Do things that the big chain hotels cannot copy!

Due to corperate restrictions it is likely that independant hotels can create an edge over these competitors. They can react to local pricing and make changes to your website more freely.

I always say dont compete on price alone, try to add value to your rates by providing local value.

For more tips goto www.hotelmarketingcentre.com

Deal or No Deal?

Consider placing a special promotion section on your web site, but stay away from promotions centered on discounted rates. The most effective special promotions are value-added, not discounted rates. Value-added specials do not compromise or diminish your hotel's position in the marketplace and/or negatively affect rate integrity.
Several years ago, someone had the brilliant idea to include a complimentary breakfast as a value-added feature to improve sales. It worked so well that nearly every hotel now offers it; it is no longer a special feature and could even be a deficit for those who do not offer it.
Create special promotions, which focus on value-added features targeted to the market segment you are seeking. Leisure travelers and corporate travelers have much different sales "hot buttons". Target special promotions towards building incremental new business and not simply to provide your current guests with additional benefits.
The vast majority of travelers make a value judgment when selecting a hotel; simply reducing rates only devalues your product and destroys rate integrity

For more tips goto www.hotelmarketingcentre.com

Become a Destination Champion

Providing guests with local information will help you distinquish yourself from your competiion. I am not talking about putting a leaflet box in your reception, but a more proactive approch.
In American films the concierge is a guy with the knowledge, good advice given in person on recommendation is invaluble to a guest and can help make the guests break even more enjoyable.
Join a local business group and get to know the resturants and attractions around you, perhaps even look to create marketing relationships between you that add value.
Publish your own room information pack, guests will love to read the information, (Particularly when the Wife is getting ready).
One organisation I have worked with is Destination Alliances, there website can be found at: www.destinationallinaces.co.uk

Your guests are your friends

One of the most useful and potentially rewarding qualities you can possess as a hotelier or guest house owner is the ability to communicate with your guests as friends. For a great majority of hoteliers this is almost second nature, maybe even the main reason why they run a guest house.
Building a friendship with your guests is where the small family run hotel or guest house can score big over the larger more impersonal hotels
Take the time to get to know your guest, partuicularly their interests. These “Hot Buttons” can be a good link to repeat business.
For example Peter is taking a weeks break with his wife Emma, Emma has booked some tickets to visit the theatre and as you talk to them you notice that Peter talks about his Golf and that golf appears highly in his list of priorities in life.
So, a few months later you hear about a golf pro talk at your local golf club, a quick email to Peter letting him know about it would be a good use of your time. You could also mention the current theatre shows as Emma likes the thetre.
Some people out there say this is manipulative, that depends on you approch it, if you simply interigate your guests them may be, on the other hand if you treat your guests as friends it wont be a problem.
You can store this information in a database or on a record card. Hotel Control provide a guest database you can use if you want to store this info on a computer.

Guest Referrals - Hotels working Together!

Getting together with the competition may be an odd concept but the fact is that independent hoteliers and guest house owners need to find ways of competing against the big hotel chains for business. One group of hoteliers in Dorset have come together to form a consortium of 16 hotels who all pass referrals when they are full. Bryn Jones from http://www.boscombesparesorthotels.co.uk/ explained that before the group was established he used to say "Sorry we are Full" now through the group he has found that he can confidently pass referrals to others in the group.

For more tips go to http://www.hotelmarketingcentre.com/

Honesty is the best policy in hotel marketing!

Small hotels and guesthouses can use “The Truth” to their advantage. One great little guest house in Bournemouth the Abbey Court, has done just that. They have put a picture of themselves and their dogs on the home page. Traditional marketing “Philosophy” would say this could put off potential customers. I have discovered that in fact Anne Eyles the owner has reported the opposite. The picture shows them to be a friendly and homely place. The truth is that if you don’t like dogs very much the chances are you are not as likly to return – no matter how good the food is – And it is very good!. So my tip for any owner of a guest house with dogs is to use them to help promote the hotel! See their website at http://www.abbeycourtbournemouth.co.uk/