Selling online – we probably all agree that it’s impossible to manage hospitality business today without selling on the internet. One of our clients raised a question during our last meeting about whether they always consider how easy it is for customers to reach them and start using their services, or do they prioritise their own convenience? We discuss which department does what and when, and whether there is time and ‘We will respond to your emails within 24 hours at the latest.” Primarily, we should always consider the convenience and desires of the client…
Technology integration is essential for online sales to be possible at all. In this era of high expectations and digital compatibility, integrating various technologies is not just a luxury but a strategic necessity for accommodation facilities aiming to provide a smooth and easy service experience that also minimises time consumption.
Which technology communicates with which, and what are the benefits that primarily the client and I myself can gain? What are the effort and cost involved, and what is the gain – so that the goal justifies the means and we can look at the bigger picture. One thing that is certain today – in the hospitality business, not all those dozens of different technologies communicate with each other. Consequently, it is important to determine where we are willing to make compromises. Whether it’s accounting software, revenue management software, or marketing and sales software.
All services – if yesterday the hospitality business’s shopping cart contained “accommodation for one night for two”, today customers want to add all services to their shopping cart. In addition to accommodation, they may want to purchase, for example:
– an Igloo sauna today for 2 hours from 19:00 to 21:00;
– snacks and drinks for 10 people upon arrival at the sauna, and one of us is vegan;
– a “brainstorming meeting room” tomorrow morning from 9:00 to 11:00, including breakfast and coffee.
All the accommodation services, regardless of time, in one shopping cart, comparable to products in an e-shop cart like: Nike sneakers size 38, G-Star jeans size 29, and a yellow headband. Sounds simple, logical, doesn’t it? Why should purchasing accommodation services be any different from buying NIKE sneakers?
Online sales – while it was only recently possible and desirable to sell a room, apartment, or house online, today customers want to be able to buy or book all services through the internet. You probably agree that reserving a restaurant spot over the phone is “yesterday’s news”, or even that ‘if you can’t be bought or booked online, then you don’t exist.
Speed means that a customer wants to complete the purchase of “one night in a double room for two people” with just two clicks. Why? Because Amazon allows for quick purchases, and why should buying ‘a night’s stay’ be any different from an Amazon purchase?
When we started our company, we created a “booking engine” for reserving accommodations, which was followed by the creation of the hotel sales and management software BOUK, in response to customer demands. Now, with BOUK, we have reached where the clients have led us—all services and products in one shopping cart, including accommodations and all other services.
Online sales in today’s terms are guided by the words “speed”, “contactlessness” and “all services”.
Contactless solutions are no longer an option, but the norm. Online check-in at accommodations is nowadays as commonplace as purchasing and booking the accommodation itself online. In the wave of contactlessness, the sale and purchase of additional services online before, during, and after checking into the accommodation have followed. It is also common that the same PIN code received on your phone opens the gate to park your car; opens the building door to access your room or apartment; and the same code allows you to enter the spa to spend the designated 3 hours just for you.
Here is a good real-life example on the topic of contactlessness and educating the customer. After an apartment hotel installed automatic locks and eliminated the daily presence of staff, customers had to start checking in online and paying for their accommodation themselves. Although the customers received precise instructions on what, where, and when to do things, they did not delve into it but started calling and writing – “how do I do this, I can’t find it, I don’t know how, etc”. Then the hotel implemented a “customer assistance service fee of 10 euros”. The customers didn’t disappear, and thereafter managed on their own.
Habit has great power, and adapting to changes, even when they are not just trends but the norm, can take time and we might encounter resistance. But this is an opportunity for educating the client.
Sources used:
12 Hotel Marketing Trends To Increase Bookings in 2024
Hospitality Horizons 2024: Navigating the Top Trends
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