This week, I spoke with the charming and insightful Isabelle Lozano, owner of Paris' Apostrophe Hotel; below is an excerpt from our conversation, and her seven secrets to boutique hotel success.

#1 – Treat your hotel like a pastry
Josiah: Can you tell me about the Apostrophe Hotel and your current role there?

Isabella: It's a boutique hotel with 16 rooms. Each room is themed differently and has a unique decoration. This concept hotel — we prefer to say "Poem hotel" — is based on two major ideas: comfort and escape. Comfort is having something equal or better than what you can get at home. I've been working a long time in the hotel business, and I've seen hotels in Paris, at least, changing quite a lot. There was a time when you had a mini bar in your room; it was like Christmas-time! But now, when you go to your room, you really need something else…

Josiah: How did you decide on the amenities you offer?

Isabella: Of course I've been listening to customers in other hotels that we've run but we also just did it quite simply; what would I like to have in my room? Of course, a comfortable bed (these are not so common in Parisian hotels), to be able to watch a DVD or hear a CD, internet connectivity like at home, good showers and jacuzzi baths — that's the part that is a bit more than what you can have at home. I believe the best way to personalize is to think about, "what would I do?"

Josiah: I think when you're designing for yourself – instead of spending alot of time doing market research – the result is something alot more personal.

Isabella: Yes, and people feel that it's "home made". You know? It's like a pastry. If you go to an industrial bakery, or if you ask your grandma to do it, the taste will be different. In our branch, I think it is exactly the same.

#2 Offer guests a unique experience, every time.
Josiah: You and your father wanted to create a hotel that was unique, and the way you did that was to create very different themes for each room.

Isabella: Yes, I think in Paris, we're the only hotel that has a unique decoration in each of our 16 rooms. There are some new hotels that are very nice, but they usually have 4 or 5 types of rooms. Each one very different, but only 4 or 5. It pleases us, I must say, and it's good for business. We have alot of people coming back, because they know that their next room experience will be different from the last. We've also created some packages that amplify the spirit of our hotel. We try a lot of different things and listen to our clients to see what matches. We call these packages "nuits de rêves" (dreaming nights).

Josiah: It seems like creating 16 different themes would take a lot of work and thought…

Isabella: Yes it did! (laughs)

Josiah: How did you come up with 16 unique room themes?

Isabella: Since we rebuilt the old building, we had to deal with the technical parts first. Then, in each room, we chose different materials, photos, tissues… The space may be the same, but the way we changed each design gives a totally different impression. For instance, in some rooms, we did something special on the ceiling. In the library room, we have a book on the ceiling. In the music room: sheet music.

Josiah: Did you and your father come up with each of the different designs, or were there other people involved?

Isabella: Obviously, the fact that we work with family is a great support. I would never have done this alone. We also had to work with an architect and a young designer, Sabrina Alouf, who's Belgian. So yes, we had help. That's good. We couldn't have made it without them… (laughter)

Josiah: What feedback have you received? Do guests like the different room styles?

Isabella: The French people are absolutely keen on the hotel. They really love it and are very enthusiastic about it which is funny because French people aren't always enthusiastic types of people, you know? It's fun to see that. We've also get very good reports from Italians, Belgians and the English. Some Americans are reluctant because the bathrooms are an open part of the room, so they're a bit shy about that.

#3 – Create online content for individuals. Stay flexible, and respond to customer feedback.
Josiah: Do you encourage your guests to talk about their experience online?

Isabella: We use our website blog sometimes, and, of course, you can't avoid TripAdvisor; it's really the number one website there for this sort of thing. We send our guests emails at the end of their stay, asking if they would be nice enough to leave us a review on TripAdvisor. We're also working with Tablet hotels, because it also encourages comments.

Josiah: Do you find a lot of people follow through with your request and leave a review?

Isabella: There may be like 10% of French people doing this, because they really don't like having to subscribe to all these things. Americans are much more helpful; I would say it's like 80% of the Americans do it.

Josiah: Really? Those numbers seem high. I talk with hotels who get, maybe, 1%-2% of guests leaving a review, because like you say, it's a little bit of a hassle if they don't have an account…

Isabella: Well, if it's someone we already know, like a businessman who's staying with us a second time, we won't bother them. I'm talking about tourism, mostly.

Josiah: Ah, okay. Interesting you'd make that distinction. I'd like to talk about your website for a moment, because it seems more like an online magazine instead of just a brochure. You're posting alot of interesting content. How did you come up with the idea for your hotel website?

Isabella: There are more or less 3 big companies that are doing websites for hotels in Paris, and I feel like they all look the same. If you're claiming to be unique, you can't have a website that looks like the others. We worked with a company named Hoosta, and talking with them, we decided to do a kind of magazine. Keeping in mind that we normally have customers that know and have been to Paris, we'd like to offer them more of an agenda for Paris, not just say where the Eiffel tower is.

Josiah: Who would you say is your typical guest, who wants to know more about events in Paris? What's the target audience for your website?

Isabella: We noticed that there's a slight difference between the English part of the website and the French part. The French part has more articles and talks more about things that are less-known than in the English part. We've realized that the French customers were really reading alot of our posts. After arriving at the hotel, after their booking, they would say, "I'm going to go see this exhibition that I saw on the website." The English part follows the same idea, but talks more about the hotel itself, because that's what English clients want to learn about, we've realized.

Josiah: So you do more than just translate content: you're creating unique content for each type of  visitor

Isabella: Yes, at first we were just translating, but we asked customers what they thought, and we found out that our English and French customers wanted different things. English and Americans were saying, "That's too much information; we just want to learn more about the hotel." I'm not working only for my own pleasure; my main aim is to please customers, so I keep asking them what they think. We did the same thing with our breakfast; we started with something very simple, and then we made changes according to what customers wanted.

#4 – Stay organized and cohesive by linking events and seasons to your web content.
Josiah: Who publishes new articles, new content to your website?

Isabella: I got help with the technical aspects of the website, but usually write the posts myself, or an employee will say, "Oh, I've noticed something about Paris; we should do a post." It's all a work of the hotel.

Josiah: And because your website it based out of WordPress, it's very easy to update. You don't need a web-master or a technical person…

Isabella: We have a web-master for other things, but not for the blog. It is a very big job, writing two articles a week. With the research, collecting images… I spend a good hour or two per post, but we prefer not to pay someone for that.

Josiah: I know it can take me 3… 5… 8 hours to write a post. Do you have a process that makes writing easier and faster?

Isabella: Well, each month we have a theme. For instance, February is the romantic month and March is the sporty month; we keep these themes in mind when creating two articles for each week, focusing either on the neighborhood or on the hotel and our themes. This makes the research much easier, because you know what you're searching for, and you can link the month's theme to promotions for the hotel; for instance, for July/August, we have a "picnic package", and the main post for July will be about picnic spaces in Paris. That way it is very cohesive.

#5 – Attract readers with rich media and quality content; reward loyal customers with insider deals.
Josiah: I notice you have a lot of nice photos and videos, alot of rich media on the site. Do you take those photographs? How do you find them?

Isabella: Some are taken by us, and some… we find on the internet. The internet is magic (laughs). As for the videos, Hoosta shoots them for us. At the beginning, I wanted to make long articles, but that was silly. I don't think people read as much on the internet; it's not a newspaper. Usually, I write 5-10 lines, and spend more time finding a really good photo.

Josiah: What tactics have you found are the best for generating website traffic?

Isabella: We have people that come from other websites, and we've created a "fidelity club" (loyalty program), and give members the best available rate, the best parking, champagne at a restaurant we're working with… guests work directly with us because they know they will get a bit more. That's the main thing, and then, of course, we have alot of articles on different things in Paris, which helps people find our website more easily.

#6 – Keep your focus. "I'm not here to talk about Sarcozy politics."
Josiah: I think once you adopt the mindset of a publisher and start putting alot of interesting content out there, it's easier for people to find you through Google. You're probably getting alot of organic, natural, free traffic from those searches.

Isabella: Yes, we just have to keep in mind that the posts we make should be related to the hotel business. I'm not here to talk about Sarcozy politics. That's not my… you see what I mean. I'm going to talk about the fact that in Paris, for instance, there's a very big exhibition on Monet that is starting in September. I'm creating a hotel package for that, and writing for people who are coming to Paris to see this exhibition and find a hotel. I'm not talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

Josiah: You mentioned that Facebook is working well for you, but Twitter isn't working as well. Do you know why?

Isabella: I think because I did not understand how Twitter works, at first. So we're working on that with Hoosta. When we're doing something special, we'll send a quick Twitter message. I'm starting to understand a bit more, but it's not my generation, Facebook and Twitter.

Josiah: I think some design hotels, like yourself, do a little bit better on Facebook because you have the opportunity to share rich media.

Isabella: That's quite true. I've also become aware that TripAdvisor is going to become involved with Facebook.

Josiah: Yes, TripAdvisor is including Facebook networks on their review pages, so that people can ask their friends for advice when they're visiting a city. I think it's going to be very interesting to watch how that works out.

Isabella: Yes; it's all in the same spirit…

#7 – Collaborate with passionate staff, but remember; "Nobody knows more about your hotel and your clients [than you]!"
Josiah: You told me that one of the biggest misconceptions small hotels have is that they can't manage marketing themselves. I notice that social media works best when the communication is coming from the hotel. It's hard to do that from a distance. How do you get your hotel team members involved in the publishing that you do?

Isabella: Well… I'm hiring young people! (laughs) It's quite important that they're familiar with those kinds of communications. Then… they have to really like the hotel. The people that work here have a lot of heart. They want to work with something special, not just any hotel. Though, speaking truthfully, I'm personally the most involved with posting. The team gives me ideas, and I decide which ones fit with the hotel. If there are too many different voices, you can feel that something is wrong, so it has to be one voice, I think. Maybe I'm wrong.

Josiah: No; I think one voice but with many ideas is good. It's important that guests really understand the culture and vision behind the hotel, and because you're the owner and have set everything up, I think you understand what you're trying to accomplish online, so it helps for you to be that one voice.

Isabella: Yes, and I ask the team to read the website very frequently; they have to be perfectly aware of what is told to customers by the hotel. I think most of hoteliers in small hotels think they cannot manage marketing themselves. Of course you cannot do everything, but you should make decisions and give general direction. Nobody knows more about your hotel and your clients!

Josiah: Excellent. So closing off, I hear that you're interested in starting a shop with your own products. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Isabella: It's not made yet, but I'd like to make a selection of products so people can take home a little souvenir from Paris; we wouldn't do the typical souvenir, of course. I have no intention of buying small lights and flowers, but I'm thinking of finding a few objects that fit with the hotel, and we could sell at the hotel and on the website. I think it's an interesting project, and with only 16 rooms, it's a way to make more of a production. It's not easy, but I'll manage, I'm sure.

Best of luck, Isabella; thank you!

Original article: www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/isabelle-lozano-apostrophe-hotel

About the author
This blog is written by Josiah Mackenzie, who enjoys exploring the relationship between emerging technology and the hospitality industry. 

www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com