Hoteliers would love nothing more than for their guests to keep coming back to their hotels over and over again. One of the best ways to build customer loyalty is to adopt a guest-centric hotel strategy where guests feel that they are valued and treated exceptionally well, regardless of whether they’ve booked a standard room or an executive suite.
What is a Guest-Centred Hotel?
A guest-centric hotel puts the guest at the centre of everything, focusing on meeting and exceeding the specific needs of guests and providing them with an excellent experience through every interaction during their stay . It involves creating a “personalised” experience to make the guests feel appreciated and special.
When guests feel respected and their needs are meticulously met, it builds a lasting impression which can easily lead to repeat business, positive feedback, and brand loyalty. A guest-centric hotel strategy is an effective way to attract new guests, whilst also encouraging guests to return.
8 Ways to Adopt a Guest-Centred Hotel Strategy
If you are not yet employing a guest-centric strategy in your hotel, perhaps now is the best time to start. Below are 8 ways how to tailor your services and design them according to your guests’ needs and preferences:
- Know your guests
The first step to implementing a customer-centric approach in your hotel operations is knowing who your guests are and understanding their unique needs and expectations. To do this, create detailed guest profiles, identify their preferences, and analyse their behaviors. Using customer relationship management (CRM) systems to gather and store information about guests can also help hotel owners and managers get a clearer view of what type of guests visit their hotel.
By knowing and understanding this relevant information, you can tailor your services to meet guests’ individual needs, creating a more personalised and impressionable experience for them.
- Focus on personalisation
In hospitality, personalisation means tailoring guest experiences to offer services that cater to each guest’s needs and preferences. It involves understanding and anticipating their individual expectations in order to customise your approach. This way, your guests will received a highly personalised and unforgettable experience.
Among many ways to offer personalised guest services are creating loyalty programs, celebrating special occasions with them, understanding guest profiles, and using personalised communication.
To do this, use available insights from your database or leverage technology to analyse guest data and deliver personalised services to enhance their overall satisfaction and loyalty to your hotel.
- Offer flexibility
Recognize that each guest has unique needs and expectations. Provide flexible options in terms of check-in and check-out times, room configurations, amenities, food and drinks, and housekeeping schedules. By offering choices, you are giving your guests the comfort and convenience to tailor their stay to their preferences—which will likely contribute to a more positive experience.
- Elevate your staff’s customer service skills
A guest-centric hotel doesn’t only value VIP and executive guests. Every guest should be treated equally and with the same level of respect as everyone else. And your hotel staff should be well aware of this.
Provide comprehensive training on customer service, communication skills, and problem resolution. Encourage staff to anticipate guest needs and go the extra mile to exceed expectations. Positive and attentive staff contribute significantly to creating a memorable and guest-centric experience.
- Embrace feedback
Actively seek feedback from guests to help you identify your hotel’s strengths and rooms for improvement. You can do this through surveys, online reviews, and direct communication.
Analyse this feedback to identify areas for improvement and understand what is working well. Make sure to address negative feedback promptly to demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement. Guest feedback is a valuable tool for refining your services and maintaining high standards.
- Offer more
Whether it’s a free room upgrade, welcome drinks, spa access, or a late check-out, do not hesitate to offer “extras” to your guests, even without them asking. Customers love getting more than what they paid for and small gestures can significantly enhance their overall experience.
These gestures not only contribute to immediate satisfaction but also leave a lasting positive impression that easily promotes brand loyalty.
- Innovate and adapt
In today’s fast-paced world, hotels need to keep up with the changing demands of guests if they want to stay ahead of the competition. Hotel owners and managers should also keep pace with industry trends and technological advancements.
Embrace innovations that enhance your guest experience, such as contactless check-in, smart room controls, or augmented reality guides. Regularly assess market trends and guest expectations to adapt your services accordingly. Being proactive in adopting new technologies and trends demonstrates a commitment to providing a modern and guest-centric experience.
- Leverage AI and technology
Data is key to designing personalised strategies and services that offer value to guests and customers. If you know what your guests want, how they behave, and where they spend their money, you won’t have to second-guess how to make them happy or how to make them come back to your hotel.
By using Revenue Managegement Systems and other hotel tools, you can leverage the wealth of data at your disposal. These tools can efficiently analyse guest preferences, behaviors, and spending patterns, providing valuable insights that go beyond surface-level information.
With this comprehensive understanding, designing personalised strategies and services that resonate with individual guests is much simpler than relying on generalised approaches or making assumptions about guest preferences.
Boost Your Hotel’s Performance with a Guest-Centred Strategy
Adopting a guest-centric approach in hotel operations is crucial in keeping guests and establishing loyalty. By tailoring your services according to their needs and unique preferences, you will not only enhance guest experience but also build lasting relationships.
Ultimately, a guest-centric strategy can boost your hotel’s commercial performance and help you to build a competitive edge in the hospitality industry.
