Article by Erika Theron
Academic Manager, The Private Hotel School
The legendary warm hospitality of South African producers and the beautifully spacious landscapes of their farms offer farmers the ideal opportunity to augment
their primary income with a guesthouse or tourism operation. The Private Hotel
School in Stellenbosch shares their industry expertise in a new monthly contribution.
I
n the highly competitive environment that all hospitality businesses find themselves, everyone is
trying to earn their place in the sun and get more
guests through their doors. To do so, they grapple
with the age-old questions. What do our customers
want? How can we exceed their expectations and keep
them returning for more? These questions prove harder to answer today, because generally our guests are
more educated and have greater expectations. To add
to the complexity, some guests may not even know
what they want, but they certainly know a good thing
when they see it and once the bar has been set, it is
increasingly difficult to delight.
They have to know about you
Considering the digital and fast-paced world we live in
there are two key aspects to nurture: presence and
relationships. In order to expand your customer base
you have to have a presence, be it online or otherwise.
Consumers are used to mass amounts of information
available to them at the touch of a button. Make sure
your information is available and easily accessible.
Relationships are key – you do not want a customer to
visit your establishment once and then never again. If
you build a relationship with a guest, this will keep
them returning and build invaluable loyalty and hopefully lead to positive word of mouth and referrals.
These relationships however take time and energy. It
may seem like a daunting task at first, but you can
start small. Consider your target market, decide who is
the most likely to become loyal return guests and focus
on them. Once the teething problems of your strategy
have passed the momentum will allow you to cover
more and more of your customer base. If by now you
are thinking this is only possible in an ideal world, you
are not completely wrong, but the reality is that this is
what the industry is moving towards and we have to
change our marketing strategies to that of a more personal and interactive approach.
Your team
Do not forget about your number one most important
asset, your employees (if you are fortunate enough to
have a team working at your side)! To run a successful
hospitality business today you have to keep your finger
on the pulse of your business by empowering your employees to make the difference. They should be well
trained, equipped and knowledgeable in order to deliver exceptional service and listen carefully to customer
feedback. Your staff should be your number one
source of marketing information, as they are the ones
who have direct contact with your customers on a daily basis and are therefore able to better identify what
your customer’s needs are. Listen, learn and adapt.
The phrase “the customer is king” “might be more
true now than ever before. With higher demands and
deeper pockets come a greater sense of selectiveness
when choosing where to sleep or dine.
Some trends your guests might like to see at your
property:
Sustainability – the market of consumers who favour businesses who are environmentally friendly
is rapidly growing.
Healthy meal alternatives – accommodate the
growing demand for healthy living.
Something different – customers are looking for
new experiences.