Pre-opening hotel strategies are crucial for the success of a property because they help to establish the foundation for operations and set the tone for the customer experience.
Here’s what you need to consider.
Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.
I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.
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Starting a new hotel can be an exciting and challenging endeavour. There is a lot to consider, from choosing the right location and designing the perfect guest experience to building a strong marketing plan and assembling a talented team. One key element that is often overlooked, however, is the importance of pre-opening hotel strategies.
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These strategies are essential for setting your hotel up for success from the very beginning and can make all the difference in the long run.
Importance of pre-opening strategies for hotel success
Proper planning and execution of pre-opening strategies can help a hotel to:
- Attract and retain top talent: A well-organized pre-opening process can help a hotel to attract and retain top employees, which are essential for providing high-quality service to guests.
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- Control costs: Careful planning and budgeting during the pre-opening phase can help a hotel to control costs and maximize profitability.
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- Build brand reputation: Pre-opening strategies can be used to create a strong brand identity and reputation for the hotel, which can help to attract guests and generate positive word-of-mouth.
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- Establish systems and processes: Pre-opening strategies can help a hotel to establish efficient systems and processes for operations, which can improve the overall guest experience and drive customer loyalty.
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- Create a seamless guest experience: By planning and executing pre-opening strategies effectively, a hotel can ensure that all aspects of the guest experience are well-thought-out and executed seamlessly, from booking to check out.
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Overall, pre-opening strategies play a vital role in the success of a hotel by helping to establish a strong foundation and setting the stage for long-term success.
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Choose the right location
When choosing the location for a hotel, there are several factors to consider, to ensure that it is the right fit for your business:
- Demographic characteristics of the area: Consider the demographics of the area, including the age, income, and interests of the potential guest base. This can help you determine whether the location is suitable for your target market.
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- Proximity to key attractions: A hotel’s location should be convenient for guests, so consider the proximity to key attractions, such as tourist destinations, shopping centres, and business districts.
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- Transportation options: Consider the availability of transportation options, such as airports, public transit, and major roads, to make it easy for guests to access the hotel.
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- Competition: Research the local market to understand the competition in the area and how your hotel will fit in.
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- Development potential: Consider the potential for future development in the area and how it may impact the hotel’s success.
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- Local regulations: Research local zoning laws and regulations to ensure that the hotel complies with all necessary guidelines.
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By carefully considering these factors, you can choose a location that is well-suited for your hotel and your target market.
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Design the perfect guest experience
Designing the perfect hotel guest experience involves creating a cohesive and seamless experience from the moment a guest books their stay until they check out. Some key steps to designing the perfect guest experience include:
- Define your target market: Determine who your ideal guest is and design the experience to meet their needs and preferences.
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- Set clear service standards: Establish clear service standards for all hotel staff to ensure that guests receive consistent and high-quality service throughout their stay.
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- Create personalized experiences: Use guest data and preferences to create personalized experiences and make each stay unique and memorable.
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- Make technology a priority: Use technology to enhance the guest experience, such as offering mobile check-in and digital room keys.
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- Provide amenities and services that add value: Offer amenities and services that add value to the guest experience, such as a fitness centre or complimentary breakfast.
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- Seek guest feedback: Regularly seek guest feedback to understand what is and isn’t working and use this information to continuously improve the guest experience.
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By following these steps, you can design a hotel guest experience that exceeds guests’ expectations and leaves a lasting impression.
Build a strong marketing plan
A strong hotel marketing plan can help you effectively reach and convert potential guests, resulting in increased occupancy and revenue for your hotel. Here are some steps to building a strong hotel marketing plan:
- Define your target market: Identify who your ideal guest is and tailor your marketing efforts to reach them.
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- Set marketing goals: Clearly define what you hope to achieve through your marketing efforts, such as increasing direct bookings or driving more foot traffic to your website.
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- Determine your budget: Allocate a budget for your marketing efforts, and prioritize your efforts based on what will give you the greatest return on investment.
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- Develop a content strategy: Create a plan for producing and distributing relevant, valuable content that will attract and retain your target audience.
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- Utilize social media: Leverage social media platforms to reach and engage with potential guests.
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- Implement email marketing: Use email marketing to stay top-of-mind with past guests and encourage them to return, as well as to reach out to potential new guests.
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- Explore paid advertising: Consider using paid advertising channels, such as Google AdWords or social media ads, to reach a wider audience.
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By following these steps and continuously tracking and analysing your efforts, you can build a strong hotel marketing plan that helps drive occupancy and revenue for your hotel.
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Assemble a talented team
Assembling a talented hotel team is essential for delivering excellent service and creating a positive guest experience. Here are some steps to help you build a strong team:
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities: Create detailed job descriptions for each position to ensure that team members understand their responsibilities and how they contribute to the overall success of the hotel.
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- Identify key qualities and skills: Determine the key qualities and skills that are necessary for each role and prioritize these during the hiring process.
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- Source candidates from a variety of channels: Utilize multiple channels to attract top talent, including job boards, employee referrals, and recruitment agencies.
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- Conduct thorough interviews: Use a structured interview process to evaluate candidates and get a sense of their fit for the role and the hotel.
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- Offer competitive compensation and benefits: Attract top talent by offering competitive compensation and benefits packages.
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- Provide ongoing training and development: Invest in ongoing training and development for your team to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver excellent service and contribute to the success of the hotel.
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By following these steps, you can assemble a talented hotel team that is committed to delivering an exceptional guest experience.
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In conclusion
Effective pre-opening hotel strategies are crucial for the success of a new property. These strategies include conducting market research, choosing the right location, building relationships with key stakeholders, designing the perfect guest experience, implementing effective marketing and sales tactics, and ensuring that the hotel is properly staffed and trained.
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By following these guidelines and being proactive in the pre-opening phase, hotel owners and managers can set the stage for a successful launch and ongoing.
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Did you have or are planning pre-opening hotel strategies?
Let me know in the comments.
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We cover more on independent hotels, resorts, inns, bed & breakfasts, vacation rentals in
“The Guide to Owning & Operating a Hospitality Property – Successfully” course.
You find more information at KeystoneHPD.com/course
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You will have access to this episode for as long as you would like, but if you would like to see all the bonuses you would have access to as a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, have a look at the short video in this episode post-show notes.
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In our next episode, I will be talking about how to develop your marketing plan.
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That’s it for today’s episode,
Until next time, have a fun day.
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You can find all the links in the show notes.
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⇒ TO READ OR LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON KEYSTONE HOSPITALITY PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT:
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