If you want to be able to successfully book more clients into your accommodation, it’s definitely worth considering these marketing strategies.
Guest satisfaction is now more important than ever. If you have an accommodation rental business, your goal should always be to increase customer satisfaction. You're in the hospitality business, so service is king. You'll want to give your clients the best home away from them. It may not be the most luxurious accommodation, but it’s able to spark happy memories while they’re in it.
There’s a lot to learn about being the best host, so you can attract more clients to your accommodation. Be it a vacation home, apartment, room space, or hotel, there’s always so much you can do to give that five-star service. The tourism and hospitality industry is also a competitive one, creating the need for all that hard work.
If you want to be able to successfully book more clients into your accommodation, it’s definitely worth considering these marketing strategies when you choose to become a host.
1. Reach out with post-booking communication
The accommodation has been booked by your client, and you’ve confirmed it through your confirmation message. Don’t just stop there. Take your customer service a step higher by sending a message in that post-booking phase.
For instance, send a welcome email or a welcome text. Ask your guests about any special requests they have, which you may be able to accommodate. Of course, if the request is too extra, then you can always ask for payment before arranging that request. It'll still go far for your clients that you’ve made all the arrangements on their behalf, relieving them of the stress and effort from their end.
If the request is minimal and you can accommodate it at no added cost to you, then go ahead and take the extra mile. A small welcome snack basket? Water for their young kids? A small toy? The return it brings when clients are happy during their stay will be worth it. Your reviews are going to be consistently positive, and you’ll have clients who’d go out of their way to recommend your accommodation to their own network of connections.
2. Expand booking channels
While many holiday-goers today use their credit cards to make accommodation bookings, this doesn’t mean you should only cater to credit cards as your mode of payment. There are still those who prefer debit cards, bank transfers, and even cash payments upon arrival. To make your accommodation win more bookings, you need to be more accessible. This means expanding your booking channels to be more inclusive.
Moreover, register your accommodations to as many booking apps and engines as possible. Individuals may have their preferred booking engine. Enable it also on your website. If you have social media sites, have a link to your site.
When you expand your booking channels, you’re possibly attracting more potential new clients. You're also making your vacation accommodation more visible in the online space.
3. Make your marketing campaigns immersive
Marketing is key for you to survive the competitive business arena of the travel and hospitality industry. You have to market your vacation rentals for them to be well-known.
With that, it’s important to decipher how you should market your vacation accommodations. For instance, nowadays, an immersive marketing campaign is what works. Don't just be limited to having photos of your hotel, resort, villa, or vacation home—venture out into having videos as well.
Having videos of your rooms, amenities, and façade, for instance, gives potential clients a better idea of what it’s like to stay in your accommodation. It's unlike photos where those who are interested in booking are merely looking at stills.
Likewise, videos are a no-fail way to tug on your potential clients’ emotions. It creates a sense of excitement, when, through watching your videos, they’re more convinced that booking your accommodation is a good idea.
4. Run a rewards system
Frequent guests love it when they’re rewarded for their patronage. They'll be more inclined to book your accommodation when your return clients receive discounts, for instance. Even a small reward or discount coupon is a big thing already. Or, perhaps you’d like to award an hour’s worth of free massage in your spa, as well as a dinner-for-two treat at your hotel restaurant?
A rewards sales strategy is one of those which can generate repeat bookings. With loyal customers, you may have enough customers to cover for the seasons when you may be finding it challenging to gain new bookings from new clients.
Conclusion
Owning a hotel or a vacation rental accommodation is something that means serious business. The root of your business philosophy is to keep customers happy and satisfied throughout. At the end of the day, remember that you’re running a business. You have to earn an income and you have to stay afloat despite the competition. These are the reasons why it’s always a goal to be able to book more clients. Your sales strategies should bank on the commitment of five-star guest service.
