Looking for ways to keep your hotel competitive in 2023?
We’ve got you covered.
In our latest guide, we’re sharing 5 ways for hotels to stay competitive and attract guests in 2023.
These 5 tips include steps hotels can take to improve their guest's stay by increasing comfort levels & decreasing guest friction.
While accomplishing every tip below in a short period of time may not be possible, working towards these goals over time will help your hotel in the long run.
Some of the tips mentioned in this guide may even be included in your next PIP.
5 Ways to Attract Guests in 2023:
Increased Technology
Social Media
Unique Spaces
Pets Welcome
Price Matches Quality/Value of Stay
Let’s dive in…
Increased Technology in Hotel Rooms & Common Areas
When looking at the fastest-growing trends in the hospitality industry it’s clear that increasing technology is the front-runner. Most hotels have embraced many of the technology trends in hospitality. For example, many Hilton & Marriott properties offer smart door locks & contactless check-in/check-out through their apps.
If hotels want to stay competitive in 2023 and in the future, investing in technology is a must.
Here are a few ways hotels can invest in technology that will improve their guest's experience and help them stand out.
Smart Rooms
Allow guests to customize their experience in your hotel by giving them control over their room's lighting, heating and cooling, blinds, room service, and entertainment all through their phones.
Contactless Check-In & Out
As mentioned before, many Marriott and Hilton hotels allow their guests to check in and out through their apps. Including smart locks in this mix also ensures that guests can check-in, access their room, and check out all through their phones. This step in improving technology makes it simpler for guests to get to their rooms and relax.
Furniture with USB Ports
A simple step hotels could take to improve on their technology is using furniture with USB ports in their common areas to make it easy for guests to charge their devices. This step will also attract bleisure travelers who are looking for a spot to work while staying at your property.
Robot Concierge
While some hotels already include ways for guests to request amenities and room service through their phones, in the near future we may see a robot delivering our extra towels instead of a staff member.
Could robot concierges be the future of guest service?
By using them, your front desk team saves time that they can use to focus on other more pressing matters. They’re also a fun and unique way to stand out among the competition and could motivate your guests to create some user-generated content for your social media pages.
VR
Allow your guests to experience what a stay in your hotel is like before they book with the use of VR (Virtual Reality).
VR experiences don’t have to end on the booking site, incorporating VR into your guest's stay could add a new layer of entertainment and allow them to experience attractions, games, or sites near your property.
Hotel Apps
One of the main goals of increasing and improving technology in hotels is to reduce guest friction. The easier it is for guests to navigate their stay, the more attractive your hotel will be to them.
Allowing guests to personalize their experience by giving them the tools to customize their rooms, and have their preferences always available to hotel staff can make their stay as seamless and comfortable as possible.
An app can also give guests the ability to easily communicate with hotel staff when they’re in need of something.
Social Media for Hotels
Social media marketing for hotels is a free and simple way to improve your property's visibility online, attract more guests to your hotel, and increase direct bookings.
To stay competitive, hotels should invest in social media and share beautiful photos of their property, attractions, and scenery around them.
Here are some of the best ways hotels can utilize their social media platforms:
Facebook:
Promoting Events (Holiday Brunches, Dinners, etc.)
Promoting Specials (Cocktail Hour)
Receiving & Responding to Reviews
Promoting Services (Amenities Special to your Hotel - Spa, Pool, Firepit, bar, Etc.)
Promoting your Website/Booking Site
Answering Guest Questions
Paid Ads (Not necessary but ads have the ability for you to include a “book now” button)
Instagram:
Make the most of Reels, stories, and live videos
Example: Do a walk-through tour of your property starting from when you enter under the Porte Cochere and into the lobby.
Participate in trends that fit within your brands guidelines. Trends will help your chances of going viral and reaching a much larger audience.
Inspire guests to stay with you and stand out by using high-quality and aesthetically pleasing images and videos.
Use and promote a hashtag just for your hotel - promote this everywhere, even inside the hotel itself - when guests use your hashtag on a post about your hotel they are creating content for you - this is called "curated content".
Use relative hashtags on each post for a higher chance of appearing on the discovery page or on your audience's following feed.
Come up with a theme, guidelines & posting schedule to make posting to social media easier for you.
The first thing someone notices on Instagram is an image and then the caption. Make sure your images will get your audience to stay long enough to see your caption & make sure your caption is captivating enough to get them to read further and/or take action.
Share local events, destinations, restaurants, etc. on your page and promote your hotel's proximity to them.
Destination content/inspiration
Wedding and event content/inspiration
Reels/TikTok:
Videos promoting different hotel rooms
Sharing high quality videos of your common areas, amenities, pool, gym, etc.
Videos promoting different hotel rooms.
Promote any deals/events happening at your hotel or nearby.
Promote any attractions nearby while promoting your hotel.
Pinterest:
Share high-quality images of destinations around your hotel that are included on your website to gain traffic.
Share images from events you’ve held such as weddings, birthday parties, etc.
Include content-related keywords & buzzwords such as "wedding" "events" “inspo” “inspiration” and “aesthetic” to appear in searches made by your audience.
Unique Designs in Hotel Lobbies & Common Areas
Travelers are craving unique experiences and hotels have the opportunity to provide them with memorable stays by incorporating local culture and originality into their designs.
Below are some ways you can provide your guests with a unique experience.
Showcase local art and hand-crafted items in your lobby - this promotes artists while also supporting your local economy.
Include a WOW factor in your design for guests to photograph and remember you by - this could be a unique light fixture or beautiful mural.
Take local colors, patterns, materials, and textures into consideration when re-designing your hotel.
Add furniture and decor to your lobby that’s inviting and stands out.
Utilize your common areas and create separate spaces for bleisure travelers to work & relax comfortably.
Pet Friendly Hotels
According to skift.com, nearly 20% of Americans adopted a pet during the pandemic. Many millennials are now opting for pet ownership before and sometimes even in place of starting families. Much like traditional parents, pet parents want and many times need to bring their fur babies with them when they travel.
This “pet boom” has prompted many hotel brands to begin rethinking their no pets policies.
According to morningbrew.com, a survey conducted by Hilton showed that 55% of respondents who were pet owners take their pets on trips. Travelers are looking for places to stay that accommodate their four-legged family members and hotels that provide those accommodations will remain competitive in 2023.
Hotels that already allow pets have also been stepping it up by providing treats, water, beds, and designated spaces for pets to use the restroom making their property even more appealing to travelers.
While in the past, bringing fido along seemed like an almost impossible task, pet-friendly hotels seem to be increasing and may become a new normal in travel.
Staying ahead of this trend could keep you ahead of the competition.
Steps you Can Take to Make your Hotel Pet Friendly
Make a plan on how you’ll introduce this accommodation. Will there be cleaning fees? Will you invest in pet beds/treats/etc? Can you prevent messes? Will you have all rooms be pet friendly or just some?
Weigh the costs/benefits over time. Are there hotels in your comp set that allow pets? Will you be the first?
Present the plan and check with your ownership, management, etc. to see if your hotel could begin offering this accommodation.
Then invest in things like treats, water bowls, and beds to keep in your common areas and or guest rooms.
If you’re a hotel brand that wants to introduce this new pet-friendly policy, consider reaching out to companies like Chewy to see if they’d be willing to partner with you. This could save you money when purchasing supplies for the rooms and also provide both of you with a marketing opportunity.
Price Matches Quality of Hotel Service/Stay
Travelers today are willing to spend their money on hotel stays but there’s a catch. While people want to get out and travel they also want to get the most value out of their stays and experiences.
When choosing a hotel, travelers will often base their decisions on which property provides the most amenities, experiences, etc. for the best price.
For instance, if a traveler needs a place to stay and they’re comparing two hotels that are priced the same or relatively close to the same amount, they will choose whichever property offers them the better experience. Things like vegan/vegetarian options at a complimentary breakfast or even spaces for them to work comfortably may be the difference between them choosing one hotel over the other even if the prices are only slightly different.
It’s no secret that for hotels to stay competitive, they must look at what the competition around them is charging guests. But another thing to take into consideration is how your hotel can provide travelers with a valuable experience while also keeping your prices competitive.
Guests will typically be willing to pay a little more if they believe to be receiving an extra benefit from their stay. Make sure to highlight your hotel's benefits on sites where people can book.
Keywords to use (if applicable) are:
Complimentary Breakfast
Vegan/Vegetarian Breakfast Options
Smart Room Technology - Customize your room's temp, lighting, TV streaming, & more from your phone.
Keyless/Contactless Check-In/Out with App
24 Hour Market
24 Hour Complimentary Coffee, Tea, Water, & Hot Chocolate Bar
Bleisure Work Spaces
Semi-Private Work Spaces
Plenty of Outlets in Common Areas
USB Ports in Furniture (Charge your Devices Anywhere)
Pet Friendly
Treats for your Pets at Front Desk
Designated Pet Spaces
Water Bowls for your Pets in Common Areas
Spa on Site
24 Hour Gym with (Add what’s applicable): Yoga/Pilates Section, Peloton, Weights, Bluetooth Speakers, Complimentary Headphones if Needed
Indoor Pool & Hot Tub
Sauna
Local Art & Murals
Infinity Pool