In the world of hospitality, occupancy is of huge importance and if your hotel or motel consistently suffers from low occupancy, it's time to make a few changes. Simply lowering your rates is not the best strategy because that can seriously impact your bottom line. The best way to improve your occupancy rates would be to evaluate your hotel and decide what changes will lure guests to your special place.
Obviously, the first thing you need to do is a take a good look at the lobby, common areas, grounds and guest rooms. If they look shabby or unclean and guests have made comments about the need for repairs or improved cleanliness, then it is imperative that you improve the look of your hotel. Even for a motel with modest nightly rates, people expect their room and the rest of the hotel to be clean.
While a reputation for cleanliness goes a long way, if your staff is unfriendly or unhelpful, this can be a huge problem. Make sure the staff, particularly those manning the reception area or lobby, are highly trained to handle a myriad of situations. They also should be able to provide some level of local information. Friendly service is truly what hospitality is all about, so make sure this is in place every day of the week.
While you definitely do not want to simply drop all of your rates in order to lure people, it doesn't hurt to alter the rate structure. Offer the lowest rates for the smallest rooms or the rooms located in less desirable locations. If a room is larger or has special amenities or perhaps a great view, charge more for it. People are willing to pay more for special features or more space. You also should think about varying rates depending on the day of the week or the season. Offering group rates is another good idea that can entice large parties and corporate groups.
If your hotel is in great shape and your rates are competitive, the amenities you offer can make all the difference to potential guests. For instance, if you serve breakfast and the comparable hotel down the street doesn't, this can attract clients. Other amenities that guests really appreciate include in-room refrigerators and coffee makers, as well as premium television service such as DirecTV. You might think satellite TV is more costly than local cable, but it actually offers more channels for the same or less than a cable provider.
A local DirecTV dealer such as Integra Systems can install satellite service into each room, with up to 128 channels, many of which are available in high definition. Not only will they install the service, the team at Integra Systems will be able to help instruct employees and provide support for the hotel staff if they have issues or questions in the future.
Obviously, the first thing you need to do is a take a good look at the lobby, common areas, grounds and guest rooms. If they look shabby or unclean and guests have made comments about the need for repairs or improved cleanliness, then it is imperative that you improve the look of your hotel. Even for a motel with modest nightly rates, people expect their room and the rest of the hotel to be clean.
While a reputation for cleanliness goes a long way, if your staff is unfriendly or unhelpful, this can be a huge problem. Make sure the staff, particularly those manning the reception area or lobby, are highly trained to handle a myriad of situations. They also should be able to provide some level of local information. Friendly service is truly what hospitality is all about, so make sure this is in place every day of the week.
While you definitely do not want to simply drop all of your rates in order to lure people, it doesn't hurt to alter the rate structure. Offer the lowest rates for the smallest rooms or the rooms located in less desirable locations. If a room is larger or has special amenities or perhaps a great view, charge more for it. People are willing to pay more for special features or more space. You also should think about varying rates depending on the day of the week or the season. Offering group rates is another good idea that can entice large parties and corporate groups.
If your hotel is in great shape and your rates are competitive, the amenities you offer can make all the difference to potential guests. For instance, if you serve breakfast and the comparable hotel down the street doesn't, this can attract clients. Other amenities that guests really appreciate include in-room refrigerators and coffee makers, as well as premium television service such as DirecTV. You might think satellite TV is more costly than local cable, but it actually offers more channels for the same or less than a cable provider.
A local DirecTV dealer such as Integra Systems can install satellite service into each room, with up to 128 channels, many of which are available in high definition. Not only will they install the service, the team at Integra Systems will be able to help instruct employees and provide support for the hotel staff if they have issues or questions in the future.
About the Author:
Jansen Wilhelmsen loves writing reviews on the commercial DirecTV dealers. For more information about direcTV for hotels packages or to find about direct TV local offices, please go to the IntegraSystems site now.
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