What exactly differentiates a hotel from the other? With so many hotel chains to choose from, the competition has just gotten really tough. Is it the number of stars, price, location, promotion, customer service, internet access?
Location
Most travelers now have more tools to plan their trips. And before they book your hotel, and even before they contemplate on staying at your hotel, the first thing they check out is your location. They know where they want to go so they search for the nearby hotels first. They look at that nifty map that has dots where hotels are located. From a radius of a few miles, they then come up with a list of possible options. Only then will other factors like price, amenities etc. come in.
Value For Money
Obviously, the dollar figure is very important to the all-too-discerning traveler. Pricing can definitely sway a customer to book or not to book. But more importantly, customers need to know if the value you are offering is worth their dollars. Yes, the hotel rate per night might be on the high side but if the customer can see that you’ve already thrown in the wireless internet and the breakfast, they will be more forgiving. This is especially convenient for business travelers whose hotel stays are paid for by the company. This ensures that they no longer need to foot the extras that they need.
On the other hand, you will also have customers who are travelling for pleasure. They are more than happy to explore the breakfast options outside the hotel. And they are not too keen on checking their work email so internet access is not an essential. For this group, the room only rate is very good and discount for last minute bookings also help seal the deal. Many hotel managers and owners today are utilizing the use of hotel management software to get to know the specific needs of their target market better.
Cleanliness Goes A Long Way
Great location and reasonable price are must-haves but are not enough for most people still. A single review saying that the rooms are filthy is a definite deal-breaker. It is incredibly difficult to find willing customers who will book your hotel knowing that the possibility of bathrooms being dirty is very high.
This is the same for the blankets, pillows, and towels. Worse is that people really make the effort to share this not-so-good information online. With Facebook and Twitter a click away, it is very easy for this secret to leak out. It is crucial to keep everything nice and clean. Maintaining a hotels cleanliness is an important part of hotel management.