Hotel Management: Getting Up Close and Personal

Recent research by GI Insight has revealed that hotels need to do more to engage with their customers on a personal level. The 2013 GI Insight Customer Intimacy Index, looking at 1,000 UK consumers, ranked the hotel industry seventh, with so many consumers aged over 45 marking sites poorly in customer satisfaction. With ‘100’ being marked as an average, and hotels only achieving a score of 105, this data suggests that hotels need to be doing more for customer happiness, recommendation and retention.

It is quite surprising that this data has emerged. If anything, hotels have a series of methods to collate customer data such as feedback forms and vast client databases, but it seems that many sites are choosing to ignore the information that they have at hand in improving their hotel management.

Grand designs

grand hotel design
photo credit: Simon_sees via photopin cc

There is no denying that the location of a hotel is vital. For example, who wants to be an hours walk away from the major attractions? However, keeping customers happy goes beyond just those three immortal words: location, location location. This aspect needs to be combined with price, marketing, but most importantly, the venue itself. The design and decor of a hotel is probably the most important factor of all because a vast supply of hotels, especially in capital cities, have solved location issues, online channels have created competitive rates, and in a social networking age, promotion and marketing is child’s play.

However, the issue of design is a more difficult puzzle to solve. The physical furniture, bar, restaurant, and any other amenities, may be available in any hotel, so hotel managers need to pay particular attention to style, design, colour, and concept – or generally the ‘feel’ of a place. This is much more difficult to emulate, and explains why there are so many bespoke hotels available on the market, such as cottages and seafront houses, as opposed to purpose-built properties offering little character.

Demanding consumers are looking for variety and difference and so you should adopt vivid and striking wallpaper designs and aim for bold exterior colours to bring the customers in. In rooms, you should add small items, such as trinkets, paintings, plants and statues, so that customers can feel like they are sat at home. The balance between the ‘striking’ and the ‘ordinary’ must be managed carefully. Have unique concepts for your hotel, but don’t scare people away by having a clown-themed nightmare room, for example.

Customer satisfaction

customer service
photo credit: Dorsett International

Many will tell you that hospitality, customer service and good gab is what keeps customers happy, and while this may be true to a certain extent, it is the personal touches you add to a hotel that will guarantee better reviews, customer satisfaction and return visits. There is a reason why hotel design firms are thriving.

Of course, there will already be so many hotels available on the market that have intricate and unique features, adding tone and character. PropertySales is a perfect place to look for a perfect site that will guarantee happy customers and healthy profits.