MARKETING DURING COVID-19

2020-05-11T16:05:08+00:0005 May 2020|Marketing|

The end of the first quarter has come and gone, and generally, during this time, we are evaluating our marketing strategies and projections. We are assessing travel trends and adjusting budgets. Instead, most of us are home following the stay home-work safe protocols. We face unusual circumstances, ones we could have never imagined. Every day I read a new prediction as to what will happen to travel and how it will change forever. I’m not sure if all the predictions will come to fruition or not, but the one thing I am sure of is that the COVID-19 pandemic will force us out of our comfort zone. The effects of the pandemic will push us to look for new initiatives, less sales-oriented activities, and more selfless actions.

The balance is in how we market while showing our commitment to each of our guest:

1)    Show appreciation for each potential guest – It is unsure when travel will return to normal, but meanwhile, hotels need to stay visible. Evaluate the content your guest and prospective guest will find useful and share it, post it, promote it. Make sure it stays true to your properties concept if the property is wellness-oriented than move forward with the yoga, meditation content. If your property is more business-oriented, customize your content to these clients, discuss ways to work from home, useful tools for working from home. Make sure to stay relevant. Once guests feel comfortable traveling, and they begin to book, offer “feel-good” incentives, thanking each guest with amenities for their booking.

2)    Keep your property open virtually – Make sure reservations staff is reaching out to past guests, with birthday, anniversary and special occasion wishes, letting them know you still have them in mind. Keep the live videos going with wellness classes, cooking classes, and inspirational messages. Right now, is a great time to check in on our guests and not sell to them; the gesture will go a long way.

3)    Space is an amenity– Social distancing is the buzz word, even once all restrictions are lifted, guests will be very conscious of their personal space. Showcase public spaces, highlight the open-air areas. Now is an excellent time to take new photographs showcasing the openness, maybe fewer tables on a patio, or restaurant. Showcase in-room spa services and creative in-room dining experiences.

4) Don’t dump inventory – In times like these, the knee jerk reaction is to slash prices to get the bookings, but this can backfire. It is tough to come back once you’ve deeply discounted your rates. Guests may view it as a sign of desperation, which is usually followed by a sense that certain precautions aren’t being followed, due to budget restraints. There are better ways to capture the bookings over your competitor. Showcase your product, highlight amenities that matter to your guest. An example of this is instead of offering complimentary breakfast, offer complimentary room service. Be creative and maintain your average room rate.

5)    Highlight the heroes – The heroes are the staff members that stayed behind to keep properties functioning; these are the people doing all of the deep cleanings, the reservations staff answering guests, and trying to secure future bookings. The personnel that is going out of their comfort zone to create live videos and inspire guest. Showcase them on social media platforms and newsletters. They deserve recognition.

Once we get back to some normality, we will all be revisiting our actions as our day to day will be unpredictable, even so, I’m sure we are all looking forward to that day!

Related Posts

MARKETING DURING COVID-19

2020-05-11T16:05:08+00:0005 May 2020|Marketing|

The end of the first quarter has come and gone, and generally, during this time, we are evaluating our marketing strategies and projections. We are assessing travel trends and adjusting budgets. Instead, most of us are home following the stay home-work safe protocols. We face unusual circumstances, ones we could have never imagined. Every day I read a new prediction as to what will happen to travel and how it will change forever. I’m not sure if all the predictions will come to fruition or not, but the one thing I am sure of is that the COVID-19 pandemic will force us out of our comfort zone. The effects of the pandemic will push us to look for new initiatives, less sales-oriented activities, and more selfless actions.

The balance is in how we market while showing our commitment to each of our guest:

1)    Show appreciation for each potential guest – It is unsure when travel will return to normal, but meanwhile, hotels need to stay visible. Evaluate the content your guest and prospective guest will find useful and share it, post it, promote it. Make sure it stays true to your properties concept if the property is wellness-oriented than move forward with the yoga, meditation content. If your property is more business-oriented, customize your content to these clients, discuss ways to work from home, useful tools for working from home. Make sure to stay relevant. Once guests feel comfortable traveling, and they begin to book, offer “feel-good” incentives, thanking each guest with amenities for their booking.

2)    Keep your property open virtually – Make sure reservations staff is reaching out to past guests, with birthday, anniversary and special occasion wishes, letting them know you still have them in mind. Keep the live videos going with wellness classes, cooking classes, and inspirational messages. Right now, is a great time to check in on our guests and not sell to them; the gesture will go a long way.

3)    Space is an amenity– Social distancing is the buzz word, even once all restrictions are lifted, guests will be very conscious of their personal space. Showcase public spaces, highlight the open-air areas. Now is an excellent time to take new photographs showcasing the openness, maybe fewer tables on a patio, or restaurant. Showcase in-room spa services and creative in-room dining experiences.

4) Don’t dump inventory – In times like these, the knee jerk reaction is to slash prices to get the bookings, but this can backfire. It is tough to come back once you’ve deeply discounted your rates. Guests may view it as a sign of desperation, which is usually followed by a sense that certain precautions aren’t being followed, due to budget restraints. There are better ways to capture the bookings over your competitor. Showcase your product, highlight amenities that matter to your guest. An example of this is instead of offering complimentary breakfast, offer complimentary room service. Be creative and maintain your average room rate.

5)    Highlight the heroes – The heroes are the staff members that stayed behind to keep properties functioning; these are the people doing all of the deep cleanings, the reservations staff answering guests, and trying to secure future bookings. The personnel that is going out of their comfort zone to create live videos and inspire guest. Showcase them on social media platforms and newsletters. They deserve recognition.

Once we get back to some normality, we will all be revisiting our actions as our day to day will be unpredictable, even so, I’m sure we are all looking forward to that day!

Related Posts