How Hotels Can Win More Business Travel

March 13, 2009 · Comments

Office Space at Courtyard It’s a tough time to be a hotel. I know this because when using Priceline, I’m finding that I can name a price more than 50% below threshold most of the time and get it. I think there are opportunities to make up for this, however, and that there are many ways that hotels can pick up business customers to help fill a few beds. Here are my thoughts:

How Hotels Can Win More Business Travel

Get Aggressive With Search- I just cooked up this Twitter search, which looks at where people are staying for the SXSW conference, and I found several people asking for lodging. If I were an Austin, TX hotel property with open beds, I’d go after each and every one of them with a rate quote and an easy link to make the reservation. You can do this ceaselessly. Twitter offers up all kinds of data from business travelers all the time for free.

Improve Your Concierge Service – How hard would it be to database your guests a little bit, and start to understand their recurring business travel needs? How difficult would it be to share them across properties? When I visit a property, I need a few things each time. I need to know where the nearest drug store is (in case I need medicine or some other travel supply). I need to know where a few types of restaurants are, including somewhere to take business colleagues, and somewhere to get healthy food for cheap. I might need to know where the nearest Best Buy or Apple store are, too. If you could learn what I need, then have that databased so that it’s fresh and relevant when I visit other properties.

Get Aggressive With Offers – Right now, there’s no reason why not to build incentives into property loyalty. Hotels.com has a book 10 nights through them, get 1 night free (without any loyalty required to any particular chain). It’s a really clever offer. It could be countered easily and retain chain loyalty fairly easily.

Seek Out More Events – Scour Upcoming.org and Facebook and other places where events are listed and see if there’s maybe potential for a tie-in offer. As events are cutting back costs, fewer conferences are booking an official hotel. There’s no reason hotels can’t step in and offer up group rates. The beds are just as empty, yes?

Add Business Value – Some places offer conference rooms. Others offer suites. In-room, some places have great desks for working with plenty of outlets, and decent office chairs (I recently stayed at an Embassy Suites hotel in Boston that had a great desk and office chair. I felt very comfy working there). The more ways my hotel room and the building’s amenities can offer up more and more business value, the better.

Why Go After Business Travel?

Vacations are being cut back, without a doubt. Those types of customers are looking for budget cutting measures all the way around. Though businesses are seeking discounts and cost-reduction as well, I feel that some level of business travel must continue to occur. I feel that hotels will benefit from courting niche markets, and by catering to classes of traveler who might react immediately to the attention paid to them.

What do you think? Would this impact your travel plans in either direction?

See also, USA Today’s 10 Travel Trends for 2009.

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  • If there is an upside to the recession for hotels it is that owners will have a little bit more time to think about the services they can improve and new ones they can offer.

    Tough markets lead to innovation - it's a hard time for hotels but their customers will gain long term, now is the time to really innovate with service and do everything to win customer loyalty.

    As far as travel plans go, at least in Europe many businesses have been moving down to low cost airlines and cheaper hotels for years, my own business travel question is: Is this REALLY essential, and if it is what is the lowest cost way to go - I'd rather save my money for the family holiday.
  • One thing that I have never understood is that the majority of the, especially smaller hotels do not build email lists, and if they do it that they are not using it.
    So my first suggestion would be to build your email list, and if you already have one, use it!

    One other thing that I noticed is that for example flights are getting cheaper and cheaper. Four months ago I flew from Europe to South Africa for Euro 900, right now I can take the same flight for Euro 499 (incl all taxes etc). A lot of the airlines are stunting with their prices to just get people on board. Hotels could advertise this much more (to their email list) but also in general adverts. Perhaps it is even possible to put an affiliate link to airlines with offers. But the MAIN reason for doing so is to help the visitor, as I have found that most of them do not know that flying to South Africa can be so cheap. South Africa has always been quite expensive to fly to. And I am 100% sure that this 40% rate cut can be found in a lot of other countries as well

    Hope this helps

    Richard
  • Why do so many hotels that purport to cater for business people still, in 2009, have the audacity to charge for Wi-Fi internet connection?
  • Hotels want people rack rate when they show up last minute. Priceline itself could change its model to match people with rooms. I think that hotel room pricing should be more transparent anyway. Arbitrary pricing is confusing and confused customers never buy.
    If hotels bid on customers in an open bidding process, it would be best for the customer.
  • Hi Chris

    I've been following your blog rss for a few weeks now - consistently good topics that challenge how we should all think about running our businesses and this one is another cracking example that most if not all could be applied to any business.

    I'm fond of saying "outside the box' - annoying for some i know but it really is the innovative "what could I be doing?" mentality that is going to win through in the end.

    We're going to be experimenting with cross-product promotion in the coming weeks - if a customer bough this or looked at this, then here's another gift idea on that theme etc. Hardly cutting edge or new thinking i know but with the realisation from our page stats that many visitors are landing on product specific pages rather than arriving at the main shop gift page, this makes good sense as we expand our personalised gift portfolio.

    Service is still the important element - if people feel they got good service rather than just deserved it, they'll come back for more.

    Thanks - Jonathan.
  • Hilton is awfully close to this. With a few additional fields in their database, they'd be right on track with exactly what you're suggesting for Hilton HHonors members. I just booked a Hilton yesterday for upcoming travel, and because I'm a Hilton HHonors member and have filled out my online profile, they know without even having to ask that I prefer a king bed, non-smoking room, and bottled water when I arrive. Just add a few more searchable tables in that database, and wahlah! Your dream comes true. Would be so little investment on the back-end for huge gains on the front end.
  • I agree with Gee Ranasinha's comment -- how can some hotels still charge for WiFi in this day and age? And the last time I tried to login at Starbucks they were still charging and doing the sign-up thing. I'm all in favor of making money on the internet, but some things -- like WiFi and oxygen -- should be free.
  • I agree with Rachel about the Hilton. It is always my first choice! They know my habits; they would never allow housekeeping to storm into my room, 45 minutes before my wake up call; again when I was in the shower especially when they know I have breakfast arriving at a certain time. I was never able to track down the overzealous housekeeper would keep trying to bolt into my room. I thought that if I called housekeeping and the front desk to put a stop to it –it would end. I was on conference calls and told housekeeping and the front desk I would be checking out at the 12 check out time. It didn’t stop – in all it happened 6 times!!! I didn't hang the sign on my door because I was afraid I wouldn't get my breakfast! And I was already busy on calls and thought my eariler calls would take care of the problem. It did not! So if by chance you elect to stay somewhere new, like the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, IL and you call the concierge because you are not happy, you tell someone at check out why you are not happy, you email a complaint with your survey of your stay, on why you were not happy and how such a simple thing could be corrected and you still never get a response, shame on me if I ever go back!
  • I agree with your point about getting aggressive with offers, but I think in the current economy, hotels are going to have to step it up even more. With families cutting costs wherever possible, they're probably going to go for cheaper hotels. So expensive places are going to have to cater to the business crowd, like you say. I think they need to do even better than 1 free night for every 10. After all, most business trips don't last 10 days.
  • Chris, I don't want to sound promotional here, but as you know I work for Best Buy Remix. A developer group called Product Ops just created an application called BBFinder on the Best Buy Remix API. ( http://bbb.productops.com/ ) It's a super simple Adobe Air app that will very quickly locate the nearest Best Buy and let you know if they have what you need in stock. I hope this helps in a small portion of your needs.

    This is a great post! I agree on all accounts. I tried to get AA Batteries when I came in to Austin yesterday and the gift shop was out. No one could seem to tell me where to go. Weird??? I wasn't asking for anything exotic. Still looking for those batteries :)

    @keithburtis
  • You are exactly right - when in LA, I always try to stay at the Hyatt Century City - - and they always ask me, 'so is this your first time here?' when I check in. 'No', I reply, 'I was here last week'. Sometimes I get free breakfast coupons, and sometimes I dont. Sometimes the room is $300, and sometimes its $220. Sometimes I get an upgrade, and sometimes I dont. And its $20 to work out. Even as a platinum or whatever member, they have no idea who I am, or what I care about. Yeah, so why do I stay there? That's a good question - based on the other comments, I should try the Hilton!
  • Eirka
    In the hotel business everything varies from one day to another, one day you are upgraded and another time you aren’t, one time you have one price and other time another, it is all a question of availability (FYI), as for the price most of hotels and airlines are using yield management because there is always a high or a low season. After all it is a business, right? So they have to make money to keep their stakeholder, their staff and management happy.
  • I just came back from staying in Portland, OR at the same hotel that I have stayed many times before. When I checked in the front desk person asked, "Have you stayed here before?" Why doesn't she know this?

    I said yes, she then said, "well then, welcome back".
  • Chris you always manage to hit the spot with your blog posts. I teach one course in a college preparing people for careers in the hotel industry. Their marketing lecturer 1) does not tie marketing concepts to the realities of the hotel sector (how could he since he has never worked there) and 2) blanks over when I talk about Twitter and facebook ans how useful these are for finding out about the needs and desires of potential clients.
    In other words people are being prepared to work in the hotel sector that are inadequately taught so how can the average hotel harness the power of the internet.
    Hmmmm ...maybe there is a biz opportunity here - to educate hotels in the the use of Facebook, Twitter etc. Anyone want to JV on this ?!!!!
  • gerardmclean
    Hotels should also watch that their furniture matches the needs of their guests. I often stay at hotels that are very nice, but the furniture, lighting, power and Internet is entirely unusable (look like Chris has a nice lamp that is crappy for computer tasks! How's that light bouncing off your eyeball?)

    More opinions on this at http://www.tourneycentral.com/fitting-together....

    @gerardmclean @dogwalkblog
  • Chris, you're ideas are innovative and that's what all businesses need to do in a recession. Proactive thinking separates the companies that will thrive from the ones that barely make out of a down economy. Harnessing the power of the Internet and social media is key right now. The conversations taking place can lead to real business opportunities if organizations are willing to take the time to listen, learn and then use the information in their outreach. Great post!
  • There is a lot of room for hotels and other travel based businesses to go social. I believe that a concentrated effort by one of the larger hotel chains to offer deals and travel advice on the web is a strong opportunity to avoid losses to do current economic conditions and travel prices. It has not really been done yet, but it will be done soon.

    I love the point about business travel. Business travel represents the one area of travel that will not take a huge hit during a recession. And, in addition, business travelers are likely to spend more money no matter where they go. Nice post.
  • I'd be BLOWN away if a hotel went the extra mile to "know me" and the service was a bit more tailored to my needs. That would set a hotel apart in my mind and be something i'd tell others about.

    http://twitter.com/franswaa
  • gerardmclean
    @Frank Probably not. Even the hotels that DO know me tend to sell me what they HAVE rather than what I NEED. Not sure why, but I think there really isn't a lot of margin in running a hotel and they just don't have the cash, in spite of what people think.
  • FYI The margin in hospitality is thus, it cost between $7-$20.00 depending on the market to CLEAN the room you might have paid as much as $175.00 to sleep in last night. ( depending on the market the season etc)
    Run properly a hotel hums along with a 70% profit margin, which offsets the much smaller percentages on the Food and Beverage side of the equation.
    The biggest problem within the hospitality industry is the core inventory of
    their business is truly their staff, underpaid, under recognized, and under trained.
    The industry as a whole is very top down, moguls and magnets and titans at the helm and peons running the show. That is not intended to be politically incorrect.
    The WORK that is done by the "crew members" is important, just not recognized as such. There is a goldmine of information about how to improve the business resting in the working hands of the working staff, but the old world Baron Von H approach to the business undermines what could change the model.
  • Hi Chris - thanks for these thoughts!

    As someone who owns a small hotel in the Caribbean where travel is said to be off somewhere between 50 to 70% I can speak with some credit to courting niche markets.

    We do not see too many business travelers here on Culebra, but we have been successful at targeting our property to people who are looking for an easy escape from the U.S., no large chain hotels, and amazing beaches.

    However, this is not the key.

    In my opinion, the real strategy is to first define your goals. You can't go after a niche if you don't really know who you are (as a property) or where you hope to go in the future.

    Once your goals are defined then the real work begins, your niche MUST be able to find you! It’s where we have had some success and it’s also the place in which social media is at its very best.

    I think the large chain hotels (the ones courting business travelers) would like to attract various niches, but if they are not willing to lay the all important groundwork to gain trust in the various forums, blogs, etc....then they are setting themselves up to fail. However, if they actively participated in social media conversations around the various platforms of whatever niche they are hoping to attract and helped people then I think they could increase their business exponentially.

    As always, kind regards,
    Mark H.
    @mark_hayward
  • As the developer of a hospitality loyalty program for a fine dining chain, I believe that knowing who one's customers are and providing data to staff about preferences, prior purchases is primary to success. Knowing one's customers is the best marketing a business can do. In our attempts to create efficient companies, we've taken the one to one out of what we do. Twitter facilitates one to one communication.

    Most companies don't want to spend the $$ developing/teaching and using their databases. Their front desk staffs turn over like a restless sleeper and there is often a lack of training. I believe Zappos get it right when they say they will only hire those passionate about something in life because passionate people translate caring into action. There are plenty of people out there who'd like jobs and I believe would embrace the model you've outlined. Maureen is right as is Gillian. Gillian, I'll JV with you on this because customer service is something I'm passionate about.

    And Gee, I'm with you, water and WiFi should be free.

    Keith, what a great post to respond to someone's needs. Now that's one to one.
  • You have a lot of readers, and I hope some of them hold sway in the hotel industry because I'm going to second/third the comment so far.. free wifi, free wifi, free wifi, free wifi!

    It's not so much the cost of the wifi that irritates me - it's not knowing what it will be or how it will work. Most hotels are really bad at providing this information on their sites (it's rare you'll be able to see how much it costs or if it's wired vs wireless, etc). Further, if you are going to charge for wifi, charge it to my room.. don't make me pull out yet another credit card :)
  • Most people don't really care about the hotel as long as price is within means. Have more aggressive deals and search out they should be proactive with the people who will be traveling there.
  • Hi Craig - price may well be the initial factor for the first time visitor but how about a bit more pro-activity in trying to retain their custom? From the comments above, it seems very few are leaving a favourable impression - at least enough to make you want to go back and not enquire after any 'cheaper' deal, the next time you travel.

    Jonathan.
  • @Fabulous Photo Gifts I could see that. But those are completely 2 diff types of customers, the ones just their for a night or two, and those who are frequent travelers for business and would be repeat customers. The average traveler wouldn't be considered a repeat customer. If the hotels can do research on it and differentiate the two I agree.
  • As a SocialMedia/PR/Marketing firm that focuses on the hospitality, lodging, resort, restaurant space - I highly agree with your main points. The hurdle we have faced with most clients is getting them to be proactive v. reactive. Many will wait for events (Such as when the RNC was here in MSP/STP). We are working with hotels to build followings and then to not be afraid to market/promote empty rooms. Giving away a suite at a sweet deal really works on loyalty and brand evangelists. The larger chains such as Hilton & Marriot are starting to really embrace it, where other chains and independants are just skimming the surface.

    The simple act of posting up reviews and customer testimonials can go a long way towards gaining new consideration.

    Great conversation!

    -Christopher
  • It's a sound idea but one that could have some restrictions. If a hotel has a lot of traffic that isn't regular, for example, how many times would they have to get to know each guest?

    There could be thousands of possible requests for specific information, which obviously would take up a lot of man hours to gather and then offer.

    So does the hotel just offer this service to the regular customers (or companies) and make it almost a VIP service? Or does it go the whole hog and try meet everyone's requests?
  • It's a sound idea but one that could have some restrictions. If a hotel has a lot of traffic that isn't regular, for example, how many times would they have to get to know each guest?

    There could be thousands of possible requests for specific information, which obviously would take up a lot of man hours to gather and then offer.

    So does the hotel just offer this service to the regular customers (or companies) and make it almost a VIP service? Or does it go the whole hog and try meet everyone's requests?
    Oops, should have said good post! Waiting on your next post!
  • It's all about customer service and smart business strategies. Do you want the customer to like you? Or better yet, come back? If the answer is yes - especially in our current economic situation - then hotels (and other service industry businesses) are going to have to rethink the way in which they do business.

    It seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? Can anyone tell me why hotels weren't already doing some of these things that Chris proposes? By the way, Chris, the tourism industry NEEDS you! We should talk sometime about getting you as a speaker at some statewide tourism conferences in Texas.
  • Great Ideas Chris - I'm the Sales Director for a small (only 28 room) Inn on Martha's Vineyard so not too much business travel here, but we are monitoring and engaging and working VERY hard on retention. A Repeat Guest is money in the bank and every hotel's best advertising. I love when I hear that someone was personally reffered to us. We contact every guest before the come, to ask if they need planning help, we follow up after they leave and yes, we even have free wifi and a small conference room. I know it's much easier for me with only 28 rooms to keep up with, but the same basics can be easily translated to a much larger property - it's my job to make sure every guest has all the info and help they need to have a great stay with us. Period.
  • Chris - Once again, fantastic post. I do consulting for hotels, small lodging, destinations, and attractions. Earlier this week I was walking along a private beach with an island owner, discussing these same issues.

    One big thing that ALL lodgings should offer is comped wifi. It seems the more expensive the hotel, the more they charge you for the extras. Value is key.
  • I don't travel as much for business as I used to, but we had an internal department that booked about 90% of our hotel stays. We had filled out an entire profile on preferences for smoking/non, bed size, preferred view type, etc. Gathering information like this takes a single step somewhere in the process, and could be used to generate so much business! I stayed at a bed and breakfast about an hour from where I live in NJ, and I would love to go back. It would be wonderful to get an email from them saying something along the lines of "Jamie, the flower suite at our B&B is available this Saturday night for 50% off! Book now!" With a link to give me easy access to that reservation, you probably have me booking a room right away.

    A huge problem I had with some hotels while donig a lot of traveling was the lack of clear indication of "this is where your internet access is coming from." Tell me immediately and clearly if it is wireless or if I have to plug in, and PLEASE don't hide the cable in the closet somewhere - because that is just ridiculous.
  • Great Suggestions. It would be great to be able to indicate interests when booking and have a custom sheet printed with what is going in the city from amenities to dining and entertainment.

    Most hotels are Web 0.1 and for all of the low cost sometimes free solutions out there the return on investment would be very attractive.
  • Hi Chris - The reality is that leisure travel is suffering much less than corporate travel in this crisis. At some point, leisure travel's decline will level off - people will visit families, people will eventually go on vacations again - but corporate travel is different - it's a controllable expense which CFOs are intensively focused on right now (they finally got the message!), and more and more, companies are going to a procurement approach which is going to drive some of the added value and incentives you listed above right out of the market.

    Business hotels generally concentrate their sales energy on their volume customers, who in the past were professional travel buyers who were skilled in squeezing both savings and value out of their hotels. Individual travelers like you benefit because of the demands of the high-volume buyers - HP, Boeing, MS, JP Morgan etc who individually purchase hundreds of millions of dollars in travel services each year. These buyers are cutting way back. Way, way back. So are the smaller accounts. And they are staying at Holiday Inss now, instead of Sheratons. And they are laying off the employees who used to travel. And they are cancelling meetings. You may need a conference room, but most companies are deciding right now that they can do without the offsites and the added expense. They're going to webex and freeconference.com, anything to reduce cost. So the hotel is stuck with a lot of expensive square footage that isn't making them any money.

    More and more, travel management is now dumped into procurement departments, where it is sourced like rubber bands or cell phones, by people who can negotiate on price up to a point, but don't necessarily know how to get the perks and amenities - things like free wifi that the hotels don't want to give away anyway. I know a lot of travel managers who've been laid off, and if you're a travel supplier, you have to wonder what these companies are thinking - while welcoming the opportunity to increase prices every way you can.

    Service is great, and I'm all in favor of profiling guests and anticipating needs, but until a Boeing or MS buyer says 'my travelers always need to know where the nearest drugstore is,' that is probably something you're just going to have to ask the front desk for.
  • HI !
    i agree with burkot ! one have to be aggressive but i am little confused about this business because my point of view is that their is not much risk in this hotel business ....
  • Hi Chris, I really like this post. Let me ask you, is there a way business's or the hotel using your example could database its customers preferences using social media apps?
  • Interesting post. I totally agree that there are a lot hotels can do to increase their business, not only by attracting more customers, but also by providing more added value services.

    A few months ago I wrote the blog post "7 steps to better hostels" and I think that many of these steps could be considered by most hotels as well.
  • [...] don’t need no stinkin’ concierge! March 14, 2009 at 6:46 am | In Uncategorized | Chris Brogan writes about ways hotels can win business traveler’s hearts and [...]
    P.S. - Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
  • Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2007, there were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as compared to 2006. International tourist receipts were USD 856 billion in 2007
  • Hotel chains are a weird model. While there aren't a ton of different brand flags flying outside their door, the ownership and often management of each is highly fragmented. They count on the brand to spec operating systems and to drive demand.

    What Chris is recommending requires each hotel to operate like they are their own cafe shaped business and rely less on the mothership. Tough times require creativity. I like the idea of improving listening skills and creating new opportunities using social media.

    Till now, most hotels are relying very heavily on solutions like Trip Advisors, Expedia, etc. There is critical mass in these channels that can't be ignored.

    After 9/11 hotels had a terrible problem with rate integrity. You could get a rate for one price on hotels.com and potentially a different price at their own brand.com They have invested significantly into the incredible number of distribution channels to ensure that you can get the best rate on their brand.com site.

    Many hotels are definitely hurting with the cut backs in leisure and business travel. They are in a business that is highly driven by the supply and demand. They need to institute a variable pricing each and every night to maximize revenue. Generally speaking, we should see hotels offering the greatest flexibility in pricing for weekend stays. Additionally, most revenue management experts recommend not overly discounting rate, but increasing value. Good news is that we should start seeing more hotels throw in WiFi, parking and breakfast.
  • Hi Chris,

    I've been a reader for a couple months. Great stuff!

    Here's a suggestion for a spin-off story: How Airlines Can Win More Business Travel.

    Have airlines not noticed people fly with notebooks (even when we're traveling for personal reasons)? Do they not know that we need electricity?

    Just do this: give me an electrical outlet next to my seat at the gate area, so I don't have to sit on the floor next to the only available outlet. And provide electrical jacks on board. A few airlines are starting to offer power on board, although in some cases only for the expensive seats up front or only in certain rows, and you need to call ticketing to find out which. Not even the flight attendants know.
  • Hotels need to offer their business travelers incentive to return as leisure travelers - especially those biz travelers with families. I like the hotels.com offer - would definitely use that so that a family trip can benefit from the free night offer.
  • And yet some hotel chains just don't get it. I've been a loyal HIlton customer for several years, but am just not traveling that much right now. Instead of making an effort to figure out what might spur me to travel more, they decided that a better tactic would be to try force: buy something from us or you'll forfeit the points you've earned using your Hilton loyalty program. I simply don't think that's the right approach.
  • Now a days, Most of the travelers choose to stay in the cheaper hotels in order to save money during the trip.Most of the hotels now even it is cheap you can avail some facilities like those expensive one. :)
  • Chris good post, but don't throw leisure travel under the bus just yet. Michael Wardlow is right. The issue is profitability for business traveler is high, especially in airfares, e.g. it takes 3 or 4 leisure travelers to deliver the profit of one business traveler on average.

    Also hotels need to think regional for the next 6 months. If gas prices stay under $2.50 for the summer, you bet shorter (300-500 mile) vacations will be up. We are working right now with the top golf course in Minnesota to drive early bookings from a 4 state area.

    Now the interesting part of your post is the longer tail. While the actions you recommend today may not be enough to fight corporate nickel and dime watchers, as the purse strings let up, travelers will reward their sacrifices today with "I deserve it" accommodations later.

    Speaking of hotels, I have to book my room for San Fran's InBound Marketing Summit see you there.
  • Rachel, what Hilton should know is whether you have a blog or you are an active commenter online. That is a key element that hotels are missing, I suggested to a provider of hotel software that such a metric would be a value add to their product. They are thinking about it.
  • Great post and equally great responses which I spent a huge amount of time gold mining. Chris shared many, and those responding shared even more nuggets. I operate a 41 room value added property in a North state community, I would say that the business traveler has become more internet and industry (hospitality) savvy than those of the past. We are linked to the economy sector because of our brand, but are approach and property exceed the rest of the properties in our sector.

    Too many operators fail to service the customer, watch their rates and find and meet the needs of their own unique niche. We offer one-price-pays-all, express check-in and express check out. No guessing what all those charges are when you check-out. Also, it speeds up the process and the guest is in and out of their room with limited time spent. The time the do have we use to inject information, suggests and ideas for eating and activities in the area. Get to know them and see if we can assist in their stay.

    As for WiFi, the economy chains got this a long time ago. They don't charge for it. Mostly those hotels that think they'll go under if they give needed amenities at no cost. Most economy properties (branded,) have introduced standards that make the systems work. It seems the larger hotels and resorts use it as a revenue income instead of a value added amenity.

    TripAdvisor, Facebook, Twitter and the host of other resources are there, it's just that too many are content to complain that business is bad and they continue to the things they have always done and they wonder why they are not being successful. I daily use a gorilla marketing approach to my market. Even reading the post and... I said and the replies! Nuggets are found in hidden places. Rare one is just found in your pocket, search for them!

    When it is all said and done, the properties that work the business, keep their eyes open and take the time to maybe even "sleep" in their own rooms and see what they're guests are experiencing - they will grow regardless of business. As for us, Business is Good !

    Yours in Service,
    Stephen Jones
    540 North Market Street
    Redding, California 96003
    1-800-243-1106
    http://www.reddingtravelodge.com
    "Redding's Best Kept Lodging Secret"
  • Chris - Love your comments about elevating the concierge offerings. This would take some effort but the payoff would be more than worth it. It's getting horribly difficult to compete on price in the hotel business. So what's left bu to compete of customer service?

    KS
  • Pyro
    Being aggressive in offers and search really made the business of hotels more valuable. Also the points which are added to these ones are also very much important. I can easily guess how far u worked for this article.
    loyalty programs
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