How To Draw In More Customers To Your Hotel

As with any other business, drawing in the customers is the name of the game. When you have a hotel to look after, it can be a challenge filling the rooms to the right level. Overbooking can be a nightmare – although sometimes a necessary one. But what’s worse is having no-one in the hotel at all. All hotel managers have had the experience of walking through an empty hotel for a day or even two. There is nothing worse – so how do you avoid it happening? The truth is, you need to take an active stance on drawing people into your hotel. What competition is in the area might make a difference, of course. But, at the end of the day, competition or not, you need to work hard to draw in the right numbers of people. So how do you achieve that, exactly? Read on to find out some top tips.

Offer Great Rates

It might sound basic, but customers are drawn in by competitive rates. What they are ultimately looking for is a fantastic experience, and they might pay a little more for that. However, for that introductory offer, you need to advertise attractive rates. You need to get people interested in the first place, after all. You won’t achieve that unless you have decent basic room rates. Obviously, you want to make a profit – but you also need a certain number of customers in to achieve that. If you are struggling to fill the rooms, consider dropping the price – even if only for a while.

Make It Easy

As well as keeping the cost down, you also need to make the reservation experience easy. Remember: this is your customers’ first port of call regarding your business. It is their initial experience, and as such you need to ensure that it is exemplary. That means offering a streamlined reservation and booking service which doesn’t cause any fuss. Whether they are booking over the phone, online or even in person doesn’t matter. What matters is that it is straightforward and simple.

Provide Other Functions

One great technique is to branch out a little. If, like most hotels, you have a couple of spare rooms most of the time, then you could get creative. Why not offer a room as a function room for customers to hire out? This can be especially useful if you are struggling to get the rooms filled. Just ensure that any functions or events that customers want to book follow the same rules as above. In other words, you want the events management software to be reliable so the customer isn’t disappointed.

Service With A Smile

The people who are currently guests in your hotel will likely talk about their experience after they leave. That’s why it is so important that you offer them great customer service every time. If need be, consider re-training your staff on the front desk. This is the priority for any hotel business which wants to enjoy long term success. Offer fantastic customer service, and you are likely to draw in many more people.