Make a hotel promotion plan that makes your hotel rise above others.
Promoting a hotel is all about creating a presence that fits the hotel's location. Hotel guests want to know that they are choosing the choicest hotel in that area. If it's a beach hotel, they might want direct beach access, free water sports equipment and tropical drinks at the bar. If it's a winter oasis, guests may want discounts at nearby ski trails or a concierge who knows the best coffee shops in the area. To promote the hotel, match the charm of the area with the charm of the hotel's style and aesthetic.
Meeting Spaces
Design a tech-savvy business meeting space.
Create tech-savvy, dynamic meeting spaces to make your hotel a hot spot for business travelers. Equip your hotel with tech-inspired meeting rooms. Cisco TelePresence Systems, for instance, offers meeting rooms fit with big-screen monitors that cater to virtual meetings around the world. Market meeting rooms and their digital accessibility on the company website and in hotel brochures.
Restaurants and Lounges
Feature signature drinks at the hotel bar.
Open a fun restaurant and nightclub lounge to bring in a younger crowd. Design a restaurant and bar that will attract people in the area who are looking for a place to spend the entire evening, not just have one drink. Create incentives for hotel guests to have reduced rates at partnering tour groups, ski trips, surf lessons or cooking lessons.
Redesign
Create an entire old-world theme through furnishings, music and uniforms.
Redesign the hotel to meet both current market tastes and your hotel's aesthetic. If the hotel features classic, sophisticated, old-European style furnishings, create an entire hotel world that corresponds to that aesthetic. Dress bellman in proper attire, add details that outfit the hotel in antiques, host ballroom nights in classic retro-clothing and advertise the hotel as a step back-in-time. If your hotel offers modern, contemporary and trendy looks, add popular cocktail drinks to hotel bar menu and vegetarian and other health-conscious items as restaurant fare, and update the gym, pool and dance venue. Feature a super-hip concierge who knows the bars and restaurants and beaches with the most appeal for younger travelers. The smallest details can spark a guest's interest to stay in the hotel.
Get Tech-y
Introduce booking through the website so that travelers reserve rooms in advance for lower rates. Lure vacationers with "lowest rate guarantee" incentives on the hotel website and in magazine and TV ads. Partnering with airfare search engines such as kayak.com and expedia.com can help advertise your hotel and pair the hotel stay with a flight for a bargain price.
Web Marketing
Create a stunning website that conveys a smart, design-conscious and guest-friendly hotel aesthetic. Following the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) website model, a website relaunch with search engine optimization (SEO) adds performance for the site and provides an integrated online experience for users.
Adding social-media functionality, a hotel website allows visitors to share and email or post comments and questions or hook up with the hotel on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other media tools. Hire a designer to create a simple, easy-to-use, creative and well-written website that reflects your hotel's aesthetic and appeals to the audience that you want to reach.
Deals
Offer vacation deals for groups, families and students visiting the area. If your hotel is appealing aesthetically and is situated in a hot spot for tourists or adventurous travelers, offering hotel deal incentives promotes the hotel's guest-friendly approach. Invite guests to stay for three nights and offer the fourth night at half off. Or, offer complimentary welcome drinks at the hotel bar on the first night. Extend the hotel's services and amenities--such as the hotel lounge or restaurant--to large groups for a cheaper price. Lure interested vacationers with a quality stay at a bargain price.
Locale
Show off a hotel's care for the community by keeping abreast of local events, such as swimming meets or festivals.
Check the local scene for area events. Peruse the local paper or websites to determine which activities the hotel area is known and visited for. Note an upcoming film festival and advertise--at least two or three months in advance--the hotel's proximity to the event and the accommodations available for groups, individuals and couples attending the festival. Promote your hotel company's knowledge and care for the area. Look also for other less-media-driven events such as local swimming competitions or university graduations. Advertise in local papers, event websites and on the hotel website to reach local event attendees.
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