4 Popular Trends in the Hotel Industry to Watch Out For | SMB Compass
Ezra Cabrera | August 21, 2019
What does it take to run a successful hotel amid a competitive industry? Experienced hoteliers would say that maintaining guest experience is imperative. From the moment your guests visit your website to book a room until they check out, it’s important to remain consistent with providing a positive guest experience. Many hoteliers go as far as applying for hotel business loans to improve their business and provide their guests with nothing but the best.
But as technology is advancing and new hotels emerge, hoteliers are getting more and more creative on how they market their establishments. Many entrepreneurs have noticed the shift in the hotel industry and are scrambling to keep up. Therefore, it’s crucial to adapt to the following industry trends and make sure to note how it impacts customer satisfaction as you move forward.
1. Improve Social Media Response Time
When your guests want something, they want it now. If you don’t like to wait, what makes you think your customers do? You can bet that your potential guests will browse social media to look for a hotel, ask questions, or read reviews. Keep this in mind as you manage your social media platforms. It’s important to post updates, contact details, as well as other necessary information your customers can easily see.
Furthermore, be sure you respond to customer inquiries as soon as possible because nowadays, people rely on their mobile phones to access the latest news and information. But in order to reply promptly to every inquiry, you need to regularly check social media. Some people don’t have the time to do all that, so they use messaging apps and chat-bots.
Chatbots are an emerging trend in hotels and it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically respond to messages on your website or social media. Oftentimes, people won’t even notice that they’re chatting with an AI. With an advanced messaging system like chatbots, your guests will be pleased with your service and promptness.
While Facebook remains one of the most popular social media platforms today, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms are catching up as. It’s best to diversify your social media marketing strategies. The more platforms to promote your business and improve customer relationships, the better it is for your business.
2. Have a Mindset for International Market
More often than not, hotels, especially smaller ones, plan events at a local level. However, modern trends now show that you need to shift your focus and start thinking globally. More and more people travel internationally than ever before due to a number of reasons such as lower unemployment rates and a healthier economy. Regardless of the reason, this signals that there are new opportunities in the market for hoteliers.
If you’re looking to expand your business, you can’t turn a blind eye on the effects of globalization. You need to adapt or face the very real possibility of being left behind. To sustain a rapidly evolving international market, it’s essential you have a localized management team along with a centralized hub.
3. Adopt New Technology
Surveys show that millennial’s will make up 50% of international travelers by 2020. This means a huge portion of your customers is going to be from this demographic. What distinguishes them from other prospects is, they’re tech-savvy. To further improve the guest experience, the timing is right for you to adapt to new technology, which will enable you to offer a higher level of convenience for your guests via online services such as mobile check-ins, mobile keys, and much more.
It’s a well-known fact that smart in-room technology is raising the service bar. Your guests are able to control everything through their mobile devices, such as the AC temperature, music, lights, blinds, beds, and more. This new tech also makes it easier for guests to contact the hotel regarding service, bookings, requests, reviews, to name but a few.
Today, travelers use a variety of devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. But as a hotelier, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your website is user and mobile-friendly. This means your customers should be able to access your site across all platforms with ease. Guests need a seamless online experience to establish a positive guest experience.
4. Boost Guest Satisfaction with Humanization
Impersonal hotels will have a hard time keeping up with competition and staying in the game. Keep in mind that your potential guests don’t want to connect with a brand. To reach your audience, your hotel must have a personality that both your current and potential visitors can relate to. This is especially true for travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind travel experience.
Your staff and the services you offer should be able to relay your company to guests in a personal way. It’s important to stay consistent and convey your hotel brand on an ongoing basis. Consistency goes beyond service. You also should tailor your interior design and decors to match your brand and the message you convey.
Additionally, your personality should also be reflected in your online presence. It can be challenging to humanize an online presence, but telling funny moments, interacting with site visitors, and sharing hotel-branded stories can help.
Keep Up with Emerging Trends With a Hotel Business Loan
Globalization, new technology, and artificial intelligence all cost a lot of money. But with the help of hotel business loans, you’ll have the working capital needed to adapt to emerging trends in the industry and keep up with the competition.
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