& How to Make This Experience More Personal
“Hospitality of the future” includes less and less human interaction. While health, hygiene, and safety have always been a top priority in our industry, the emphasis on the concept of safety today is making it more and more difficult to do what we do best: be hospitable.
Human interaction is connection, and connection is hospitality. While concepts like contactless guest check-in have a lot of benefits, they also remove our face-to-face interaction with guests. How can we build a relationship with our guests and customers if we are not greeting and interacting as personally as we have previously?
First and foremost, if we are not greeting our guests face-to-face, it’s essential to find other ways to greet customers.
The welcome can start before your guests arrive. Start by sending them pre-arrival emails or texts with details on where they can park, how they can check in, and even add a comment section on how you can make their stay even better. When they leave requests, do your best to fulfill them, and if you cannot, make it known that you did put effort behind their requests.
When your guest arrives in their room, have a welcome note waiting for them. One of my favorite ways to do this is by having a manager or front desk assistant leave a message on their room telephone.While it is not face-to-face interaction, it will show the guest you care.
Leave a welcome package for your guests in their room. This can be as simple as hand sanitizer and a couple of face masks for guests to wear during their stay. It provides a little extra something that other hotels may not- showing that you went above for their visit. You could even go the extra mile by leaving a handwritten note along with the package. Be sure to personalize the package and note by using the guest’s name. Personalization provides connection and ensures that your guest knows someone took an extra few seconds out of their day to recognize them.
Add personalized recommendations for local activities into your welcome package. It can be a list of local restaurant recommendations, stores, or activities. Then tell your guests that the concierge will happily book anything for them. While it is easy for guests to search for things to do online, providing assistance and booking for customers helps to make their stay just a little more luxurious.
Don’t forget to follow up with your guests throughout their stay as well! Following up with customers is just as important as the welcome. If a guest opts to do contactless check-out, make sure to contact them about their stay as quickly as possible. Call, text or leave an email inquiring about their stay and informing them that your team is excited to welcome them back any time!
