It’s hard to know how to get your communication just right in the current turbulent climate and you want to ensure you keep up a healthy rapport with customers while also being respectful of the delicate situation everyone is in – basically, you don’t want to be too salesy! But you still want to make sales. We get that.
There are still things you can do to encourage guests to book their stay with you when this is all over – one intuitive thing being to market vouchers.
Why vouchers?
At a time like this, we all need something to look forward to – especially when no one knows exactly when we’ll see the back of this crisis. The overwhelming sentiment between people is one of warmth. Our primary concern is when we’ll see loved ones again. We marvel at the fact that we took simple things like meeting each other for a coffee for granted in the pre-Covid world.
Never again, we say. There will be many occasions to celebrate once all this is over – birthdays, anniversaries, freedom! Purchasing a hotel voucher gives guests something tangible to look forward to and sets in stone the idea that they will be celebrating whatever it is they want to celebrate with loved ones, soon.
A hassle-free gift
The great thing about a voucher is that it’s a thoughtful, valued gift while also being completely hassle-free and allows you to be compliant with social distancing. With a new and refreshed importance being placed on simpler things like the written word, you can encourage people to accompany their voucher with a thoughtful email or card.
Supporting each other
Another reason to give people for buying your vouchers is that by doing so, they’re supporting local, which is so important and crucial to the future health of all our economies.
What are the benefits for your hotel?
- You can build your vouchers with added value & credit. They will assist with your cashflow at this strange time
- You can build unique packages and experiences that people will crave post Covid-19!
- They give your customers flexibility in the future, rather than pre selecting dates in months to come… we still don’t know when this will end, so flexibility is key
- They allow you to cross sell your property & each outlet within your hotel – whether it’s dining, the spa, the health club, an overnight break or golf, you can hone in on whatever it is your hotel offers that you’d like to highlight
- You can categorise your vouchers for key dates, and then build your vouchers to match perfectly
- You can personalise your vouchers, make them stand out more for your customers
- You can be rest assured, you’re safe in our hands when it comes to email delivery & secure automatic payment options
- It’s more important than ever to continue to market your hotel online. This is a strong way to help keep your presence consistent and accessible. Remember, people might be indoors and working from home, but they are still online all day and they’re aware that this will all end eventually!
Niall Lenihan is a graduate of the Shannon College of Hotel Management, and for his final year completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing in the National University of Ireland Galway. Previously to his work at Net Affinity, Niall worked and lived in London for 5 years working in hotels specialising in Revenue Management and Business Development for the Doyle Collection , The Dorchester Collection and finally the InterContinental Hotel Park Lane. He returned to Ireland in 2014 and worked as a National Account Manager for Orbitz Worldwide and Availpro. Niall’s hobbies are golf, rugby and travelling – his favourite city is New York.
www.netaffinity.com
