Strategies of maintaining hospitality brand image source: Entrepreneur
2 Ways of Maintaining the Brand Images for Hotels
Hotels are representative of the hospitality industry, which are an industry that provides services to customers directly. This industry has been competitive as we have plenty of options to choose hotels to stay in today. Therefore, maintaining their brand image must be a priority to operate their business. Here are some ways to raise the brand image of a hotel that is drawing attention to meet the need of the time in recent years.
1. Differentiate itself from competitors
The first one is to differentiate itself from competitors. Different customers have different thoughts about what to prioritize when choosing a hotel, so it is essential to emphasize the personality and features of hotels. Hotels make it easier to focus on their target market by highlighting their features and personalities.
The ways to differentiate your hotel from the competition: acuity
a. Introducing technology services
Utilizing technology services in hotels has been more common in recent days, especially in the pandemic. Due to COVID-19, face-to-face contact has been avoided, guests can check-in and out using technology services without meeting reception staff. According to Oracle, 71% of guests tend to choose a hotel that introduces self-check-in/out services for their stay.
Safe check-in process with QR Code. Source: AirHost ONE contactless tablet check-in.
b. Eco-friendly hotels
In recent years, global warming has become more and more serious. More and more people are becoming concerned about environmental issues, and as if in response, eco-friendly hotels are popping up worldwide. In fact, according to a survey by Booking.com, 72% of travellers of all ages believe that they need to make sustainable travel choices to save the planet.
Farm to Table concept hotel is one example of an eco-friendly hotel. Farm to Table is a service to prepare meals from fresh ingredients that are organic or sourced from local growers. This concept is possible to reduce distances for transportation so that it will eliminate fuel and emission. Farm to Table can be categorized as eco-sustainability.
List of the best eco-friendly hotels in the world: Forbes
In other words, hotels with technology services and eco-friendly are some of the hotels attracting attention. A hotel can target the percentage of customer segments that showed the above and brand itself as a “hotel with technology services” or “eco-friendly hotel,” differentiating itself from the competition.
2. Focus on Reviews
Today, customers rely on online reviews for their decision-making to purchase services. According to Hotel Business, 81% of TripAdvisor users must check online reviews before booking a hotel for their stay. This means, Online reviews are directly related to the brand image of hotels, so hotels must not turn a blind eye to it. Customers are more likely to prefer hotels with a high rating and trust evaluations from others. In fact, 79% of TripAdvisor users tend to choose hotels with a higher rating, and 85% of them believe their experiences are appropriately reflected in the reviews they read.
Importance of online reviews for hotels: GoGroupBooking
As you can see from these statistics, hotels should regularly look through online reviews and comment on these ones. They need to show their appreciation for positive reviews and, conversely, apologize for the negative ones. By doing this, hotels will show that they are sincere in dealing with guests’ opinions. Also, they can identify what is currently very well and what needs to be improved, which will lead to a better brand image.
Conclusion
Responding to customers’ opinions through word of mouth and online reviews can help maintain a positive brand image and develop a hotel that will be loved for a long time. Also, by differentiating a hotel from others in the industry, it will be able to establish its brand image and attract more customers.
Bibliography
“A Data-Driven Look at Hospitality’s Recovery.” Oracle, July 1, 2020. https://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/industries/hospitality/2020-hosp-recovery-survey-global-ov.pdf
Booking global. Booking.com reveals key findings from Its 2019 sustainable travel report. Booking global, May 28, 2019. https://globalnews.booking.com/bookingcom-reveals-key-findings-from-its-2019-sustainable-travel-report/.
“Study: Online Reviews Continue to Influence Travel Booking.” Hotel Business, July 16, 2019. https://www.hotelbusiness.com/study-online-reviews-continue-to-influence-travel-