency and open communication when guests arrive, they may not be satisfied with your service.
According to IBC Hospitality research, 80% of hotel guests expect to be contacted regarding their booking, and 75% want to communicate with representatives on location.
This means you should send booking confirmations, and personalized emails during and after their stay, as you’ll build strong customer relationships and create excellent guest experiences.
You can do this with your Hotel Software, which will also keep the lines of communication open at all times, enabling your guests to contact you anytime and anywhere.
Are you already following some, or all, of these tips? If not, now’s the time to do so. The sooner you start, the sooner people will start flocking to your hotel, and you’ll witness a surge in bookings and revenue.
