Marketing Essentials for Independent Lodgings

Pamela Lanier, Marie Lanier

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781631575969
• eBook ISBN: 9781631575976
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Industry
• Index: Business

Marketing a small, independently owned lodging business can be difficult. Marketing Essentials for Independent Lodgings outlines how to get a business's name out there, attract consumers, and navigate the dicey world of social media and an online presence. Descriptions of traveler demographics, how to get the word out about a property, and how to make a property unique are all talked about at length. The goal of this book is to help small lodgings flourish, and it does so by including lists of actions that can be taken this week, this month, or this year to help positively impact the bottom line. Also included is a specific marketing outline that can be adapted to an individual business, giving business owners a timeline and plan they can follow.

PART I

Marketing and Pricing Basics

Location, Print, Community Outreach, Groups, and More

CHAPTER 1

First Impressions: Hospitality

What do travelers really want from a lodge, property, or inn? This is one of the most frequently asked questions at lodging association meetings and new inn seminars. My personal experience, combined with the experiences shared by inngoers in the letters and e-mails we have received indicate conclusively that the single most important attribute of an inn are its innkeepers. You are the ones who make the difference at your inn by creating a unique ambiance, welcoming your guests warmly and providing them with your own special brand of hospitality.

The word “hospitality” first appeared in the English language in the 14th century, and hospitable as an adjective first appeared circa 1570. It is defined as:

1. Giving to generous and cordial reception of guests
2. Promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome
3. Offering a pleasant or sustaining environment
4. Kindness in welcoming guests or strangers

Studies on the Bed & Breakfast industry repeatedly conclude that the elements that contribute to guest satisfaction are service oriented. Small inns have a distinct advantage in this area because guests increased opportunities to interact with the innkeepers mean they develop very personal impressions. These impressions leave with your guests, exponentially increasing guest numbers when the word-of-mouth is excellent.

Recent surveys on guest satisfaction indicate that many of the top 10 qualities yielding the highest ratings are service oriented. Small inns have a distinct advantage in their ability to provide customer service because the increased opportunities for guests and innkeepers to interact. These impressions can have significant impact on your word-of-mouth marketing, which, if it is good, can ultimately lead to increased reservations. It is understood in this survey that minimum inn standards (including impeccable cleanliness, good lighting the property, and safety throughout considerations) are already in place. Five inn qualities that produce guest satisfaction, ranked in order of importance, are as follows:

1. Good value for the price (whatever that price point may be)
2. Overall privacy and peaceful atmosphere
3. Innkeeper’s ability to make guests feel comfortable
4. Attractive, comfortable atmosphere with appropriate amenities
5. Great food!

During my inn visits, I enjoy late afternoons when I can lounge in the public rooms, talk with fellow guests and the innkeeper about local attractions and other, lesser known, fun things to do, and great nearby hikes. If the innkeeper keeps a welcome guide and includes suggested activities and dining recommendations, it is usually the first thing I consult after checking in, as it makes my stay even more special. Quiet is important to me. I always know I will sleep soundly when I see an air filter or white-sound machine near the bed or hear the reassuring hum of the heating or air-conditioning system.

Waking up to a wonderful breakfast matters a lot. A good morning meal is sure to generate great conversations among the inn goers at the breakfast table. When possible, a multicourse breakfast can add an extra perk to a visitors stay Likewise, a breakfast with a set entree and numerous sideboard options, from cereals to fruits and breads, is just as satisfying. Guests are often counting on their breakfast to carry them through the better part of a day of sightseeing.

Innkeeping is a fabulous, multidimensional profession, but that’s easy to forget amidst the hustle and bustle of this “total immersion” lifestyle. It’s important to remember that beyond the personal gratification that innkeeping affords, the very act of providing hospitality is a wonderful gift to offer others. Hospitality is a cherished tradition throughout cultures worldwide and is perhaps summed up by one of my favorite quotes: “Don’t forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

Further reading

The Heart of Hospitality by Micah Solomon

CHAPTER 2

Total Media Marketing

In order to make a successful business out of lodging, you must continuously and creatively market your property on many different levels. You want to let as many potential guests know about your place as possible, and since people search out information in many different ways, it’s important to utilize all media that is available.

Total Media Marketing: This sounds technical, but what it means is using all the resources at your disposal to get your name out to the public.

There are many ways to go about promoting your property. This chapter covers print, radio and TV, promotions, food and drink, business and commercial, community service and outreach, and of course, the core of what you do, people.

Many of the following ideas can be used as a springboard for other actions.

Print

Guidebooks: They are among the top three sources for reservations, especially for mature and affluent guests. Don’t overlook this source for guests and advertise if necessary.

Magazines, chamber of commerce guides, regional tourist publications: Visit your Chamber of Commerce and bring something personal (like your signature cookies) and some brochures. Share your inn’s story in publications. Tourist magazines submit local history articles. Participate in their after-hours membership mixers and offer to hold one at your location.

Local newspapers: Get to know the lifestyle and travel editors and invite them to breakfast. Smaller papers use fillers, so send them an article photos. It may take time, but they will most likely use it. Issue press releases well in advance, when special events are planned. Find out when they have an annual Visitor’s Guide and get included. Donate a free room mid-week to a cause the paper is sponsoring. You’ll see your inn in print over and over.

Travel writers: Contact the International Food and Wine Travel Writers Association at http://ifwtwa.org/ and the Society of American Travel Writers at www.satw.org. Tell them what is outstanding about your inn and the personal touches you offer. Invite them for a visit over breakfast, lunch, or tea, to talk. Invite bona fide writers for a complimentary midweek night stay.

Public relation firms: They can help you develop your brochure, and provide you with quality photographs of your property. They can assist you in making up a Press Kit, and their contacts could help you to receive magazine exposure.

Brochures: Reciprocate with other local businesses display their brochures in exchange for them displaying yours. Talk to restaurants, health clubs, delis, tourist attractions, and museums. Get the word out!

Recipes: Send your recipes anywhere and everywhere they might be printed, including Internet sites. Create a small recipe booklet. Make laminated bookmarks to give away, with a prime recipe on one side and your inn information on the other side.

Postcards: Leave a postcard with a professional quality photo of your place in each guestroom with a postage stamp and pen, allowing guests to send a quick note to friends. It is a nice guest perk and connects you to potential guests you might never have reached. The personal touch of a piece of actual mail makes an impression.

Radio and TV

Sponsor weekly ads for weather, news or traffic reports. These are relatively inexpensive and will keep your name out there.

Donate a room mid-week to a cause or an event that the radio or your local public TV station is sponsoring. While they are promoting the event, you will hear your property’s name mentioned numerous times.

Create a venue. Make your inn available for a reception or a fundraiser. Each time the fundraiser is promoted, your local inn’s name will be mentioned.

Radio and TV stations will often work with you on a trade basis. In exchange for providing a room, you can get airtime of equal value. Then use a stay at your property to provide gifts to key clients or for prizes in contests.

Local talk shows or morning shows. Tell your inn’s story on a local TV or radio station.

Promotions

Frequent-stayer. Have a program with discounts for return guests.

Monthly specials list. What does this consist of? It’s simply your inn’s monthly offerings of seasonal and timely special offers and packages. Make sure that each monthly entry is easy to flesh out with specifics and work them around local events. Send your specials to all the venues you can think of and include those specials in any newsletters or flyers you send out.

Theme a month. Have a Valentine’s month—instead of a weekend in February. (Every guestroom displays a white box tied in red ribbon, containing some little chocolates, shortbread, or candies.) Try cooking weekends, a murder mystery event, wine-making weekends—tap into your creativity!

Ladies events. Most likely you have a high school, a college, a nursing school, or a beautician’s college nearby promote an event for a sorority reunion, a girls’ Super Bowl party, bachelorette party, spa day, and so on.

Offer a membership with lower prices for member stays or “bring a guest” events.

Food and Beverages

(Check your zoning laws to make sure you have the proper zoning and licenses.)

Local tastings. Team up with wineries for wine tastings to be held at the inn. Olive oil tastings and artisanal beer have also been growing in popularity, try getting in touch with local producers, breweries, and wineries and see if any would be willing to work with you to put together an event.

Local chefs. Might they offer a cooking class and dinner on a Saturday or Sunday night? You can package this with a weekend stay.

Workshops. Offer food and menu design classes.

Network. Plan an “hors d’oeuvres reception,” and invite local businesses to meet the innkeepers and visit the inn over wine and cheese.

Signature dishes. Create a dish with a catchy name and serve it often. Word will spread, and friends of guests will want to try your dish firsthand.

Business and Commercial

Business travelers. Offer business rates, early breakfast, and free highspeed Wi-Fi. Business travelers will almost always bring their own laptop or tablet, but make sure you have a working printer and no dead zones. Consider preparing breakfast bags to-go so they can eat on the move.

Destination marketing. Get the uplift from government spending on state, county, and local tourism and visitors’ centers. Destination Marketing is one of the key trends on the Internet. Make sure your property is well and correctly represented in these important state and federal venues, both print and digital.

Airline employees. They have an industry magazine, and you can also post your brochures in their break rooms. American Flight Attendants Union website is www.afacwa.org/.

Real-estate agents. Contact real-estate agents, their relocating clients may need a place to stay.

Hotel concierge. Get to know hotel concierges. When they are overbooked, they could have your card or brochures to hand out.

Convention and visitor’s bureau. Check in with your convention bureau or mayor’s office and get some up-to-the-moment information on conferences—large and small—coming to your area, including delegations of government employees, and so on. Contact local auditoriums and conference centers to see if they have any events booked that might bring out-of-town visitors. Send your lodging information to the sponsoring organizations, service clubs, churches, schools, and colleges, asking if they still need hotel rooms for the conference. Vendors, speakers, and VIPs may also need lodging. Remember, filling those weekday rooms is key to increasing your overall revenue.

Service clubs. Such as Rotary Club, Lion’s Club, Women’s Club of America, Sister Cities, and many others are established and reliable places to develop relationships with other business people and those who are active in the community.

Tour operators. Tour operators like all-inclusive packages, which include special offers, rental cars, and meals. You can work deals out with shuttle companies, restaurants, and rental car companies. You could cooperate with other inns to entice larger groups, and then refer your group to a special interest tour operator.

Weddings. Market yourself to wedding and event coordinators, and form an alliance with florists and catering companies who are likely to get that business.

Community Service

Sponsor or cosponsor a small event: This could be a car or a bicycle rally, a charity dinner or an auction, a girl’s tea party, garden tours and garden club parties. Any of these will display your inn as a sponsor for the event.

Charity: Assist this charity throughout the year. Donate a small percent...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Special Thanks
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• A Word from the Author
• Part I: Marketing and Pricing Basics
• Part II: Web-Based Marketing
• Appendix: Five-Month Detailed Marketing Plan
• Author Biographies
• List of Contributors
• Index