By John Smallwood
If you have 60 seconds, I have 300 words that might help at the NOI line.
According to a recent study by American Express, 85% of travelers want a personalized travel itinerary.
It’s a statistic that speaks volumes. And for travel brands, the message is clear: catering to the modern day traveler requires providing tailor-made experiences. And nowhere is this truer than in the hotel industry.
Providing a personalized service can begin at check-in. Asking questions about a customer’s needs and preferences can help hotels tailor their service and provide rewarding experiences that lead to more satisfied customers.
Montage Laguna Beach in California takes this approach even further, monitoring the guest experience throughout the entire stay. Using a computer system to track customer likes and dislikes, everything gets measured – from whether a guest enjoyed a bottle of wine in the restaurant to how impressed they were with members of staff.
This allows the hotel team to constantly tailor the experience to keep guests happy.
But hotels can begin the personalization process even earlier. One of the first points of contact customers’ have with a hotel is over the phone. But often, potential guests are left on hold, or end up being met with a highly impersonal recorded message.
Customers feel devalued.
Reservations get lost.
The answer? Try to answer as many customer calls as possible, and when you do – take the opportunity to learn as much about them as possible. Find out if there’s anything you can do to make their stay as enjoyable as possible.
This might involve asking if there’s a particular city tour they’d like to take. Or finding out if they have a passion for food – in which case, they might appreciate you recommending and reserving a table at a top local restaurant.
Far from being intrusive, getting a better understanding of your guests can ensure they feel truly valued, have a more rewarding experience, and ultimately – rebook with you in the future.
This is one in a series of short essays by John Smallwood, CEO of Travel Outlook Premium Reservations Call Center about voice reservations, the second most profitable revenue channel. Travel Outlook is a hospitality company that takes voice reservations calls for its clients.
