If you’re a hotel owner, you have the opportunity to make a lot of money. However, so many owners are making the same mistakes again and again, and hotels are closing down and changing hands because of it. If you're a hotel owner, or you’re thinking of owning a hotel at some point, being aware of these mistakes will help you to avoid them and ensure your establishment is as successful as possible. Read on to find out some of the biggest mistakes hotel owners are making today...
Getting The Pricing Wrong
First of all: your pricing. Getting the pricing right is so important, and there are a few things you need to consider to do this. You need to make sure you've done ample research on your competition, so you can be sure that you’re not pricing yourself out of the market. That being said, you can’t base your pricing solely on your competitors, as the value a customer gets when staying with you must be considered, too. For instance, if you have a gym and a pool but your competitors don’t, then that adds value to your customers and should be considered in pricing. If your competitors have facilities you don't, you can hardly price your services the same as them.
Treating Your Staff Badly
Happy staff are staff that are loyal to you and go above and beyond for your customers. Staff that are being treated poorly tend not to give off the best impression. Customers will be able to tell, and they won’t enjoy staying at your hotel because of it. If your staff forget basic manners, are rude, or clearly don’t want to help them, it’s all going to go against you. You need to make sure that you develop a strong company culture, and that you do everything you can to keep your team happy. Regular training is also important, as it helps them to keep their skills fresh. Going out of your way for your staff will lead to staff going out of their way for your customers, which always helps to get great reviews and returning custom.
Ignoring Reviews
Reviews will tell you a lot about your hotel. Don’t get so precious about it that you don't listen to them. If people are telling you your pool and furniture are dangerous or dirty, look at getting newhotel pool furniture. If they tell you that your customer service just isn’t up to scratch, do something about it. These people are important and should be treated as such.
Poor Customer Service
Poor customer service is one of the worst things in the hospitality industry. If a customer comes to you with a problem and you believe they are wrong, the least you can do is pretend to listen to them and do something about it. Trying to win an argument with them won’t look very good on your hotel, although it might make you feel good for all of 30 seconds. You need to make the customers feel special. This should be from the second they walk in to the second they leave. Not just when dealing with issues, but in general. How can you make them want to come back to your hotel? Have you been making these mistakes?
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