Ali Powell, CEO and Founder of Commercial Acceleration, highlights why it’s important for hoteliers to review their strategies to build customer relevance.
Along with the staffing crisis facing the industry, one topic has dominated discussions in recent months: what are hotels doing to cater to the post-Covid traveler?
Hotels and accommodation providers are challenged to attract and attract customers whose demands and behaviors have changed significantly in recent years. Lockdown restrictions and global health concerns forced us to look for different ways of doing things: Zoom calls replaced business travel, working from home replaced the daily commute, and staying at home became the new way. to go out
As a result, properties meet the challenge of aadaptedin g their strategies for match these changing behaviors. Staying relevant to guests is key, and those not that are at risk of losing market share. Like Dimitris Manikis, President and CEO of EMEA of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, recently said: “You have to evolve with a business… the consumers of two and a half years ago are different from those of today”.
Building relevance in this mail–COVID-19 worldd it’s about building connection with guests achieved by listening and tailoring your product offering for meet their demands. GRAMGlobal hotel chains are leading the way in building relevance., Many placing it at the forefront of its consumer strategy.
Examples include hillUS tonAwho recently announced a partnership with Peloyouin, that is, guests (who are now accustomed to spinning workouts at home), You don’t have to sacrifice your workouts when you travel. Accor, recognizing the rise of the remote worker, have launched wojo, Provide offices and flexible workspaces around the world at Accor hotels. And Rosewood Hotels has launched Asaya ‘Wellcations’, a committed initiative to restorative getaways in response to increased fobecause in health aand wellness post COVID-19.
Who is your client?
Before looking at new traveler behaviors, we need to take a step back and ask the most basic questions: who is your guest?
With the decline in corporate travel, an increase in demand for stay-at-home vacations, some markets still closed to travel, and a volatile economic climate, your customer segments have likely changed, and in some cases disappeared, in recent years. 24 months. Understanding who you are attracting and where the opportunities are is essential before embarking on a brand relevance exercise.
Questions to ask include:
• Segments may have been lost – how are you replacing them?
• How are you serving new and emerging segments?
• How have you adapted your sales and marketing strategy to attract these new segments?
• Where are your target markets researching and booking their travel? Are you present on these channels?
• How have you adapted your product offer and proposal to meet the demands of the new customer?
• When was the last time you conducted focus groups to understand what your customers really want?
the new guest
Given the changes in how and When do travelers book and what do they look for? of your stayprActive hoteliers need to embrace these trends. to shape future strategies if they will continue to be relevant. Some wrench trends that are influencing guest booking decisions include:
• Ppersonalization
The cookie cutter approach doesn’t take longhey it works. Consumers are already used to the high degree of personalization that companies like netflix and amazon offer. Consumers expect their behaviors and preferences be recognized and service at every stage of the guest journey. Use of customer data to provide personalized service stay it is now critical to the guest experience before, during and after the stay.
• Raised dswitched on
The trend towards digital and contactless services has gained new momentum since 2020. the desire of no contact services combined with technological developments has accelerated the importance of offering a digitized stay. Of no contact check in and in the room voice activated control S, to the ability to request room service from their phone, guests now look at optimize your stay away from personal devices.
• An greater attention to well-being
Mail-COVID-19there’s a newly discovered appetite by wellness and goodbeing vacation. guests I do not want their business trips to interrupt their wellness routine. Lpleasure Travellers are increasingly choosing trips who supports your Health goals. healthy food options, have your dietary preferences attended, fitness lessonsY wellness initiatives like As a doctoritation or mindfulness courses are increasingly important to today’s guests.
• Making green travel decisions
As travelers become increasingly aware of the impact of travel on the environment, there is a growing demand from guests looking for sustainable travel options and paying more for them. Either this is a larger scale project such as the inclusion of solar panels, or a promise of reduction of single use only the plastic, hoteliers should ensure that they provide information on youtheir sustainability efforts on their websites and in their marketing materials. It is now a key influencer in the Decision making process.
• Multichannel strategies
Although OTAs have been a pillar of many distribution strategyit is, properties now they are forced to be visible and active in everything Multiple channels to optimize your reach and conversion. the The marketing and distribution network is becoming increasingly resorts and hotels they need to be where their guests are: either Facebook and Twitter, or platforms like TikTok and Instagram Stories. Marketing and distribution strategies should reflect this.
• Collaborative work
With COVID-19 Driving demand for initiatives like co-working spaces, remote workers are looking to hotels to provide opportunities to work remotely while benefiting from community and networking opportunities. day use services and memberships provide additional complementary revenue streams, especially important given the decline in business travel.
