Hotel Marketing Department: Is Your Role To Fill Rooms Or Increase Guest Satisfaction?

If you can’t fill the rooms, both with new and especially returning guests, any other hotel operation is superfluous. With this saying in mind, it is better for the marketing to fulfill its assigned task and look for local agencies, tour operators, companies and organizations, for the volume of traffic; and operations management—the general manager, assistants, and service staff—must be concerned with maintaining the guest experience. That has worked for years, and many outstanding hotels with enviable reputations have successfully operated using these very programs.

I realize that today’s prestigious chains – Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Relais & Chateau, Mandarin Oriental, et al – have corporate marketing policies; And, in my opinion, those policies can handcuff a creative marketing department. Today’s marketing must be proactive, use the web (SEO, PPC, BLOGS and social networks) and be aimed at more than just groups and organizations. Realistically, the decision for a group or company to organize a function in your hotel is rarely a group one; more often it is the president/head of the organization, or even their spouse, who will have the most influence on a location and furthermore which hotel to book in that location. Many hotel sellers are hurt by the location of their properties: La Samanna in St Martin, The Ritz Carlton in Naples, and the Ritz Paris all have reputations for 5-star hotels, and their locations haven’t hurt that perception one bit. By contrast, downtown Detroit, Michigan would be a hard sell for almost any group. However, if you’re in a major city, the competition to keep your occupancy rate high can be daunting. Even with the many activities, restaurants, and museums located in most major cities in the US and Europe, you need to emphasize those advantages with your own inventive marketing techniques.

Most premium properties don’t rely on rewards programs like Marriott and Starwood now promote. These hotels are more geared towards the mid-level business frequent traveler and these programs are structured to be an incentive for people to book on business trips, thus gaining free perks when traveling for leisure or family. However, premium properties maintain extensive computer databases on their frequent guests. Unless the arriving guest is a Tom Cruise-type celebrity, these accolades fall to the front desk staff. While this is successful in many cases, I believe your marketing needs to be involved in this aspect of the operation. If a hotel executive greets a frequent guest, in addition to recognition by the front desk staff, you multiply the beneficial effect by giving your marketing staff the opportunity to meet directly with guests. That meeting, along with others that may occur during the guests’ stay, presents marketing with an opportunity to seed future visits; Or maybe you’re booking a business meeting with multiple room reservations.

My best experience with a 4/5 star hotel happened in Munchen (Munich), Germany. At the time, this was the small, family-owned and operated Hotel Rafael. I was in Munchen for the first time on business for my client BMW AG. When I arrived by taxi from the airport it was only 9:00 am. Since check-in was not later in the afternoon, I expected to leave my luggage and take a cab to corporate headquarters, even though my appointment wasn’t until 2:00 pm Of course, the previous guest took my designated room; but they quickly offered me a basic room to shower while I waited for my room. When I got back to the lobby, all the employees already knew my name and they gave me a sincere and friendly welcome. I still had some time before my appointment, so I inquired about car rental; the concierge suggested that I move to the restaurant for the buffet breakfast and he would take care of everything. When I was done, my car was waiting outside, I signed the paperwork, received the map and directions, and drove to my appointment. When I got back, my room was ready, my luggage moved and the suits hung in the closet. That night the bartender greeted me like a long lost comrade; and I noticed that he spoke 4 different languages ​​while tending the bar.

I traveled to Germany 6-8 times a year for about 4 years, each time the staff remembered me, even the bartender remembered my drink and what brand I would drink. There was no way any other hotel in Munchen could get my business; I even had six of my staff stay there when I needed to bring in the entire contingent for a strategy seminar. Now the hotel operates as a Mandarin Oriental; and their standards are almost as good. Both the bartender and concierge have retired and been replaced by your standard friendly clerk, but it’s not the same. I don’t blame the employees, but I do blame the marketing staff. It is your responsibility to empower employees to go above and beyond, which should be to exceed guest expectations, but often fall short. Unfortunately, now it’s just a job for most. I still stay there when it’s convenient, but my innate loyalty sometimes wavers.

The staff should be friendly, without being familiar, and extremely helpful. It is the staff that bring guests back to a hotel and it is the staff that will give you referrals. Unless you rely on discounts to fill rooms, you better take the time to educate, or perhaps I should say indoctrinate, each member of staff about her part in marketing your hotel. Also, you better get your marketing people out of your offices and have them interact with your guests to better understand and ultimately satisfy all guest needs and wants. Fruit basket day, with a thank you note, in the room gone for the true Five Star property.