Chocolates, Prosecco and Rose Petal Turndowns
Create packages and promotions that cover the three most important things and you will increase your guest loyalty and strengthen your brand.
If I get one more hotel promotional email telling me about their February 14th special room rate that includes chocolate covered strawberries and champagne, I am going to just sink into despair.
Where’s the creativity?
Where’s the branding?
Where’s the love? It’s Valentine’s Day!
Now, if your hotel is extremely traditional and the same people come back every year because your strawberries are organic and grown on property and you have a chocolate making workshop on the grounds where guests can watch four different types of chocolate being made and you have a champagne that most of us covet. . . . . Well, if you a have any combination of these things, or even just one of them, then go for it, as it probably works for you, your brand and your customer.
However, most hotels don’t. There are three things that all hotel packages need to consider and be able to check off when creating a promotion/package. It doesn’t matter the holiday or the reason.
It must have guest value.
It must have brand value.
It must have operational value.
And, if you want anyone to write about it, please make it creative.
A longer post about this concept soon, but here is the quick version.
GUEST VALUE - Does your guest even care about what you are offering? Does it have value to them?
BRAND VALUE - Does it make sense for your hotel and its brand and personality? Will it strengthen your brand, even if someone only reads about it? Does it help connect the brand dots in your customers’ heads?
OPERATIONAL VALUE - Can your teams responsible for making it happen actually make it happen? Can you (or should you) bring in enough staff to turn down all those beds and places upon them? Can the room service and kitchen team really serve (and clean up) that many meals on balconies?
PROMOTIONAL VALUE (CREATIVITY) - Is the title, the elements, the concept, clever enough that you will get some promotional value?
Here are a few ideas off the top of my head - these are quick, but perhaps will get those creative juices flowing
Take a twist on the strawberries and champagne. If you’re in a hot climate, can you make an ice cream or frozen popsicle with some of these ingredients?
If you want to do an amenity, let your guests choose what THEY love. It’s all about personalization. So, it might be champagne and chocolate . . . . or maybe craft beer and popcorn . . . . wine and cheese . . . . coffee and cake . . . cookies and milk . . . Or any combo of the above (he can have his and she can have hers or they can have champagne with popcorn).
Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday this year, so maybe two nights with one night free or at a discount and offer a bottle of wine or special seating in the bar/restaurant on February 14?
This applies to the one above, also, but many people don’t want to go to any restaurant on Valentine’s as they expect it to be packed and expensive. If your restaurant isn’t, how about doing something with We Love Our Locals and offer a locals’ rate and free parking. Maybe a free movie with room service or a promise of a quiet evening in the restaurant.
Create an Instagram-worthy wall of fake roses. Or pink balloons? Pink always works. Or, look at the photo here from a hotel in Dublin - black works, too!
Do you have a lot of business travelers or singles with you? You know they don’t want to go out on Valentine’s night. Do a fun bar promotion. Show Love, Actually or something silly. Keep it fun, but think about who is in the hotel.
Have a (short) reading of a famous love letter or poem with a wine pairing.
The main message is that none of these would make sense (especially that last one) if it doesn’t make sense for YOUR hotel and YOUR guests.
Boutique and independent hotels know that our guests do value creativity and experiences.
