Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue and Guest Experience
In today’s highly competitive world, the hospitality organizations are going out of their way to please and to woo the customers for a regular, repeated and continuous patronage. In order to win the guest-loyalty, they are putting into place the best of service standards with regard to ambiance, comfort, decor, safety and personal well-being with preferential rates and a host of other attractive offers. Winning guest trustworthiness is the name of the game in these modern, competitive times. In recent years, many new national and international players have appeared in the hospitality market, offering an even wider array of choice in accommodation, conveniences designed to suit all needs and budgets…
After all, what influences the guest decision to decide upon a hotel?
First and foremost, It’s the guest’s personal and professional convenience clubbed with recommendations either from the frequent travelers or by his acquaintances that influence the decision. Guest experience is the culmination of a series of interactions, experiences and personalized services rendered to the guests. Their repeated patronage depends primarily upon the way hotel staff trained by the top Hotel Management colleges welcomes them, makes them feel at-home, understands their likes and preferences and are also experts in pre-empting their needs. The guest experience begins right from the time when he calls the hotel to book a room for his stay. It is at this crucial point that the guest confidence can be acquired and his patronization assured. This is where the guest gets convinced and therefore expresses his commitment. His real experience at the hotel in terms of the availability of all deliverables, his personal happiness, suitability and an atmosphere of tranquility is what determines his repeat patronage. A guest room is a highly perishable commodity, is susceptible and highly vulnerable merchandise. A retail item not sold on a particular day can be sold the next day, but business lost on a room remaining vacant for a night can never ever be recovered. This factor becomes a matter of great concern to the owners and to the financial controllers of hotels. The three basic principles that the hotels usually make use of to increase their occupancies and revenues are as follows:
a. Client Retention: Building brick walls around the existing customers and keeping them fully motivated at all times so that they do not try the competition is an act that will definitely win you, loyal customers.
b. Taking References: A happy customer will always be glad to give you references of other potential customers and of the other divisions of the organization that he belongs to and will give you sensitive information about new projects in the offing. These can be followed up vigorously.
c. Competitive Information: Gaining advance knowledge, pre-empting competition strategies and the expected moves of the contending hotels though might be a difficult and a sensitive task, there are always means (ethical or unethical) to gather it from some means.
Mr. Kulmohan Singh
Assistant Professor
School of Hospitality Management
