In today’s day and age, people are quickly finding rooms at discounted rates. Not at hotels, but in stranger’s homes.
For the past few years, Airbnb has been taking over. This app makes it incredibly easy for people to rent out places to stay. So what should the hotel industry do? There are several tips hoteliers can take away from Airbnb.
Create a human experience
When you stay at an Airbnb, you get to meet the hosts and are in contact with them throughout your stay. At a hotel, front desk attendants are often replaced with computers and services are conducted virtually. Putting more focus on the front desk agents and emphasizing customer interactions creates a memorable experience. Work on making your employees available to guests and ensure that the staff is trained to cater to each guest’s individual needs. You want your hotel to feel like a home away from home.
Convenience is key
Airbnb is known for the convenience of their app and the ease of their reviewing process. Because it’s an app, people easily write reviews for their hosts after their stay. As of 2019, Airbnb has over 150 million users.
A membership app may not be a hotel’s first choice due to the one-time nature of many stays. Luckily, an app isn’t required.
There are many ways to get around this. You can provide a guest survey cards or a survey tablet at the front desk. If you have their email, you can also send them a follow-up survey. Before leaving, you may also encourage them to submit a review on your website. Figure out what works best for your hotel.
Make Every Visit Personalized
Airbnb is always going to be slightly more personalized. Because properties are operating on a smaller scale, it’s given that each experience will be catered to the individual. Airbnb hosts always adjust based on the guest’s reasons for travel.
The main thing to take away from this is that guests feel more valued when the experience is personal. Figure out why your guests are staying at your property. Small things like a welcome bag, treats in their room or small accommodations can make all the difference.
Be honest
Hotels are transparent to an extent. Most hotels detail their amenities and include images of their pools, in-house gyms and rooms on their website.
However, there is a level of transparency that Airbnb offers that removes the business mentality from their operations. When you book a room (or house) with Airbnb, renters are honest about what works and what doesn’t work. This level of honesty is appealing to most, and something that hotels lack.
Airbnb hosts commonly provide local tips. Hotels provide tips based on partnerships. A good guide will provide tips on things they genuinely love about the area, but a concierge may be forced to encourage guests to visit specific locations. While I’m not recommending throwing out all partnerships, creating well-meaning relationships with local attractions that are genuinely loved can create a more authentic experience. Partnering with sites purely out of obligation or money backfires.
Is your hotel losing sales due to the onslaught of available listings in the area of AirBNB properties or other home rental services? If your marketing team has let you down, it is time to let JDI find the managers that will get your property back in the game. Joseph David International is regularly ranked among the top hotel recruiters because we don’t just find managers, we find the ideal manager for your property’s specific needs. For more information about our hospitality recruiting services, please click here.