8 Ways to Save Money at Your Hotel
As with any other business, your property needs to make more money than you spend to keep afloat, and creating a great guest experience can get expensive fast—especially amidst rising inflation and labor shortages. However, the trick to a more profitable hotel isn’t simply cutting costs. It’s cutting the right costs. Know what your return […]
If You List It, They Will Come: A Hotel’s Guide to Google Business Profiles
Most people planning a vacation start with a Google search. That’s why you work so hard to optimize your website’s search results placement with SEO strategies. And you should. But it’s not all you can do to make the platform work for you. Maintaining your Google Business Profile is an important step to stay competitive […]
8 Things to Include in Your Hotel Budget
A budget enables you to plan for your business and evaluate the resources you have to achieve that plan. Projecting income and expenses for the year ahead helps you make better operational decisions. It’s like taking a road trip. You may get where you’re going if you simply drive off into the sunset, but your […]
A Hotelier’s Guide to Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Employees
Your employees are the backbone of your business. That’s true across industries but particularly in hospitality. They facilitate bookings, welcome guests, and ensure their stays are comfortable and memorable. It’s imperative to find and hold on to quality staff members. However, this isn’t always easy, especially in the current post-pandemic labor market. In an AHLA […]
Happy Employees = Happy Guests: How to Increase Staff Engagement
While the pandemic may be winding down, and people no longer swarm the toilet paper aisle, labor shortage is still a significant challenge for lodging operations. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), 85 percent of its member hotels remain understaffed. And without staff, there is no hotel. Technology can increase efficiency so […]
9 Ways to Keep Guests Safe at Your Hotel
Safety issues are a surefire way to bring in bad reviews, and if you’re really unlucky, end up on the news. If you endanger a guest, that supersedes everything else about the stay experience. No one cares how delicious your steak tartare is if it gives them food poisoning. They will care about the two […]
How to Create a Hotel Business Plan
Budding hoteliers can set themselves up for success by building a solid business plan. The symbolic foundation of your hotel, your business plan keeps you on track and accountable to your objectives and goals and is necessary for securing investors. This is not to say that initial plans should not be adapted and revised, especially […]
An Independent Hotelier’s Guide to Reducing Waste
Travelers are increasingly conscious of their impact on both the destination they travel to and the planet as a whole. Moving to Mars isn’t an option (yet)! The impact of any given trip is significantly influenced by the accommodation chosen. According to a 2022 report, 46 percent of travelers chose to stay at a sustainable […]
Is Your Hotel Revenue Management Strategy Working?
Hotel revenue management is a complicated process with a simple goal: to maximize revenue. It’s about analyzing demand and honing what you offer to sell the right product to the right customer at the right time, on the right channel, for the right price to grow profit. If your hotel’s bottom line is bottoming out, […]
Off the Beaten Path: How to Market Your Destination When No One’s Heard of It (Yet)
Not every hotel enjoys a renowned location like London, Paris, or Bali. Though these popular—and packed—destinations attract guests without trying, places off the beaten path also have great potential to snag bookings. Guests are more aware than ever of sustainable travel and overtourism (you know it’s bad when articles start talking about “tourists per head […]
How Hotel Management Software Helps Attract New Guests
Cloud property management systems (PMS) streamline daily operations and customer service delivery, which results in satisfied guests and repeat business. Most lodging operators understand how the level of efficiency and personalization facilitated by modern hotel management software turns first-time guests into loyal customers—but it’s also important to know how a cloud PMS brings those first-timers […]
Building Blocks for Success: A Checklist for New Hoteliers
Opening a new hotel is an ambitious and tenacious endeavor—and one of the most rewarding. Whether you’re building a business plan for your new hotel or still running the numbers, the journey from concept to opening is undeniably overwhelming without a plan in hand. As Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you plan […]
Big Advantages of Running a Small Hotel
Running a small operation amidst large chain hotels may seem daunting, but there are many advantages that set independent properties apart from the competition and appeal to today’s consumers. With greater flexibility to innovate and create and define their image, small and boutique hotels are an ideal traveler choice for excellent service and unique, memorable […]
The In-room Experience Guests Want
Gone are the days of pay-per-view movies and calling the front desk to adjust the thermostat (an annoying proposition even back in the 2000s). Modern guests look for a technologically advanced in-room experience that enables them to access additional amenities, make requests efficiently, and control more features of the room itself. Wi-Fi Who wants Wi-Fi? […]
6 Opportunities to Boost Revenue Your Hotel Might Be Missing
Just as it’s important to always look for ways to enhance the guest stay experience, hoteliers must constantly seek opportunities to boost revenue. Adapting your money-making strategies to the ever-changing landscape of the hotel industry will help your business stay profitable during difficult economic times and ensure long-term success. By capitalizing on consumer demand and […]
Food for Thought: Hotel F&B Trends
Food and beverage (F&B) preferences are highly individual, so how do hotels meet the specific demands of each guest? The answer is to creatively adapt current hospitality and food service trends to your F&B offerings, resulting in a unique, timeless, and relevant experience for your guests. A New Room Service Experience Prior to and during […]
6 Priorities for Independent Hoteliers This Year
There’s a lot trending in hospitality right now—so how do you prioritize? When we sat down to work through our recommendations for independent hotels to focus their energy on this year, what emerged was a heavy focus on technology. There’s little to no separation between our digital and “real” lives anymore. Offering guests truly exceptional […]
Building a Brand: An Independent Hotelier’s Guide
“Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.” – Paul Rand Does your hotel have a brand? The answer is yes, even if you said no. Everything from your website design to the language used in your emails to room decor says it all about your hotel. And if you haven’t put any effort into […]
How to Attract Local Guests with Hotel Staycation Packages
Even as travel has opened up, staycations remain an appealing option for many potential guests. According to a 2022 survey by The Vacationer, 67% of respondents said they had taken a staycation or planned to take one that year. And why wouldn’t they? They can explore new facets of their local area… and order room […]
Introducing the Competitor Rate Shopper
***Guest post from Pricepoint, a WebRezPro partner*** Picture this: you’re a customer shopping online for a weekend hotel getaway with your significant other and, like most other people, pricing is giving you anxiety. The costs you keep finding on online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com are largely the same, and you’re wondering how you’re going […]
Top Tips for Cleaning Hotel Guestrooms
No matter what type of operation you run, creating a clean environment for your guests is a universally shared task for all property owners. With an emphasis on demand for effective, reliable hygiene and sanitization protocols since the COVID-19 pandemic began, now is the time for hoteliers to invest in their housekeeping departments. In addition […]
Hotel Meeting and Event Trends for 2023
In-person events, meetings, and conferences are back on! According to Cvent, 83% of event planners polled expect to host more in-person events in 2023 than in 2019! Is your independent hotel ready? Buckle up, because 2023 is bringing some major trends that will shake up the industry. Gone are the days of stuffy (and dare […]
4 Automated Tools Every Hotelier Should Use
This isn’t the age of the horse and buggy or handwritten guest book. To make sure your hotel remains relevant and competitive, you need strong technology in place to drive efficiency, personalized guest experiences, and revenue. Modern hotel technology ensures that your property not only runs smoothly but that you have all the right information, […]
6 Metrics Every Hotel Should Monitor
To run a successful hotel, you need to know your numbers. Not only that, you need to know the right numbers—your key performance indicators (KPIs). There’s no point celebrating high occupancy if your bottom line is falling through the floor. Your numbers need to tell you how many guests are coming, how much profit you’re […]