Your guests are the experts. They are the critics of the holiday experience you provide, and they aren’t afraid to share their thoughts.
In addition to UpFront Reviews and TripAdvisor, your guests will share their opinions about your accommodation and their holiday experience on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter; and they will upload their photos to sites like Instagram and Pinterest.
Good news! There are things you can do to positively influence what your guests say (and therefore what is seen by the public). How? By doing what you can to make sure your guests have the very best experience possible. By going above and beyond and exceeding expectations. This starts from the moment they find your website, to placing the booking, to arriving and staying at your property, to the follow up email you send after they have left.
To stand out from the crowd you need to be extraordinary. We can help you with that. Here are a few steps to get you on your way.
1. Know your guests
Who holidays at your property? Can you categorise them? E.g. Couples, large groups, dog owners, mountain bikers. If you use SuperControl PLUS or AGENCY you can filter your database to search for specifics (e.g. couples or guests that brought a dog with them) to discover which of those groups stand out. Then do some research to identify why these groups choose to stay at your property. Next, write a list for each segment covering what their needs are, how you can cater for them and make sure that you can (and do) deliver.
To be extraordinary don’t stop with the basics. If you are based in good mountain-biking territory, as well as providing an area to wash down the bikes and store them securely (serious mountain-bikers spend a fortune on their bikes) what else can you do? Colehouse Farm go that extra step by providing an in-house cycle workshop to cater for all their guests cycling repair needs whilst on holiday. They have really thought about what matters to their guests and this makes them stand out from the crowd.
2. Let them know you go above and beyond. Be honest and truthful.
You’ve thought of everything – don’t be shy; tell people!
Write copy for your website aimed specifically at these groups of people, explaining exactly how you cater for all their needs and more. Be honest and make sure that your photos are up-to-date to provide a true reflection of the holiday experience you offer. It is important to be accurate and only promise what you know you can deliver. If you exaggerate you are asking for trouble; guests will undoubtedly be disappointed on arrival and that definitely doesn’t add value.
Do you stay in touch with people who have booked before or made a previous enquiry? If you send newsletters or marketing emails include details about how you’ve got guests needs covered here too, and post about it on social media.
3. Test the website journey
Make time to regularly sit down and check out the customer journey of finding important information and going through the booking process on your website yourself. Check there are no glitches or broken links. Make sure everything a guest might need to know to help them in their decision making process is easy to find. Is availability and pricing clearly signposted and is this info current and up-to-date? Is it clear how to book? Can visitors to your website easily find your contact details? Something as simple as being able to quickly ask you a question could be a deal-breaker.
Check spelling and grammar. Your website is your shop window, it showcases the holiday experience you offer and the customer service your provide. It would be a shame if bad grammar and a couple of spelling mistakes let you down at this stage.
4. Communication – be courteous and timely
People look forward to their holidays – just planning them can be exciting. They’ve saved up, made their decision and they want to be reassured they have made the right choice. So in your quest to be extraordinary it is important to be the best you can be in everything you do, including your correspondence and communication. Be prompt, polite and punctual. Respond to enquiries quickly, confirm bookings as soon as possible, send all the information they need before arrival – from how to find your property and accessing the key safe, to what basics they will need to bring with them, where the nearest shop or supermarket is and what their opening hours are.
5. Stay in touch
You will likely have an idea about what time your guests are expecting to arrive, so soon after give them a call or pop over to see them if you are nearby. Check they are happy and that they have everything they need. Doing this on their first day gives you the opportunity to build rapport and put right any niggles.
Look out for any mentions you get on social media. A lot of your guests will post pics during their stay, so you can comment and join in the conversation. You can get an insight into what your guests like the most and want to tell their friends and family about and your guests posting images of themselves having a good time at your place is powerful marketing.
6. Ask for feedback and act on it
Send review requests close to (or even on) your guests’ departure day. The best way to ensure you continue to add value and stand out from the crowd is to always ask your guests what you got right and what can be improved on. To be extraordinary you need to find out what that means to your guests – do you stand out above and beyond the rest? In what ways do you exceed expectations? If you don’t, what actions can you take to ensure you do? Respond to feedback, thank your guests for taking the time to provide it and tell them how and when you will be acting on their advice.
7. Remind people just how extraordinary you continue to be
When you act on feedback and tweak things to make the experience you provide even more outstanding and extraordinary, tell people. Add it to your website, share it on Facebook, on Twitter, Google+, write a blog about it, comment on bloggers websites and other relevant pages. If you provide the ultimate Babymoon destination, and you have thought of everything (right down to wavering your cancellation policy for expectant mums and dads to be, like Mazzard Farm do), post about it on Mumsnet’s Facebook page or invite one of their contributors or bloggers on a free weekend so they can write a review.
Don’t let the buzz about what you do fizzle out. Stay current, continue to respond to emerging trends and adapt to changing habits; and keep the conversation going about everything extraordinary that you do.
