The Value of Personalized Experiences in the Hotel Industry
Value of Personalized Experiences
in the Hotel Industry
With the kind of hyper-competition prevailing in the hotel industry today, it is quite evident that offering a personalized guest experience is not merely an option anymore. Today it’s a means for survival. Until recently, hotels weren’t focussing on guest experiences and personalization due to two main reasons. First because of the cost it includes, and second because of the lack of know-how. But with business at stake, Hotels now have to put in the time, money, and effort that they may have been long overlooking.
Of course, not all hotels have the kind of budget to provide high-end and personalized services to their customers but it doesn’t mean that they can neglect this revolutionary change in their industry. Even if small, they will have to make changes to enhance their current services and offer a delightful staying experience to their guests. In this article, we will delve into some prolific ways in which hotel owners can personalize their guest’s services to render a more memorable experience.
OFFER ROOMS THAT REFLECT THE GUEST’S PERSONALITY
Gather information regarding guests via booking details, verbal communication and social media platforms to personalize their rooms according to their taste and preference. This projects your hotel as a service provider that goes above and beyond to ensure that guests stay in a comfortable, pleasant, and homely environment.
Hotel staff normally assist the guests with requests and issues; this is your window of opportunity to know more about their preferences. Ask your staff to make note of the minute details and then imbibe these personal notes into your services. It does involve an extra effort from your side but the end result is always a happy guest, which in the hotel industry is the highest form of recognition.
LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGIES
If you wish to make a mark in the hotel industry today, it is extremely crucial to incorporate high-end technology in every nook and cranny of your services. With softwares handling prominent management tasks, your staff will have more time to communicate with the guests. We’re still at a stage where hotels are yet to understand and accept the technology fully into their system to get the most potential out of personalization. Additionally, there are technical hurdles because of legacy issues and ineffective data centralization.
However, the hotels that have begun to adopt technology have revealed a noteworthy transformation in their customer service. For instance, Viggo’s guest engagement platform delivers a unified, cloud-based platform which allows hotels to manage, aggregate and publish content across multiple digital touchpoints, such as the hotel’s WiFi Portal, In Room Smart TV, and Branded Mobile App.
MAKE A PERSONAL CONNECTION
While technology is an imperative aspect of the modernization, there is more than just that. A personalized experience can never be accomplished without making a personal connection with your guests. Therefore, you need to train your staff to be more communicative with the clients. Especially be attentive to their queries and suggestions.
Train the staff to be proactive and make an effort to chat up with the guest, ask about their stay, inquire how their stay can be made more comfortable, etc. Don’t wait for your guests to come to you with a request. If you feel any particular service could improve their stay, incorporate it in your service. If a guest is unhappy with a particular aspect of the hotel, there are very rare chances that he/she will be vocal about it (they may be rash in their written review, but very rarely will they be vocal).
So talk to your guest, build a rapport and get their feedback in a personalized manner. It’s only these ardent steps that will help you grow in this dynamic hospitality market.
OFFER A LOCAL EXPERIENCE
Your guests are looking forward to an authentic local experience, which gives you a golden opportunity to make your services impeccable. You can educate them about the best places to visit in town. Of course you cannot manually knock on every room and do so. This is where technology comes into play. For instance, Viggo’s smart hotel TV showcases the popular places to visit and activities to explore in the city, thereby allowing the guest to plan their itinerary in the comforts of their room. With such great attention to details, your guests don’t have another option but to spread positive reviews around.
Leaving a mark in the hospitality industry isn’t that complex if hotels envelop their services around their customers. Additionally, with exceptional technology at your disposal, personalization has truly become easier to implement. The above-mentioned tips are some simple and constructive steps that you can take to transform your services and be the brand that not only your guests, but competitors also look up to.
