“Hospitality Marketing Medley” – December 2010

(Editor’s Note: Here are several recent trends and hospitality marketing hints collected from various websites, releases, etc. Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider.)

--According to a recent study, 25% of all Americans who travel (within the US and overseas) do so alone. The travel industry has been slow in recognizing this fact and has continued to base most rates on double occupancy. Some forward thinking companies are now changing to a flat rate (e.g., the hotel room rate is the same for a single or double).

--Most hoteliers understand that loyal guests are important because it costs three to five times as much to attract new guests than to retain existing ones, and because previous guests strongly influence others by “word of mouth”. Companies that have more satisfied guests experience higher guest loyalty, and companies with higher guest loyalty, perform better financially.

--A recent study by Cornell University showed that there are four key performance indicators that particularly affected guests’ evaluations: reservation was accurate, check-in was completed within five minutes, no problems were experienced during the stay, and no billing errors occurred. Guests who experienced all four of these performance indicators were most likely to grant the hotel a top satisfaction rating.

--Another survey stated that the most important amenity for hotel guests today is wireless internet access. (Note: there’s even been a growing backlash against paying for guest-room Wi-Fi at upscale hotels. A number of full-service hotels are starting to offer their VIP guests free WI-Fi or their regular guests a menu of rates for their daily internet access - accessing your email at one price point, and letting you do things like watch movies at another cost.)

-- Hoteliers have lost revenue in recent years from in-room telephone charges and in-room movies. A Chicago Tribune article talked about ways that local hoteliers are trying to substitute for these previous revenue sources. They mentioned spa services, live music venues, adding Sunday brunches, etc. What creative ways have South Florida hoteliers used to supplement income? Are you up selling guests to higher priced options?

--There’s so much info out there about social media, that I don’t usually include anything in these summaries. One item caught my eye -- Hotels that have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts need to publicize this fact within the hotel. Have signs at the check-in desk. Put the symbols on every printed collateral piece in-house (and on marketing materials too; Don’t think I have to say: put the links on your website, but you never know.)

----A new trend in lodging is the small, specialized and unique “boutique” lodging concept. Now, even the big hotel companies are jumping on the band wagon to have a boutique brand concept as part of their property mix. And we’ll be seeing more of this in the future as more chains want to compete.