It was a blow to the MICE market last week (22nd September), with the announcement that venues must remain closed for the foreseeable future, until the country a grip with the pandemic and to relieve pressure off the second wave.
Four tips to calm the storm for your hotel and venue, on how you can get through this with a healthy order book!
Tip one: The leisure market has been a beehive of activity, it’s just tapping into it to get the honey
The UK staycation leisure market is set to BOOM this year with travel abroad bamboozling even the experts with travel corridors changing each day, but you need to set yourself out from a crowded marketplace. Boutique Hotelier reported that 83% of tourists would prefer to holiday in the UK to travel abroad this year, and this trend is likely to continue into the next year.
The same research identified that the guest experience has evolved! Cleanliness has always been a key priority but respondents of The Cumberland, the Research Without Barriers survey found that 57% of 1,015 respondents wanted good views, followed by outdoor space/gardens, then came close to the beach and somewhere secluded and private! You can view the findings from their survey here.
Many UK city centres are finding it hard to welcome guests back through their doors. One idea is to think about the customer touch points on their journey to the hotel or venue; How might they get to you and how could technology play a role to make their contactless?
What about making a short video similar to Park Regis Birmingham? Take a look at how Ryan and the team has done it here.
Tip Two: We've been out the office and boardroom for FAR too long
I truly believe that the best ideas come from when people we are able to get together. Think about offering a 24 Day Delegate Rate package, explaining the benefits and how you keep them safe too. Yes, they might have offices where they could meet, but it isn’t the same COVID-Secure backdrop, nor has it got the facilities to really stimulate the mind and energise!
Watch CHS’s Founder, Emma’s short interview here; where she explains why it’s so important to meet in person from time to time.
Furthermore, what tech do you have on offer? Can you offer an upgraded package to bring more delegates into the room via Zoom and webcam? Do you have smart boards or projectors? You might consider working with an AV company for additional ancillary services.
Tip Three: Keep in touch with existing clients and customers!
It is far less expensive to retain a client (and customer) than to attract a new one! David Eisen, Director of Hotel Intelligence and Customer Solutions for HotStats explains that “Crisis is unavoidable but in the long run, customer satisfaction can drive profit higher at a lower cost to hoteliers. In fact, it's five times less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to attract a new one. That's why effective service recovery is critical to long-term profit.”
Tip Four: Get back to Sales basics and practice the art of keeping in touch with your corporate clients
Recently, our very own Emma Cartmell took part in an industry panel and explained that whilst the conferencing and meeting industry isn’t up to max capacity (if at all any), many providers have lost the art of keeping in contact with their corporate clients. “It means so much to reach out and get in touch with your corporate client base; now more than ever – the personal touch goes a very long way.
Many of us are still working from home, and hearing from a friendly associate, having a little chat or even inviting them for a familiarisation of a property and a coffee (albeit in the new COVID-Secure norm) can go a very long way. And the very big plus is that you’ll be at the top of the list once it comes to planning conferences and meetings again!”
Key takeaways
The leisure market is crowded but booming, can you take advantage
Map out the customer journey and make it as contactless as possible, show them how safe it is to visit and stay
Utilise and maximise the rule of 6 with 24-hour Day Delegate Rates
It is far less expensive to retain than to attract new customers, keep this in mind and keep in touch!
Very similar to the above but keep in regular contact with your TOP corporate contacts, contacting them by phone or email to check in and see how they are getting on and how you could help them