The perfect hotel experience Heres all you need to know

17/09/2014 By Waka Reading Time: 2 Minutes

What is a perfect hotel experience?

Hospitality – ‘‘The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.’’, from the Oxford Dictionary.

In other words, hotels need to make every moment meaningful and unforgettable.

Today, hospitality industry is undergoing some remarkable changes.

The perfect hotel experience must be recreated online AND offline – from the moment you land on their website or Twitter to the moment you step in the lobby.

Unique Offline Hospitality

The British hospitality industry is expected to grow over the next year following the successive economic recoveries in London and the provinces.

Sounds all good for hoteliers, right?

But hotels need to offer unique and quirky experience that really differentiate themselves to stand out of the crowd.

Take, for example, a Game of Thrones-inspired wedding. A video-on-demand provider called Blinkbox turned a castle wedding venue in Hertfordshire into ‘the lavishly themed wedding’ for the lucky couple who won the contest.

Sounds almost surreal? But that certainly got many people’s attention.

So the perfect hotel experience is not strictly about facilities or the number of stars. It is also about the exclusive experience and unique atmosphere that can’t be easily duplicated elsewhere.

Perfect Websites

Can your website capture the atmosphere?

It is actually quite surprising how many luxury hotels are underestimating the importance of having an updated website with an effective booking system. With the right combination of high-res imagery, architecture, UX design and SEO, your website should do most of the ‘sales’.

FAENA in Buenos Aires, for example, has a beautiful digital presentation of their brand personality with high-quality images and videos.

The Peninsula Hotels’ website uses a clean design with a clear call-to-action. Everything on the website is professionally done.

Hospitality and social media

So you offer unique offline hospitality and have a perfect website. But why not going one step further?

For hospitality businesses, social media is an effective tool for personalised customer service. Regardless of how big you are, Instagram and Twitter help you reach and engage with your target audience.

Hans Brinker Hotel in Amsterdam knows what they’re talking about. No, you won’t find an Italian-inspired marble lobby. Nor a fancy Sushi bar downstairs.

They know their ‘niche’ (excuse my fancy marketing buzzword) – young people with little money, but with a good sense of humour. They know how to entertain them.

For Roger Smith in New York, social media is an integral part of their business culture. Their social media and blog focus on art and people in New York.

It doesn’t even take a minute to find out that it is a place for avant-garde, art-loving kind of people.

Why some rock on social media while others don’t?

There is one significant element responsible for the difference. Those who do excellently on Facebook or Instagram are less obsessed with ROI. Instead, they are more focused on connecting with customers and establishing their brand identity.

Takeaways

Your hospitality business needs all 3 elements to win the hearts of loyal customers. You don’t need expensive mattresses or fancy marble lobby to be perfect.

Think in this way – Your website is your friendly digital face. Your offline experience entertains your guests. And your social media is there for customer relations.