Improving guest happiness is a win-win for both hotels and guests. To make hotel stay special for guests, you don’t have to shower them with free gifts. Your Hotel can enable a seamless experience simply by making all the tools and services conveniently available so that the guests can plan their own adventure. Todays customer wants to feel empowered as they shape their own delightful experience by utilizing the provided options.

Today it’s all about the experience. Whether people are shopping, going out to eat or staying at a hotel, people want more than just a transaction. They want an unforgettable experience. And if it comes with extra convenience, even better!

Many hoteliers understand this and are looking for ways to improve the guest experience at their property. And if everybody is doing it, how can you stand out from the crowd and ‘wow’ your guests with something of value which your guests will enjoy? And is there a possibility of boosting your revenue along the way? The good news is, the answers to these questions are a simple YES!

Your guests don’t stop spending after booking the hotel room. During their stay, you have their attention and they are more than willing to shape and upgrade their experience. Guests are interested in additional services or a costlier product than they initially planned, as long as it has good value, is convenient and will add more comfort and fun to their stay.

Guest experience and upselling

Upselling doesn’t have to be a dirty word. In fact, it can help you make your customers happier. Unfortunately for many of us, the word ‘upselling’ brings up images of sleazy sales people trying to sell us extra stuff we don’t need. But when used properly, upselling increases guest satisfaction, while bringing you more revenue and reviews.

A seamless guest experience is absolutely necessary to enable upselling. If servers and bartenders come across as too pushy or ‘salesy’, you risk the chance of damaging your relationship with your guest. It’s easy to understand why they feel this way since nobody likes to feel like they’re being sold to.

The key here is to trigger impulse buying. If you make your guest work for your service or product, they will begin to second-guess their decision and wonder if they really need it or not in the first place. Impulse buying wont happen in long queues at the reception. It happens in online buying experiences where the guest catches “Flash” deals. It happens on Hotel Apps where the guest don’t have to stand in a line or pay with cash.  Coupling seamless experiences with well-placed, discounted offers is the whole science of impulse buying. This way, you continue to provide better guest experience through your best services, and generate more revenue in doing that.

How can technology be your primary enabler?

Personalize

With technology, you can truly know your guests. Successful upselling demands personalization as guests are far more likely to be enticed with offers that suit their preferences. As a hotelier, you have a fantastic opportunity to offer your guests suitable and customized experiences. Artificial Intelligence can harness your guest data and offer suggestions unique for them.  For example, a family with children might be interested in a bigger room and tickets to a Carnival nearby. A couple might enjoy a romantic dinner. It is possible to improve a guest’s experience at your hotel by offering them individualized services. Forge a relationship with your guests by creating a perfect guest experience for your guest.

Digital Concierge

An amazing way to offer service at the touch of a button is via a Hotel App. It is so simple and includes information on offers and promotions as well as a chance to book them directly via the App. This could be menus from restaurants and bars, hidden spots to visit or general details about transport or opening times of major attractions. To provide your guests with a bonus and help them find their bearings in a new place more quickly, we added a Map to our app.

Upgrade

You’re looking for opportunities to sell more of what they might want more. These options can be upgraded rooms, early check-in, late check-out, breakfast packages, spa treatments, extra pillows and so much more. For Example; If your property does not include a full set of amenities in the room, this is a great way to provide an added convenience for guests and generate extra revenue. Say someone lost their makeup bag while traveling or left a few essentials at home. You can save the day by providing what they need by a simple upsell. If you already have basic amenities in the room, why not offer an upgrade to a fancier brand for a small fee? Think of what your guest might want at different points in their journey. Understanding your guest is crucial so you can offer services that are relevant. Your goal is to make their hotel stay comfortable and memorable.

Convenience

If a guest expresses interest in outdoorsy tours like Surfing, your Hotel App can suggest similar activities she might enjoy; such as Hiking or Camping. And if you know that your guest is going on a wilderness excursion tomorrow early morning, instead of making them get their morning munch at the sandwich shop, offer the chance to get their breakfast delivered to their room, beautifully packed and ready to go. This is convenient, time-saving, and can be offered as a cross-sell at a reasonable rate so your guest feels like they are getting great value for money.

Implement

You can utilize a platform that can help you digitally engage with these guests. As guests navigate through your Hotel App on their mobile devices, offers and suggestions can be strategically placed or delivered via prompts and push notifications. This allows guests to choose and pick services without hotel staff over their head.

Upselling and cross-selling can be your tactic to improve guest experience if you leverage them the right way. You can deliver more value for your guests in offering them your best. Your hotel generates more revenue and your guests are pleased.

TripKit provides hotels with guest engagement software solutions. At TripKit, we ensure your guests have a seamless and enjoyable experience