When it comes to booking a trip today, travelers aren’t just looking for a roof over their heads. People are craving an unforgettable, personal experience. If you want to set your business apart from all the rest, it’s imperative that you take the extra steps to improve the guest experience wherever you can. Read on to learn some of our tips regarding how to enhance your inn’s guest experience.
Staying ahead of trends in the hospitality industry can be overwhelming. We’re here to help! Take advantage of our Current Innkeeper Workshops to learn about travel trends, marketing tips, bed and breakfast operations, and more!
Sign Up For Innkeeper Workshops
How To Enhance Your Inn’s Guest Experience
Guest experience refers to the emotions and aspects a traveler experiences as they interact with your business. Guest experience starts with accommodations research, exceeds past check-out, and includes everything in between. Positive reviews from guests can do wonders for your brand reputation and growth, so it’s essential to learn how to provide the best personalized service possible.
Capture Your Guest Before Booking
From the first moment that travelers see your business’s name during their research, you want to capture their attention. The best way to provide an exceptional user experience is with a top-notch website. What does this look like? High-speed loading time, professional photography, intriguing descriptions, answers to frequently asked questions, a complete list of accommodations and amenities, and a vibe that sets the tone for your brand.
Engage With Guests During Pre-Arrival
As soon as a traveler has booked with you, they’re officially your guest, and it’s time to kick customer service and guest satisfaction into high gear. A convenient way to engage with upcoming guests is through email campaigns. You can provide them with necessary information regarding their stay, ask for requests (dietary needs, late check-in, recommendations for local activities, etc.), and more.
Make Every Guest Feel Like a VIP
After arrival, there are a plethora of ways to enhance the guest experience. You must include services and amenities that reflect your brand voice and feel. That will be different for every business, but some of our suggestions for ways to make hotel guests feel special include:
- Have hotel staff greet each guest by their name with a welcoming smile.
- Provide a complimentary beverage station with water, coffee, tea, etc.
- Provide guests with a charming gift upon arrival in their accommodations (water bottles, sleeping mask, souvenir mug with inn name printed on them, snacks, a product from a local business, etc.).
- Offer free breakfast and provide options for a variety of diets and lifestyles.
- Offer room service so guests can limit their interaction with other travelers (social distancing while traveling is important to many people).
- Provide complimentary Wi-Fi (working while traveling is becoming more and more common).
- Offer local insight regarding the area’s best restaurants, attractions, events, outdoor activities, and other things to do.
- Invest in eco-friendly services and technology such as LED lights, energy-efficient appliances, sustainable laundry and cleaning practices, electric car charging station, etc. (70% of travelers say that they are more likely to book a stay at a business that makes efforts to “go green”)
Continue Efforts Post Check-Out
After a guest checks out, it’s crucial to continue positive interaction with them and keep them as “part of the family.” Whether through a text message or email, you can reach out to them and thank them for their business. This is the perfect opportunity to gather guest reviews. You can also provide them with a repeat guest discount or special offer.
Learn More With Inn Partners
It’s our mission to provide prospective and current innkeepers with the best knowledge of the industry possible. Inn Keepers provides Innkeeping Workshops to teach you how to maximize your efforts and make your inn as successful as possible. Please register with us today!
