6 Tips to Attracting Repeat Guests to Your Inn
The first impression you make on your hotel guests is also the last impression you make on them.
This is why you need to pay careful attention to the entire customer journey from your digital footprint (your website, social media, online ads, and email marketing) to the reception of your guests, their stay, and the aftercare of each one of your hotel guests.
To help you, we’ve put together six tips to attracting repeat guests to your inn. With these great tips, you’ll find your retention continue to rise.
#1: Train Your Staff
The first step to attracting repeat guests is offering the very best customer service.
The inns that go above and beyond in every customer interaction are the ones that have high retention rates and brand ambassadors in their current customers.
By training your staff on an ongoing basis, you ensure they’re capable of providing that great service.
Do note that because you are in the hospitality industry, your customers expect exceptional customer service. They want an overall great experience. This is what encourages them to return again and again. (tweet this)
Think about the things you appreciate when you travel away from home. Make note of these things and offer them to your own guests. Then, take it a step beyond and offer more.
For example, a welcome text with a suggestion for great restaurants in the area goes a long way to building loyalty.
Do remember, too, that great service extends beyond customer interactions. It begins on your website and in your social media. For example, how user friendly is your website. Does it load quickly? Can guests quickly find the room they are looking for and book with ease?
In addition, when people interact with you on social media, do you respond quickly, kindly, and empathetically?
All of the interactions guests have with your property help them decide whether or not they will return.
#2: Make Booking Easy
You make your first impression on your guests when they visit your website during the research and booking process.
You want to ensure it’s easy to book a room and your website offers a good customer experience.
#3: Respond Promptly
On those occasions when guests have a problem with something at your inn, you want to respond quickly.
It’s important that you first listen to them, then you acknowledge their problem, and then you offer some solutions.
When something happens that upsets your guests, your customer service training kicks in. Because you and your team are well-trained, you should be able to handle customer service issues with ease.
Nearly every lodging property will have customers who are upset with something at your inn. It might be noise, a dirty bathroom, uncomfortable bed, or bad parking. Whatever the issue, it’s vital that you solve their issues quickly, so they have time to really appreciate your property.
A great way to build trust and customer loyalty is to be available to your guests and go the extra mile to make them happy. You’ll find simple things can improve your overall customer retention.
#4: Create a Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs are a strong driver of repeat business. They are one of the best ways to encourage repeat bookings to your inn.
A relatively inexpensive form of hotel marketing, loyalty programs have proven success rates. According to one study, regular customers create 80% of your future revenue.
Because of this, you want to have a strategy in place to reach these customers with your loyalty reward program.
For example, reward customers with one free night after they’ve had a certain number of stays with you. They’ll return simply because they want to earn that free night.
You can also send out extra rewards throughout the year to encourage repeat visits. For example, you can offer your customers free breakfast or dinner if they book in a certain time frame.
You might offer booking discounts through packages. You can also consider offering those guests who return to your property and are in your loyalty program discounted spa services if you offer them.
There are many ways to craft your loyalty programs to encourage repeat business. The most important offers are generally free nights, but don’t forget to offer additional perks throughout the year.
#5: Identify Priority Guests
You know how important it is to treat every guest with respect once they enter your inn.
It’s also important to recognize and show your appreciation to your guests who do come back and stay with you.
You can do this by personalizing their stay. For example, if you know they like to stay in a certain room, make sure to reserve it for them. Again, customer service is a top retention strategy.
Teach your staff how to take care of “priority” guests by knowing their needs before they even arrive. Your staff should greet them by name, provide their favorite drinks in their room, or leave them a list of their favorite restaurants and a personal note in their room on arrival.
None of these things are labor intensive, but it’s often the little thing that really make a difference in your retention rates.
#6: Communicate After the Stay
Once your guests check out, the customer service isn’t over.
Let your guests know how much you appreciated them staying with you. You can also offer them an incentive to come and visit again soon. Certainly make sure they’re signed up for your loyalty program.
You can also mail, email, or text your customers a thank you note, too. You’ll be surprised at how far these little things go to attracting repeat guests.
Final Thoughts on Attracting Repeat Guests
The best way to attract repeat guests to your inn is to provide the best overall customer experience and to do more for your guests than they expect.
You’ll surprise them, and this shows them how much you care about their business. Excellent customer service encourages repeat visits.
Bolster your customer service with some of the tips listed here, and with these strategies, you’ll enhance your overall customer retention rate.
We are your hotel’s digital advertising specialists and can help you position your hotel for success and attract repeat guests to your inn. As experts in website design, we can create a new website that works seamlessly with your social media. And we can also help with search engine marketing, online booking, online listings, and social media marketing, we are here to help. Contact us today to start a conversation about your digital advertising needs.
Images: Rhema Kallianpur and Yunni Jiang on Unsplash
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