8 habits of successful hotel marketers

Everyone likes to be at the top. But it is only a handful who reach the zenith of success. Is it in the hands of destiny or plain luck?

What makes it to be a successful hotel marketer? How can you join the ranks of hoteliers who have climbed the ladders of success?

Here are the eight important habits, which differentiate a successful hotel marketer from an also-ran.

1) Know your property

‘Know Thyself’, thus goes the ancient Greek saying.

This maxim isn’t just for the spiritual seekers. It applies to you as well. Unless you know your property thoroughly, you cannot market it well.

Each property is unique. A hotel in the sand dunes of Rajasthan is totally different from that of a hotel in the business district of Mumbai -- so do the target travellers for each type of hotel. (Does it look good to market a B&B establishment to a CEO of a multinational company?)

Never can a marketing campaign be generic, that’s the basic rule.

So, how well do you know your property? Do you want to cater to the crème de la crème or the tariff conscious backpackers or be somewhere in the middle? Do you know what cuisine your chefs are specialised in? Do you know how many rooms face the pool? What about your spa? Have you updated yourself with the past occupancy patterns and the average age of your guests?

Go into the details. The more you know, the better you can put forward your hotel’s story convincingly. And a convincing storyline always has takers.

2) Know the competition

Being aware of oneself might be good when it comes to a spiritual seeker. But when it comes to a marketing professional, it isn’t just enough. If you don’t know what your competitors are doing, your hotel will never reach the top.

How can you monitor your competitors? Here’s how the top hotel marketing professionals study the competition, apart from the analytics.

• Read travel portal reviews of other hotels in their area

• Subscribing to newsletters and e-mailers of competitors

• Talking to regular customers or friends who might have stayed at other hotels

• Closely following the social media activities of competitors (Probably, this is the easiest and

fastest way to gauge where the competition is going)

• Interacting with new employees who came from other hotel chains (Talking to them in person

and understanding the nitty-gritty of how those hotels are performing)

• And once in a while, sending a loyal employee to stay with the biggest competitor.

3) Set goals

The American life coach Tony Robbins says, ‘Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible’.

The top marketing professionals set their marketing goals in advance. Having a proper marketing goal ensures you know what to do even before you start strategizing. This will also ensure that your energies are not dissipated into numerous things.

What are the features of brilliant goal-setting?

• Set achievable and realistic goals. However, make your goals challenging too

• Make them specific

• Ensure your goals can be measured

• And finally, set the time frame to achieve your goals.

4) Continuous learning

You’re never too old to learn.

The world is constantly changing around us, so are people and the hotel industry. The most effective marketers sharpen their brains and knowledge regularly.

The social media was not even there a decade back. What if the leading hoteliers had stopped learning about digitalism, which is now crucial to hotel and travel industry?

So brush up on your skills and knowledge base constantly, read industry journals, attend seminars and log on to websites which have the latest case studies from thought-process leaders. Finally, you can’t be outdated in an industry which values innovation.

5) Honesty

Honesty has always been the best policy and it will always remain so.

Be honest about your property in your sales pitch. Never give false promises. Never ever say things which are not features of your property. If you have made mistakes, acknowledge it.

It goes without saying that courtesy should also be a part of your personality along with honesty. Be polite and courteous to your clients, vendors and people whom you meet. Don’t try putting forward your points curtly. Return calls and acknowledge e-mails. All these small things go a long way in branding you as a person to do business with.

6) Never assume things

This is the probably the golden rule for marketing professionals. Never assume a client to behave in a particular way or a situation to develop in a particular fashion. It is always good to have a positive attitude. But, be prepared for the adversities.

Your planning and strategising might not work at all times. So, have an open mind.

7) Don’t procrastinate

Time and tide waits for none. This is what we would have learnt at school. But as we grow up, we get used to delaying things and waiting for a better day or moment to do things.

The best of marketing plans might not show the right results if not implemented in time. So, the finest marketers know when to pull up their socks and go all ahead to achieve what they want.

Make a plan, schedule your calendar and do the things you are supposed to before you wind up your day.

8) Take time off

Probably, this is the most important of all habits.

A study by the University of Illinois shows that even a brief diversion can lead to improved ability to focus.

A close study of successful hoteliers shows that they regularly take time off from their work to be with their closed ones and for vacations. A break makes you look at more possibilities and gives you renewed energy to pursue your goals.

Imbibe these 8 powerful habits of effective hotel marketers and get set to lead your hotel to unmatched brilliance.

For more information visit- www.digitalhospitality.in