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| COVID-19, Sales and Marketing |
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com)
The hospitality world will reopen, but it will do so in a
staggered manner. This means that once dates are given by governmental
authorities, properties will all be scrambling for revenue from customers who
now have a markedly different set of demands for their hotel experiences.
So, while many are expecting a surge in bookings upon the
announcement of reopening, the competition will still be there, and you will
nevertheless need ways to differentiate your hotel. One thought to help spur
more initial reservations is the creation of the welcome back package that is
bespoke to what your property does best. This is one that is specific to your
area and what experience you can offer while also abiding to what guests are
looking for in the new normal.
Top of mind will be heightened cleanliness, social
distancing, and facilitating more of a contactless environment. All of which
will require codifying new procedures, retraining staff, and deploying new
technologies to enable these changes with a lean team. Significantly, the
upgrades that you make in this regard can be used as marketing tools to keep
your loyalty base engaged during the lockdown and to reassure anxious
travelers.
Next to consider is that domestic markets will be the
predominant fuel for both transient and group revenues during the first part of
the recovery, so this is where your attention must be. As a ray of hope for
positioning to nearby drive markets, gas prices are so incredibly depressed at
the moment, which will further incentivize travelers to take longer trips to
‘rubber tire accessible’ accommodations in addition to the key motivator of
avoiding airports.
Last but certainly not least of the essential factors for
the post-pandemic consumer will be valued. While the number of guests who want
to travel after the restrictions is lifted is already enormous, having the
means to do so is a whole other thing, especially considering how many of us
have been laid off, furloughed or forced to take a pay cut. If this turns out
to be a true depression as many have prognosticated, travelers of all
demographics will be looking to get more with less.
With these motivations in mind, here are some features and
messaging tools to consider for any promotion you run this summer or fall to
draw that initial group of guests back to your hotel:
• New guestroom cleaning protocols where talking about the
details matters, including new chemicals used, PPE requirements, regular deep
cleans or conforming to any new certifications
• New food handling and catering sanitization procedures in
the kitchen as well as how you may be encouraging social distancing by
providing only private in-room dining for all meals
• New contactless technology solutions like mobile
check-in, guest messaging platforms, digital payment gateways, online ordering
or concierge systems or offsite hotel call centers to field requests and
reservations without clustering more people into the front office
• Discounts, deals and value-filled bundles will all
resonate, with complimentary inclusions being breakfasts in bed, snacks, drinks
evening meals, parking or other onsite services
• Hyping up the seclusion factor by talking about your property
as small, boutique, romantic, off the beaten path, having remote cabins
available and having spaced out bookings by not assigning guests to rooms next
to each other or allowing for a few days to pass before reassigning a room
An example of a welcome back staycation package might
therefore be a bed and breakfast package that is offered at the same price as
BAR (and advertised as such) while also including one free snack per day from a
limited selection delivered to the room, all while touting the improved
cleanliness and sanitization practices were undertaken by both housekeeping and food service.
Altogether, these points encompass a wide range of
activities for your operations and marketing teams to complete, so it really
depends on what the demands are for your local market. Once you have resolved
what your initial relaunch positioning will be and what initiatives you will
take to support this debut, it will then come down to how you market your
package in a simple, enticing way.
This is the other half of the battle so that you can stand
out from the pack. I caution, though, that to do so you must have most of the
operational changes already implemented, thereby requiring you to get to work
now in order to be fully ready for when guests want to start booking again.
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| Larry Mogelonsky |
About Larry Mogelsonsky
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky is the principal of HotelMogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule” (2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel” (2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business challenges or to book speaking engagements.
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky is the principal of HotelMogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule” (2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel” (2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business challenges or to book speaking engagements.
Media Contact:
Larry Mogelonsky
Email: larry@hotelmogel.com
Website: http://hotelmogel.com/
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