You may recall our post at the end of February that provided Must Haves for Excellent Hospitality Service. We discussed hospitality essentials that guarantee making friends out of guests and greatly improving the chances of return visits.
In this post, we will discuss the Suite Life: ideas and tips that go beyond the essentials and make your hospitality venue stand out from the competition. The first step is to start at the beginning when the guests first arrive.
Remember, with the heightened popularity of social media and hotel review websites, people are talking, leaving reviews, and influencing potential guests. People talk, so give them something to talk about: your incredible service.
This Wall Street Journal article provides excellent ideas about what some hotel agencies are doing to wow their guests. The ideas go beyond fancy shampoos & conditioners and chocolates on the freshly made bed.
For example, some hotels train front-desk employees to glean information during check-in chitchat that they can later use to impress guests (sending complimentary cups of tea to people who say they have a cold, perhaps).
After a day or night of traveling (or possibly longer), guests are tired, stressed, and ready for relaxation. What can you do to give them that?
- Offer free five-minute neck and shoulder messages.
- Infuse a little humor into the conversation.
What are some other ideas? Think about what makes your town or city unique and how your venue can build off that.
Try employing these tips and techniques:
- Partner up with local restaurants services to provide unique and creative foods and desserts that are not offered elsewhere.
- Offer free items: t-shirts, stationery, pens, etc. Browse promotional product websites and see how far creativity can get you.
- Provide bike rentals: $5/hour with a bike chain and lock.
Keep this in mind: Your hospitality venue stands out when you convince your guests that they stand out.
Do you have a tip that has generated positive results in the past? Please share it with us in a comment below.