You’ve heard it many times before… but the best way to increase your Average Achieved Room Rate, which ultimately adds to your bottom line, is to steadily increase direct bookings.
Pre-season is the perfect time to prepare your team to capture the optimum amount of usable guest data during season to help you achieve your longer term business goals.
The best place to start is with your hotel’s data. Whatever Property Management System (PMS) you use you’ll have some data on your guests. In its most basic sense you’ll know their name and e-mail address. If you delve a bit deeper you can find out how many times each guest has stayed, how much they spent in your restaurant, when they tend to visit, how long they stay for and even what their interests are. In a few simple steps, it’s possible to determine your most profitable guests as well as your USPs in order to encourage loyal guests to re-book and to find more guests just like them. Booking direct, with no third-party commissions.
This approach introduces a bit of science to marketing. Working with a marketing partner who is passionate about understanding your hotel’s data structure, ensuring its accuracy, and takes the time to understand your customers is crucial to this process!
Our Top Tip: Before your peak season starts again, chat to a marketing partner to help you set up a database structure and plan to capture the maximum amount of guest data to ensure you drive more direct bookings next year.