8 Hotel Management Tips That Boost Efficiency, Group Business, & Bookings

Hoteliers and management teams are constantly innovating to keep guests satisfied and drive more group business. But to keep your hotel management approach fresh and strategically sound, you need to know how to offer the best experience and market it in innovative ways.

Here are 8 hotel management tips to keep your property ahead of the game.

1. Learn which tech tools are available to you ” then use them.

As a hotel manager, you’ve got a lot of flaming torches to juggle. Luckily, there’s plenty of software out there to help with each piece of running your property. For the day-to-day, use a comprehensive management suite like Hotelogix to streamline everything from your front desk to housekeeping. To grow your event leads, a tool Social Tables’ presentation layer can help you develop the interactive content you need to bring in group business and close the deal. No matter what your aim, there’s a tool developed to help you get there.

2. Follow your event leads.

Creating revenue in the hotel business these days depends on how well you generate leads and convert them to customers. You can entice potential customers by providing unique content showcasing your hotel’s services, but once you do that, you’ll want to keep track of them. By using retargeting tools on your website, you’ll be able to note visitors to your page and target them with promotions and more across a variety of digital marketing channels. (That means you get another shot with the people who needed just one more nudge to book with you!)

3. Use social media to spread the word organically.

The photos your guests post on social media of their stay at your hotel are a prime promotional assets. So offer a clever hashtag or Snapchat geofilter for guests to use during their stay. It allows their friends to easily find out the super cute/charming/amazing/affordable hotel where their friend is staying and book their stay there too. Make sure to display that hashtag prominently on the lobby, in checkout materials, on in-room resources, and more.

For more great social media ideas, check out these marketing strategies from the world’s top hotel chains.

4. Make your hotel photo-op worthy.

People love nothing more than a great photo from their recent vacation in a scenic spot that they can post on social media. Work to make the lobby of your hotel particularly scenic and seasonally decorated so that your guests can’t resist stopping to snap a selfie. (Remember, making a hashtag known to your customers can turn the photos they take into your next user-generated content [UGC].)

5. Gather success stories and promote them.

Guests who’ve had a fantastic experience at your hotel often will let you know, whether after staying there or hosting an event there. Reach out to them personally, and ask them if you can feature their experience on your website through a written interview or video, and offer them rewards at your hotel in return. Guests want to hear honest opinions from other guests more than they want to hear from the property. The testimonials you gather will go a long way in building your credibility and selling the benefits of your property ” both for individual bookings and group events.

6. Partner with local businesses.

Guests reflect on their vacations holistically, so the more you can contribute to their stay as a whole, the better it reflects on your property. Making connections with businesses around your hotel is a great way to bring that to fruition. If you can secure good working relationships with these partners, you can secure special offers for guests that are mutually beneficial for both you and the partner. For instance, if you team up with hip new restaurant in town, the pleasant experience your guests have will benefit you, since you’re the one who led them to it. Think of it as service by association ” hanging out with cool friends makes you cool too.

7. Keep a pulse on changing hospitality trends.

You can’t get ahead if you don’t know where the industry’s going, so make sure you’re aware of changing hospitality trends. We’ve even made a list of the best hotel blogs to follow, so you can keep your finger on the pulse of events, tech, and other factors sure to affect hotel RevPAR. By being the first to offer new services and staying ahead of industry-wide challenges, you’ll attract more business and boost your top-line revenue.

8. Incentivize longer stays.

Millennials are fabled for extending their stays ” even after business trips. Capitalize on this trend and make it easy for them to do just that. You could send a follow up email with a special offer to extend their stay with a reduced rate and no fees. Or, you could consider making a special offer on your site or offering a discount (even 5% off can be convincing!). The ideas are endless, but the impact is consistent: more revenue for you.

With these hotel management tips, you’ll offer the best hotel experience available and market it in ways that draw in big business. And don’t forget to check out our Hotel CRM!