01

Attract the right guests

Know your market. Knowing the kind of guests you want to cater to is the first step to attracting them. This allows you to focus your marketing efforts in the most effective way possible. Begin by clearly defining your services and then defining the guests that will want to experience what you offer. Understanding the needs of your guests is essential and you can often discover exactly how you can meet their needs through research and feedback.

02

Create the right expectations

Be honest about which facilities and services you offer. Don't over embellish your marketing materials with expectations that can't be met. Focus on your best qualities instead of over-promising. If your location is ideal for certain activities or if you have special amenities, highlight those features. Send out an email with a pre-arrival guide including a recap of room features, the hotel’s amenities, and some fun activities in town. Prepare for their arrival by reiterating what you do have.

03

Provide a pleasant experience

When people have a genuinely good experience, they will talk about it. They will recommend these to friends and post about it on social media. Ultimately, the best way to be talked about as the best hotel is to BE the best hotel. Keep your facilities up to date, live up to standards and expectations and make sure your staff is polite, properly trained in hospitality and that you deal with complaints professionally to ensure world class service every time. The more happy customers you have, the more positive reviews you’ll get.

04

Actively seek online reviews

When your guests compliment your service or states a good comment about their stay, politely request them to leave a review. A gentle reminder won’t come off as pushy if it’s said properly. Encourage guests to write a review of their stay as this makes a big impact on the number of good reviews for your establishment, however, be careful about giving incentives for reviews as this may seem like you’re buying good feedback.

05

Ask for offline feedback from guests too

Ask guests what they liked and didn’t like about their hotel experience. This will allow you to get a sense of what needs improvement so you can make the necessary changes and avoid negative feedback in the future. This will also make guests feel that their opinions are valued.

06

Contact guests in multiple languages

Hotel guests come in from all over the world. The more good reviews you have in different languages, the larger the reach of your market.

07

Respond to negative reviews politely

The occasional negative review is inevitable even for the world’s top hotels. Acknowledge constructive feedback and really work on areas of improvement. Be friendly, polite and avoid seeming argumentative or defensive. Show class and hospitality even when you disagree with aspects of their feedback. Address them calmly without sounding dismissive of the issues addressed.

08

Give positive reviews a positive response

Acknowledge the guests who made an effort to leave great feedback. Make them feel that their comments are heard and appreciated. These will likely be returning guests in the future or will send more guests your way through their networks.