Is your Wi-Fi fast enough?

In last week’s blog, we discussed online reviews and the top 8 things guests complain about.  Topping the list as the #1 complaint from hotel guests was extra costs for internet access.  We’ve all heard lately that free Wi-Fi has become an expectation for guests when staying at your property.  But someone has taken it to the next level by creating a new website that serves the purpose of “shaming” hotels for their costly or slow Wi-Fi.

Guests and travelers can now head to www.hotelwifitest.com to see how your hotels Wi-Fi speeds compare to that of other hotels.  Once your property’s internet connection has been tested through the site, you’re forever listed on the website with an “expected speed” in megabytes per second (mbps).  But the fun doesn’t stop there; alongside your property’s expected Wi-Fi speed lists your room rates and online reviews courtesy of Hotels.com.  If that isn’t enough, the results can also be shared to Social Media so people can tell all their friends how awesome or terrible your property’s internet is.  For those traveling on business, a strong internet connection can make or break a guest’s stay.  Business travelers are known for repeat business so this website can be very damaging to hotels which rely on this type of customer.

The website does suggest that most hotels offer free Wi-Fi, but many also still charge for access.  A survey released by Telegraph Travel  suggests over 90% of European hotels currently offer free Wi-Fi access.  Free internet access alone is no longer enough, as the website reads, “Nothing could be more disheartening than turning on your laptop, only to realize that the hotel’s Wi-Fi is so slow it will take four hours to view the thirty-minute video.”  Now imagine that thirty-minute video is part of a business traveler’s presentation that he has to give that afternoon?  Needless to say, he won’t be back.

While the chatter of guests expecting free Wi-Fi seems like it just started last week, at the rate technology progresses it’s no surprise they’re already expecting more.  Free Wi-Fi is great, but now it’s only as good as your connectivity.

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Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10995868/Hotels-named-and-shamed-over-slow-costly-Wi-Fi.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/10797654/British-hotels-among-worst-for-Wi-Fi-charges.html

Top 8 Guest Complaints

“More than one third of consumers will not book a hotel room without reading (online) reviews first.” – LateRooms

Discussion of hospitality trends is a constantly changing one that’s usually very unpredictable.  “Online Reviews” is one of those “trend” words that we’ve all been hearing a lot lately.  Online reviews have become directly related to the success of your property.  With the number of online users only increasing as time goes on, these reviews will come to determine the future success of hospitality businesses.  Monitoring and interacting with online reviews has become a cornerstone of successful hospitality business practices.  The engine for which these reviews are shared and posted will always be changing.  Right now, the popular sites are Yelp and TripAdvisor, but in 5-10 years, it could be anything.  Regardless of where people go to post these reviews in the future, they will forever and always be doing it.  It’s your job as a hospitality professional stay on top of these reviews.  One can try to avoid negative reviews from occurring altogether, but if that doesn’t work, then you need to be online fielding these customer reviews; good and bad.

How can you stay on top of your hotel operations to make sure bad reviews aren’t posted in the first place?  HotelInfo.com published a multiple year study detailing the comments and causes related to a negative online customer review.  Here are the top 8 things guests complained about:

1. Extra costs for internet access, parking, breakfast, etc.
   1. Free WiFi has become an expectation. If something as simple as free parking will provide your property with positive customer reviews, it’s worth it.
2. Lack of service
   1. This isn’t always in your control, but making sure your staff is happy and knowledgeable can combat this issue. With emphasis on happy; a happy employee is a happy guest.
3. Breakfast choice
   1. Again, if it gets your property a good review, it’s worth providing some additional breakfast options.
4. Uncomfortable beds
   1. If your beds are uncomfortable, it’s not an easy/cheap upgrade. But to remain successful in the longer term, guest comfort is essential.
5. Dirty rooms
   1. This is no different than lack of service. If your rooms aren’t clean enough, your housekeeping staff needs to be re-evaluated.  Keeping your staff happy is the best preventative measure.
6. Unfriendliness
   1. Same as dirty rooms and lack of service.
7. Quality of breakfast
   1. A cheap breakfast with multiple options is no better than a good breakfast with no options.
8. Hotel does not offer what it promises.
   1. Keep track of your online/print listings and descriptions. If your hotel doesn’t offer listed options, get the info changed to appropriately market your property.

As you can see, a lot of these negative reviews stem from issues that can easily be prevented from occurring in the first place.  If you’re constantly seeing negative reviews for unfriendliness, dirty rooms or general lack of service, you may need to re-evaluate your staff.  Keeping your employees happy and making sure to keep yourself open to them is an easy way to prevent these issues.  If they can knowingly come to management with their questions and issues, they’ll be sorted out much quicker and hopefully help avoid negative reviews in the first place.  Besides issues with your staff, the majority of these complaints come from additional charges for services.  These charges may bring extra income to the property, but they cause negative buzz to your online community and ultimately harm your establishment.  These extra charges should be carefully reconsidered in your future hotel operations.  Extra benefits like this can generate positive reviews and ultimately loyal customers.

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To see the full article including percentage statistics on these top complaints, please visit the link below.

http://www.eturbonews.com/48354/tips-hoteliers-what-do-about-negative-hotel-evaluations?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Eturbonews-TravelAndTourismIndustryNews+%28eTurboNews+-+for+the+global+travel+professional%29

Role of Reviews and Reputation on Buying Success

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2012/07/27/americans-biggest-complaints-about-hotels/

Creating Customer Engagement

Hotels are always looking for new, creative ways to encourage social media interaction between guests and their property.  When considering where to stay on your vacation, the most highly regarded suggestions will come from personal acquaintances, not advertisements or Google suggestions.  Other than word-of-mouth, social media is the best way to get your customers to brag about your property to all of their friends and family.  So how do you get them to interact with your property on social media?  Kimpton Hotels and Marriott have both recently launched a new rewards program giving guest’s benefits and loyalty points for certain “behaviors” on social media.  While a points program is a little more complex, this can easily be used at smaller and non-branded properties to generate “buzz” for your hotel.  Here are a few examples of how this can be done at your property:

–Upon checking in, provide an offer, “Check in on Facebook upon arrival for a free drink coupon or $5 voucher to our restaurant/dining.”

–Upon arriving to the room, “Tweet your favorite feature of the hotel for a free drink coupon.”

–“Post a photo of your room/window view with the hashtag #HotelViews (or anything that fits) for a chance to win a free night’s stay.”  By using a hashtag, you’re able to track all of the participants.

–“Tweet and tag a photo upon arrival to receive 10% off your stay.”

While these are just a few examples and drink coupons are an easy reward to think of, there are tons of different ways to utilize this tactic.  You could offer points that add up to save on your next stay; the more social media interactions, the more points you can earn.  This could turn social media junkies, aka millenials, into a walking, talking customer review for your property by constantly flaunting it online.  Engaging customers online is a new practice and nobody has a clear cut answer as to what works, so be creative and try some new things!  Keeping guests engaged and interacting with your property/brand is an easy way to get free marketing on the most organic platform possible; person-to-person recommendations.  Check out the full USA Today article which discusses how some big brand hotels are utilizing similar programs.

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2014/07/16/kimpton-marriott-rewards-points-twitter-facebook-instagram-foursquare/12696753/

Attributes of Hospitality Leaders

It can be extremely difficult to sort through hundreds of applications looking for the one employee that will satisfy the position and hopefully thrive within your organization.  Older employees will have already laid the groundwork of their career and it’s obvious which ones are successful after a handful of years in the industry.  But how do you recognize talent in a freshly graduated hospitality student?  There are a handful of attributes that standout in hospitality leaders that you can look for.

1. Leadership.  Hotels are never centralized.  It’s important for an employee to be able to manage and lead a team of their peers and interact with other teams throughout the hotel while deliver strong results.
2. Conflict resolution.  Hotels have TONS of conflicts.  They should know how to respond and react to unhappy guests and colleagues.
3. Globalization.  International travel is back on the rise.  Different cultures have different expectations of how they should be treated at your property.  Cultural sensitivity is very important to guests.
4. Regulations.  Hotel regulations and policies are constantly changing.  Employees must address these changes and adapt accordingly to continue success.
5. Internship experience.  The majority of your on-the-job skills that you’ll use are learned through experience, not school.
6. Communication skills.  Being able to effectively communicate via email, social media and in person is essential to a professional appearance in the workplace.
7. Ownership skills.  Employees should understand the management and financial structure as well as the management relationship with the owner or management company.  This helps them understand the top priorities in the hotel and will stand to benefit them in many ways.
8. Ethical behavior.  Golden rule.
9. Attitude.  Hotel guests and employees have an expectation to be treated like they would in the hospitality industry.  You must be friendly and personable at ALL times.
10. Personal appearance.  This one is a no-brainer.  Hotel guests expect employees to maintain a certain level of cleanliness.

While finding new employees that will thrive and grow with your organization is difficult, these are a few things to look for when picking your future leaders.  Students can use these as employee guidelines in any hotel or hospitality establishment.

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Source:

http://www.hotelsmag.com/Industry/Blogs/Details/51212

Social Media Background Checks

We’ve all heard someone preach the sentiment at one point in our lives; “be careful what you post on the internet.”  With modern technology and advancements in social media, it’s very common for people to post their entire lives on the internet for the world to see.  For some, this is not big deal and they have nothing to hide.  For others, they’re painting a picture of themselves that’s damaging to their reputation and ultimately their employment opportunities.  Employers don’t want to hire someone with a bad image to represent their company.  Because of this, employers will frequently turn to engines like Facebook and Google to do a quick background check on their potential new hires.  CareerBuilder released a new survey that found, “51 percent of employers who research job candidates on social media said they’ve found content that caused them to not hire the candidate.”

Upon doing a Google search of a person’s name, you can see their social media accounts, arrest histories, newspaper appearances and anything else that may have been put online.  This is a good practice for your human resources team to use when trying to avoid expensive background checks on potential employees.

So what do you look for in a person’s social media accounts that might make them a bad hire?  Here are just a few examples:

–Bad mouthing former/current employers

–Discriminatory comments

–Links to criminal behavior such as drugs, underage drinking, etc.

–Sharing confidential info from previous employers

While people often view social media as an opportunity to seek out negative qualities in job candidates, this isn’t always the case.  If you’re in the final stages of making a decision and can’t decide between a few candidates, their social media pages can provide insight as to who might be a better fit.  Here are some positive things you can look for to separate the best suited candidates:

–Social media portrays a professional image of the candidate

–Demonstrates strong writing and communication skills among peers

–Background information supports their professional qualifications for the job

–Get a good feel of a candidate’s personality to see if they fit in with the company

While you certainly can’t truly know someone without meeting them and taking the time to get to know them, social media can help you understand who you’re dealing with when it comes to hiring new employees.

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For the full article, please click the following link:

http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-78636.html

Google Glass for Hotels?

The development of futuristic technology has provided hotels with more opportunities than ever to truly impress their guests with a unique experience.  Two hotels, Acme Hotel Chicago and the Stanford Court San Francisco, have found a way to use wearable technology to their advantage.  The highly sought after Google Glass is currently available as a beta program. Google has released the product to “Glass Explorers” who can get the product in hopes that they will reveal the many flaws in the advanced piece of technology.  To get Google Glass, one must sign up and pay a hefty fee of $1500 for what is essentially an unfinished product.  While Glass still has tons of cool and useful features, the polished product will undoubtedly be better.  This makes people reluctant to purchase it as new technology is often buggy.  The Acme Hotel Chicago and Stanford Court San Francisco have signed up to become “Glass Explorers” but the hotels themselves won’t be doing any exploring.

Guests have the option to rent Google Glass during their stay as to enjoy using the product while in an unfamiliar city.  Acme is offering the product on a complimentary basis in three hour blocks for guests to enjoy, while Stanford Court offers the “Google Glass Explorer Package” for just $199 a day.  The opportunity to “borrow” Google Glass for a day is a tourist attraction in itself.  Besides getting the opportunity to test one of the most advanced consumer technology devices on the market, the product has dozens of uses for a traveler in an unfamiliar city.

A few things guests are able to use Glass for when traveling:

• Weather information
• Travel information like maps, travel guides, nearby accommodations, restaurants and more.
• Ability to get live directions from your exact location

The use of this product could essentially eliminate the need of a concierge service in your hotel.  At the moment, it’s financially unrealistic to provide every guest with a pair of Google Glass, but in a few years as new products are unveiled the price will drop as technology always does.  There are several ways you could use Google Glass to increase efficiency at your property behind the scenes for your employees and in the front of the house by providing it to guests.  One hotel brand, Starwood Preferred Guest, has created an app for Glass which allows guests to check into their rooms, call the hotel, look up their reservations and even take virtual tours of individual hotel rooms.

Google Glass is still young and we can’t predict the impact it might have in the future.  But one thing’s for sure, people are anxious to give this product a try; they just don’t want to pay $1500 for it.  This can be a fun and innovative way to enhance your guest’s experience!

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Source:

http://www.hotelsmag.com/Industry/Blogs/Details/50807

5 Economic Expectations of Lodging Sector

While most of the U.S. economy is still slowly recovering from the recession, our industry is looking surprisingly good for the first quarter of 2014 and according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC), 2014 and 2015 are looking good for our industry as well!  PWC, “concentrates on 16 key industries (including hospitality) and provides targeted services that include — but are not limited to — human resources, deals, forensics, and consulting services.”  This lodging outlook has been taken from a combination of, “recent hotel performance…and a macroeconomic environment that is expected to improve.”   Powered mainly by group sales, the first quarter of 2014 outperformed expectations in the lodging industry.  Here are a few things we can expect to see in 2014 and 2015:

2014

1. RevPAR growth of 6.5%, with stronger occupancy growth than previously expected
2. Demand growth of 3.1% with group demand picking up pace significantly
3. Accelerating recovery in lower priced chain-scale segments

2015

4. RevPAR growth of 6.4% driven primarily by rate growth
5. Increasing supply growth at 1.3%, continuing to narrow the gap towards long-term of 1.9%

To sum it up, “group demand strengthens, while occupancy and rate growth accelerate in lower priced chain-scale segments.”  Group sales for things like company getaways and weddings have increased dramatically over the past decade and will continue to do so; particularly in a tourist state like Colorado.

To read the full lodging outlook by PWC, please check out this PDF.

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Unemployment: Why Hire Students?

It’s graduation season!  In a time when eager young professionals are wrapping up their college education, we’re once again reminded of how limited their opportunities are in our current job economy.  There used to be an expectation that if you went to college and earned your degree, that you were essentially guaranteed a job in your field of study.  Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.  The unemployment rate for recent college grads has dropped over the years, but 50% of all employed college grads are employed through unskilled positions.  The hospitality industry is one that can help fix this problem; particularly in tourist states like Colorado.  Our industry is thriving and we have an opportunity to help change this curve!

Hospitality programs are growing in popularity at universities across the country.  These programs dedicate 4 years of a student’s life to learning, practicing and understanding the hospitality industry inside and out.  Not only do these programs give you a pool of qualified individuals to employ at your organization, but these individuals have committed to your industry and will do whatever they can to thrive and succeed.

So much goes into creating a successful hotel and it can be hard to define what makes them successful.  One thing we know that works is having employees that are willing to go the extra mile for guests.  “Hospitality students knew almost instinctually that the cornerstone to the hotel business is building a relationship with the guest.”  Because hospitality students have dedicated so much of their lives to this industry, it comes as no surprise that they are the ones on the front lines with a big smile ready to help with whatever your guests may need.  Employees like this are the ones that create a memorable experience for your guests.

Don’t delay; strong students will get picked up quickly!  Of course, it can’t hurt to hire them before they graduate, giving you an advantageous position to promote them as you see fitting with their experience and learning.

Checkout our website for a list of local hospitality students that have been actively involved with the CHLA and are eager to work and learn in our wonderful industry!  If you’re a student, we also host a job bank on our website of local Colorado hospitality positions that our members are eager to fill!

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Source:

http://www.hotelsmag.com/Industry/Blogs/Details/49800

Forecast: US Mobile Travel Sales to Grow 60%

As mobile technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives it’s beginning to take over many basic functions of your websites.  More consumers than ever are booking their travel accommodations via a mobile device.  According to eMarketer, US mobile travel sales on both tablets and smartphones totaled $16.36 billion in 2013 and will increase another 59.8% this year to reach $26.14 billion.

The growth of mobile sales is causing travel companies and hotels to develop better and more easily navigated mobile websites to ensure simplicity on the customers end.  Assuming the progression of mobile continues, eMarketer has forecasted that by 2018 mobile will be responsible for 37% of all digital travel sales while sales via desktops and laptops will continue to decrease year over year.  As tablets replace desktop and laptop computers in homes, consumers are becoming more likely to book larger transactions and longer trips on their tablets as opposed to PCs.

Make sure your company has an updated and compatible mobile website.  This can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful hotel brands in the upcoming decade.  For more information including the full article, please visit, http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1010828.

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5 Ways to Handle Unhappy Customers

There are so many ways to deal with unhappy customers.  Some methods are more effective than others but the most important thing you can do is let the guest know you’re making a sincere effort to fix whatever’s wrong.  Being able to successfully deal with these situations on the spot is essential to good management and a successful business.  Here are 5 key steps to making sure that guest doesn’t leave your business unhappy.

1. Learn the facts from all parties involved.  Before approaching the customer, ask the employee who was first presented with the situation what their take is.  Often times they will have a different perspective on the issue than the customer will.  Then proceed to ask the customer what they believe has occurred and how they were wronged.  Once you have all the facts, you can make a decision on the situation should be handled.
2. Know your abilities and limitations in the steps available that you can take to fix the issue.  Are you allowed to give complimentary items? Can you give them an extra night’s stay?  Have a thorough understanding of all your options prior to dealing with the unhappy customer.  More often than not, a bad situation can be fixed with some other form of compensation; but make sure you’re authorized to provide said compensation before you do it.
3. Inform the customer that you are the person that will assist them.  Make them feel valued and personally help them to solve their issue.  This way there is only one party involved in fixing the situation and customers don’t feel brushed aside by being sent to various people.
4. Get direct assistance from others in your organization; if you’re not able to resolve the issue yourself.  If you’re unable to fix the issue at hand, there is usually another employee who is readily available that can help solve your problem.  Go directly to them and ask for their help as to solve the issue in a timely manner.
5. Follow up with the customer.  This one is a no-brainer.  While solving the issue, you’ll usually receive the customers contact information.  Make it a point to reach out to them after the fact and offer to personally take their reservation should they choose to come back.  Make sure they know that you’ve taken the time to personally assure their satisfaction.

While there are of course many ways to handle an unhappy customer, these are a few steps you can take when something comes up unexpectedly and you’re forced to make quick decisions.  To read the full article, please visit; http://www.hospitalitynet.org/column/154000392/4065105.html

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