BESTCITYTRIPS
Author: Thomas Kruyne, Managing Director Venue Butler
It’s that time of the year again – yes, the holiday season, the busiest month of the year for everyone, especially hoteliers. What do we expect when we stay in a hotel? Complimentary breakfast, 24-hour room service, diverse cuisines, high-tech rooms with cosy and comfortable beds, and most importantly, minibars with local treats?
Now that the pandemic has started to settle down, more and more people plan to go on their holidays. And to be honest, we all need a break to connect and reunite with our loved ones while ensuring that we take all the necessary precautions. This year, several hotels are already going the extra mile to provide the best services ever. Here are the top 5 tips to improve your guest experience during this busy holiday season:
- Provide the unanticipated – Holiday Special gifts, offers and promotions
Remember getting excited about the freebies you get at hotels? Well, it is anticipated to get toiletries, breakfast etc. This holiday season, offer a little something extra. Say, a special holiday offer, welcome gifts, or unique dishes on the menu? It isn’t about grand gestures. It’s the small things. Also, what’s a better gift than giving your guests a special discount on room booking? You can start a campaign with promotional newsletters in advance, also offering discounted tour packages to the guests. Many travellers see cultural experiences as a priority when choosing a destination.
- Hassle-free Taxi Booking
One of the biggest challenges when travelling for business or leisure is having a comfortable ride all along. Guests prefer to stay in hotels that provide end-to-end services, including arranging transportation for them. This way, guests don’t have to spend their quality time stepping out of the hotel to find a taxi themselves, hence providing guests with the leisure to get into the taxi right outside the hotel, at their convenience. Venue Butler’s taxi booking device allows your reception staff to book taxis for your guests in one-click of a button The device seamlessly enahcnes your guest’s experience, enabling the concierge and receptions to focus on other more essential priority tasks.
- Basic Health Facilities
As you’re aware, we will now have to learn to live with COVID-19, and with the emerging mutant variants, the risk is far from over. Hotels install hand cleaning and sanitising stations and ensure the free flow of fresh air by opening windows regularly and adjusting air conditioning to enhance airflow. Food handlers and kitchen staff must follow stricter hygiene measures.
Also, provide temperature screening and rapid antigen test kits handy where and when required. Checking guests’ vaccine cards is another significant step to ensuring excellent health and safety. If hotels don’t provide a healthcare facility on-premises, it is good to inform the guests on brochures or welcome cards about the nearby health services they can avail of if needed.
- Host attractive shows
Yet another consequence of COVID was the “fear of missing out on” social events, like karaoke nights, concerts, and comedy shows. To suit the holiday mood, hotels could offer a holiday-themed party where guests can enjoy the carefully curated menu and bar while maintaining COVID measures. Things have started to look hopeful for many prior lockdown countries like Australia and the UK, and hosting events at the hotel is an exciting, trendy and quirky way of promoting the best guest experience.
- Explore emerging concepts:
The pandemic has led the hotels to embrace emerging technologies like Robotic hotel staff, AI approved vacuum cleaners, e-keys to hotel rooms, online check-in and check out, and a few trends that have already catered to guest interests. Guests receive relevant and quick responses to their inquiries, and hotels can direct their staff towards more urgent tasks to improve the guest experience. With COVID still prevailing in parts of Europe, Asia, and the UK, the involvement of contactless technologies instils trust in guests and hosts.
The hospitality industry and its changing dynamics have gradually led to the introduction of conventional ideas, services, and technology to ensure a top-notch guest experience, especially during the busy holiday season.
The tips mentioned above hope to bring a new perspective and embrace the redefined hospitality industry.
