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Cross-selling and upselling products can be a win-win for both guests and hospitality property owners.

Here’s what you need to do to increase your profits?

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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Promoting your hospitality property can be a daily grind, but it doesn’t have to be.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

You can increase your client base and improve your bottom line by using cross-promotion and marketing with comparable business partners.

Cross Promotion is a great way of tapping a target group of partners without investing much. With more businesses competing for a slice of the market share, creative businesses of all sizes are trying more cross-promotion campaigns, in the hopes of driving sales and increasing brand loyalty.

It can be a win-win situation for all of the parties involved.

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Sometimes there is confusion over cross-promoting and cross-selling

Cross-promotion may involve two or more companies working together in promoting a service or product whereas cross-selling or upselling, is the act of selling (or upselling) an additional product or service to an existing guest.

If you have additional products or services to offer at your hospitality property, you and your employees must know how to cross-sell or upsell.

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Let’s look at some ways to cross-sell your products or services

You can do this within your own business by offering customers a product or service you offer at your property. It can be as simple as the waiter asking if the customer wants a salad to go with that main course. A subtle way of encouraging a guest to spend a little more.

Generally, guests don’t mind.

Surveys show that most buyers appreciate being told about additional products or services that might better meet their needs or about new items that were not offered in the past. It’s a way of demonstrating that you are aware of their needs and care about their satisfaction.

The key to successful cross-selling is to focus on meeting the guest’s needs rather than simply pushing products or services. Treat the cross-selling process like a suggestion so customers will volunteer more information about their requirements.

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Ways to Improve your opportunities for upselling products

Stay attentive

Don’t overload customers with unrelated cross-selling suggestions or they will not take anything. To gain the extra sale, you could simply mention that have other products or services are available.

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Train your employees to upsell

Build your approach around serving the customer, not just selling more stuff. Explain how the additional products or services can further solve a guest’s problem and enhance their stay.

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Cross-sell on your website

Locate cross-sell items on your website where they can help educate shoppers on the depth and variety of what you offer. Mix and match items.

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Offer a variety of prices

If you suggest three items to complement a product, try to offer a mix of price points.

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Post expert recommendations

One way to enable cross-selling is to state-specific recommendations from professionals, experts or other customers. This could be a chef’s recommendation on a menu or a list of related items other customers have purchased on your website.

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Try product or service packages

Packages have long been used as a way to tempt shoppers to buy not just a single item, but a complete group of items that go together. Offering a deal on packages will help close the sale.

Training to upsell is a step in the right direction to increasing your bottom line.

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Let’s continue with ways to cross-promote

Organize cross-specials

You already know that you can target guests during or after the purchase with related specials, such as free giveaways, discounts, coupons, and/or gift cards. Try increasing your reach by working together with another local business. While your and your partner’s businesses might be unrelated in terms of product, both of you should have similar target clientele and a reputation for high-quality products or services.

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Make use of each other’s assets

Cross-promotions can provide an opportunity to make use of assets you already have, saving you money.

One of those assets you’re already paying for is space. Why not exchange a little retail space with your partner? The space can be as small as your partner’s counter, where you might place your business logo and description to cross-promote your brand. You can increase the effects of this approach by combining it with other cross-promotional methods like offering coupons and discounts.

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Cooperate with influencers

So what is an influencer? A person or group can influence the behaviour or opinions of others.

You and the influencer could cross-promote to each other’s audiences, or you could partner with a second business to bring a mutually beneficial influencer on board, splitting the cost of hiring an influencer.

Collaborating with an influencer can allow local businesses to create highly-targeted campaigns by zeroing in on an influencer’s specific qualities, like geography or target audience.

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Combined Advertising

Many Fast Food Restaurant Chains often indulge in joint advertising with beverages companies. You can do this by partnering with the company where marketing to your target audience is mutually beneficial.

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Co-sponsor a good cause

Joint charitable sponsorships are likely to attract more contacts than if only one business sponsors a cause. Such alliances provide co-sponsors exposure to each other’s audiences and access to that of the charity. And, as sponsorship fees rise, you can stretch your budget by spreading costs with like-minded partners.

You may sponsor related events / TV shows to get more reach. This result might more beneficial if the event is also sponsored by other large sponsors.

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Are these make sense so far?

Let me know in the comments.

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Co-produce a newsletter

You and a partner can co-produce a newsletter that ties your brands together in an organic way. Co-production will keep expenses low while expanding the types of expertise you can offer your clients.

The newsletter doesn’t have to be about your businesses; it could be about a related subject. For instance, your hospitality property and a local tour operator could co-produce a newsletter talking about tourist activities in their area.

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Cross-promote your brands on social media

If both you and your partner have an established social media presence, the opportunity is calling. By cross-promoting each other’s brands to particular followers, you can double your visibility and win new guests.

Remember, cross-promotion doesn’t mean simply cross-posting one message from your social profile to all of your partner’s social media channels at the same time. That may just turn off your potential new audience. Instead, design your messages in a way that relates to each particular audience.

Social media cross promotions require diplomacy. Your messages have to meet certain expectations which highlight the benefits of each company, why your companies are the best and how easy it is for travellers to get to you.

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If your partner has a blog, write guest posts

Bloggers often guest post on other websites to get more exposure and increase their website traffic. This type of partnership is a good deal for both parties as one party gets quality content while the other get more exposure and a backlink to his website.

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Finding the right partner

Since your customers will associate your partner’s marketing with your own in a cross-promotion, it’s crucial to work with businesses that leave a great first impression.

Your next step is finding the right partner.

Consider your customers: what sorts of services or products would add value for them? Narrow the field by focusing on businesses whose services, products, and marketing you respect.

Don’t be shy about getting to know a prospective partner—Google them, check out their LinkedIn profiles, look for reviews and recommendations of the business online, and, of course, ask your network!

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In conclusion

Cross-selling or upselling is an excellent way to add a revenue stream to your business, even if you don’t have the infrastructure of a luxury hotel. You can implement cross-selling tactics at different touchpoints in your property, whether offering a bottle of wine upon arrival, a spa treatment or parking spaces, you can increase your revenue with ease without disrupting your operations.

Put these ideas into practice and you will quickly see the results. A pre-stay communication with automated messages and personalized questionnaires is the ideal communication channel to cross-sell your services and products efficiently.

Well-designed cross-promotion can be a win-win for everyone.

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Do you currently or are planning to cross or upsell at your property?

Let me know in the comments.

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A Division of Keystone Hospitality Property Development

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Many owners of hotels, resorts & bed and breakfasts want to get their message out but struggle with content writing.

Follow the tips from THE Word Specialist to get started.

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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I am excited to be sharing this encore guest post from professional content writer, Bev Moss-Reilly aka “­­­­­­ THE Word Specialist” and as you could have guessed she is going to be sharing tips for content writing. Her post was written but I have also produced a video reading her post exactly as she sent it to us.

So, without further ado, here is

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Reading between the lines

Written by Bev Moss-Reilly -THE Word Specialist

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When I was kindly invited to write about “the writing of content”, I had to think hard about how I could possibly convey my message, as writing is a passion that runs through my veins. It’s my blood type! So how can one teach about writing and serve up tips to “want to be writers” when you are not sure whether they have the element of passion or not!

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One certainly needs to be armed with an excellent vocabulary, as well as correct language skills, encompassing proper grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, tenses and sentence construction. However, one can’t be taught passion or how to have a fertile imagination. They are the two key ingredients for a perfectly fulfilling and successful writing career.

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J.K. Rowling, the world-renown author of The Harry Potter series of books, would never have been able to write several successful books had she been devoid of a unique and phenomenal imagination. Save to say that the film production company had the ability to interpret and convey her stories with bespoke cinematography and skill. Her descriptive writing provided them with artistic interpretation.

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As a self-made millionaire, Rowling wrote her first book in a small coffee shop in Glasgow. What motivated and inspired her is unknown, but she wrote with passion, and it was evident how it flowed through the ink of her pen, just as it was passionately running through her veins. She had the ability to paint a picture and evoke an imagination within millions of readers. This was clearly palpable.

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Without hooking a reader with an enchanting title and a compelling introduction, the blog or article is lost, and the reader has moved on.

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There are different styles of writing relevant to the various requirements of the content to be shared. Thus, besides a writer having their own natural inherent style, the way that one may compile a newsletter, for example, is very different from the way that one would write a novel, a blog or a review. Besides being a matter of fact and fiction, the tone and style differ.

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While the content and intention are different for each piece of writing, the writer naturally finds his groove or comfort zone. Many may diversify, especially in the field of business and social media. That, however, is lateral diversification.

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However, my personal belief is to do what one does best, and one’s niche naturally evolves.

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Become a specialist in one’s field and be clear where you want to pitch yourself, be it in the marketplace to garner business, or as a favourite pass time.

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Start with a plan and a framework.

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If one’s intention is to be known and have one’s name exposed and one’s writing published, it is important to represent oneself in a professional manner whereby one’s language skills are accurate. Furthermore, one needs to be able to capture and maintain the attention and imagination of the reader and to hold it. Keep it short and do not cushion the content in a way that the essence is lost in translation, especially if it is not creating content.

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Write with a voice relevant to the brand, when marketing for a company. Know and understand their ethos. Research, enquire and ask the questions.

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Adapt one’s language to the audience to who the piece is geared at. Be sure that the content is relevant.

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If one is required to convey facts about a topic, be sure to research adequately and remain factual. If enlisted by a client, follow the brief accurately.

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Creative writing is completely different and allows the writer to employ his talent and descriptively share an imaginative piece that will captivate the reader.

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As much as the introduction must hook the reader and the body of the piece to maintain their interest, a conclusion should pull the piece together and draw it to a close.

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Depending upon the needs of the client, if one has been enlisted to write, and if relevant, pictures capture attention as well as layout, and may be used to complement the article or blog.

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Always check work for errors before submitting it. It represents you and the name of your business.

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As with most services, one is only as good as the last piece of writing that has been published. One only has one chance to create an impression and the last piece seen, leaves the flavour of what the audience will chew on and digest.

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Be it business or pleasure, create a groove that feels comfortable and stay there. Market oneself in a way that one maintains one’s specialty. Write about what interests you so that you write it with passion. The reader can detect whether passion is lacking. If the writer doesn’t display genuine interest in the subject, this is evident to the reader and his interest is lost.

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There are many subtleties in conveying a message through content, be it creative novels, articles, blogs or business letters and reviews.

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If one wants one’s audience to grasp the full understanding, be sure that when they read between the lines, the message is not lost! Do not leave room for misinterpretation. Know the audience and write to them.

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Reread it several times to be sure that it would grip you as the reader. If not, rewrite!

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Drafts may be written repeatedly before finalizing what you may then be proud to release.

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Be different, be unique and make yourself known for your own bespoke style.

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In conclusion

Bev Moss-Reilly THE WORD SPECIALIST

Bev is a freelance online content writer. She focuses on the writing of articles, blogs and website content as well as letters, speeches, reviews, newsletters, brochure content and proposals.

Her writing is aimed at the business world and is thus factual.

Enlist Bev for remote contracts. Her attention to detail as well as her natural talent and skill is evident on her website where she showcases some of her blogs and articles.

Her writing has been published in various media and on various platforms.

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Her main areas of interest, although not specifically limited to these fields are:

• Travel and Tourism * Health and Wellness * Medical matters * Psychology, counselling and psychiatric conditions * Food encompassing restaurant reviews, eating out as a total experience, and * Leisure

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Do you write your own content for marketing or do you outsource?

Let me know in the comments.

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A Division of Keystone Hospitality Property Development

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I don’t like patting myself on the back, but I am recognized as a hospitality property authority or influencer.

You as well can become an influencer for your region or property. I’ll tell you how.

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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In the past, if you had a celebrity promoting your business or product, that was worth its weight in gold. Today, when it comes to getting advice or recommendations on what to do, where to vacation, where to stay or where to eat, most people trust peers more than so-called “experts.”

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Now, you might be an expert in the hospitality property field, especially in your region, but to benefit an influencer in your field, your goal should be to become a peer and this can be done by sharing your content and insight in a certain way, so your returning and potential customer see you more as a peer.

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Influencers are ordinary people who have earned a substantial loyal following because of their expertise and transparency. Unlike celebrities who actively endorse products on their social media accounts, influencers achieved their fame because of the valuable information they share with their followers.

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Where do you start?

12 guidelines for you to follow

1. Choose the social media channel that you are comfortable with

As of this writing, Instagram is the channel where 93% of social media influencers spotlight their content because it gives them the best results., but before you pour all your energy into Instagram you have to determine if that is where your target market is spending their time.

In other words, if you want to grow your following and establish yourself as an influencer, you need to make sure that you choose the right social media channel based on your niche and ideal audience.

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Here are three questions to ask to help guide you in choosing the right social media channel:

• Who is your target audience?

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• Where are the other influencers in the hospitality property niche?

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• What type of content will you create?

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2. You need to develop your content strategy

The format and quality of the content you publish will make or break your chances of successfully building yourself as an influencer.

Part of developing an effective content strategy is giving your audience the right balance of informative content and personal content. You should be able to both deliver valuable information and express your personality and voice.

A good rule of thumb is the 5-3-2 principle: Out of every 10 posts you publish in your social media account, five of these should be valuable content written by someone else, three are educational and informative content you created yourself, and two should be posts about yourself.

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3. Distribute your content

You can have the best content in the world, but if nobody is seeing it and you’re not engaged, it’s not exactly useful.

It’s important that you carefully plan out when you’ll be publishing and distributing your content and it is critical to know how to post your content on social media.

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4. Grow your network

While you’re still in the process of proving your credibility and expertise as an influencer, you’ll need to actively grow your follower base. One of the most effective ways of doing this is through blogging.

Blogging can help you kickstart your follower base by helping you get discovered and by including social media sharing buttons on each of your blog posts. Your visitors can share your content with their respective social media networks.

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5. Engage with your followers

When your followers leave a question or comment on your posts, take the time to acknowledge and respond to them. That can make them feel like they’re valued and that you sincerely want to help them. It will also help you develop a relationship with them, and be prepared, not all of the comments and questions will be positive. As an influencer, expect that you’ll have your fair share of negative comments and criticisms. Make sure to keep your cool and address them professionally.

 

 

6. Stay up to date

If you’ve been active on any social media channel, you probably know how often networks update their algorithms, as well as their posting terms and conditions. As an aspiring influencer, you need to keep yourself updated with these changes to avoid penalties.

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7. Be consistent

The one thing that surpasses quality content is consistency. That’s because your followers need to be able to count on you to deliver quality content on a consistent basis. If you don’t, they’ll eventually stop following you, or at least pay attention to you.

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Are these make sense so far?

Let me know in the comments.

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8. Participate in off-site forums

Social media has its advantages, but in addition to social networks, it’s also advantageous to participate in forums and other platforms in order to take part in online discussions.

Any discussion can increase your popularity, expand your influence, and make new relationships.

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9. Build a website or blog

Conversations don’t take place exclusively on social media.

If you build a website or blog, you can include a link to them on all your social media to direct your followers and improve the engagement rate.

A detailed blog post has more added value than a short post on social media.

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10. Provide added value

If you don’t add value, you’ll never become an influencer.

You have to be on everyone’s lips to become an influential influencer and if you can impress your readers with your knowledge and the added value gained from your articles, you will definitely be recommended.

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11. Always stay authentic and be true to your brand

To many watchers, the Super Bowl commercials are just as excited as the game because big brands like GoDaddy, Budweiser and Ford keep putting out epic spots that tell their brand story.

You can do the same.

It is important that you are always authentic and stay true to your brand.

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12. Respond to comments

Respond to any and all comments.

Always be polite and factual when replying to comments but when you come across trolls and haters make sure you have a well-thought-out strategy in place to use those comments to build your brand.

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In conclusion

By following the 12 guidelines I have posted, you will be well on your way to becoming a hospitality property influencer.

Positioning yourself will take some time, so you’ll need to be patient, and stay consistent. Now keep in mind, becoming an influencer in the hospitality property industry is not the end destination, instead, it’s a stepping stone to increase your property’s patronage and profit.

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Are you currently an influencer in your community?

Let me know in the comments.

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A Division of Keystone Hospitality Property Development

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Getting eyes on your property online is the best way to start your guest’s journey, so when planning your marketing you have to ask “how to get visitors on my website”.

Here’s how.

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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Updated Members Version.

“How do I get potential guests to visit my website?” 

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At some point, that thought crosses the mind of every hotelier/innkeeper with a website.

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Whether you’re you are looking to reopen in the near future or have been operating your property for a while, trying to attract your first or your 1,000th visitor, generating more traffic to your hospitality property is a crucial part of growing your business. If your site is properly optimized for conversions, getting an increase in web traffic could mean more visitors and bookings.

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From a marketing perspective, the good news is the process of getting your first visitor versus your 1000th is the same.

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How to get visitors on my website – 15 proven, high-impact tactics.

1. Manage a ‘Google My Business listing

Google My Business is an essential tool for any website.

https://www.google.com/business/

Using Google My Business, you can input your hotel’s contact information into automatically optimized fields, as well as recent photographs and guest reviews within your listing.

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2. New Content Creation 

Create a blog and set up a consistent publishing schedule.

Blog articles are among the most popular types of content. They provide evidence of your knowledge, boost your credibility, and help bring in traffic from search engines. Keep in mind, consistency and quality matter far more than quantity.

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3. Old Content Optimization

If you have old content on your blog or website, don’t let it pine away into oblivion. You can revisit old content and update it with more relevant references. Republish it with a new date so it goes to the top of your blog.

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4. Post More Frequently

Even though the consistency and quality of your posts matter more than quantity, posting more frequently sends an important signal to Google. It says you’re more active, which inspires the bots to crawl your site more often. Your content will rank higher and faster if you keep up a steady posting schedule.

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5. Vary Your Content-Length & Type

Another way to attract business is to adjust the types of content you post and their length. While you don’t want to widen your message too much and risk baffling your readers, you can throw in the occasional variation from your normal topics to see what happens.

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6. Enhanced Headlines

Never underrate the power of a good headline. It’s what readers see when they search, run across your content on social media, or get an email. Focus on capturing reader curiosity so they have no choice but to click through and check out your content while keeping your headlines at around 55 characters each. 

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7. YouTube Channels

Some presume that videos aren’t helpful for traffic. That is not correct. You can optimize a YouTube video description with targeted text, then include a “Calls To Action” with a link back to your website.

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8. Comment to Responses on Other Blogs

It’s true that most blogs use nofollow links in their comments sections, which makes those links pretty much useless for SEO purposes. However, the blog’s author and other commenters will see your link.

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9. Ensure that you have the right website infrastructure in place

Investing in the right website builder will allow you to easily update your content and your keywords without enlisting the help of a website designer.

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10. Long-Tail Keyword Optimization

Don’t neglect long-tail keywords. They’re the best source of organic web traffic from search engines. For instance, instead of optimizing your content for “holiday resort” optimize it for “winter holiday resort in the French alps” or “weekend wine tasting in the Niagara region” You’ll get more exposure on the search engine results page (SERP) and more clicks.

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11. Build Partnerships

Partnering with other business partners can help you drive traffic to your website, too. Sharing audiences is a tried-and-true tactic that was used even before the Internet became the primary way to market products and services. Cross-promote each other’s products, services, or posts to help each other drive more traffic.

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Do these make sense so far?

Let me know in the comments.

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12. Guest Blogging

When you write a guest blog post, you normally get at least one link to your property in the author bio. These do-follow links can help you build domain authority on your website, drive traffic from the blog’s audience, and boost your rankings in the SERPs. Guest blogging is ideal for any property owner or manager who wants to boost traffic and rankings in one fell swoop.

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13. Guest Post Offers 

You can also let other people or business partners guest post on your blog to give them exposure, boost your site’s authority, and drive-up traffic. Just make sure you’re accepting guest posts from people who are passionate about your niche and who write well.

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14. Referral Traffic

Tracking referral traffic allows you to replicate previous success. If you have other bloggers link to one of your posts, write a similar post in the future, then send links to those bloggers.

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15. Add Internal Links

Internal links (links on a page that lead to other pages on your website) can boost SEO and drive more traffic. If someone visits more pages on your website, they’re more likely to book.

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In conclusion

Driving potential guests to your website using these proven tactics is imperative for the success of any hospitality property and ensuring its visibility is key to increasing your direct bookings, so it’s imperative when planning, always be asking “how to get visitors on my website”.

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Are you currently using any of these tactics to drive traffic to your website?

Let me know in the comments.

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A Division of Keystone Hospitality Property Development

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Although COVID-19 is an unexpected temporary disruption, the growth of hotel technology for the future is evolving and will define the future of the hospitality property industry.

Here’s what you can expect.

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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Updated Member Version.

Why is new hotel technology for the future important

New machine-learning-based systems will play an important role as hotels, resorts, bed and breakfasts recover losses in the post-pandemic period. They are useful for:

• Automated revenue management
• Micro-targeted marketing
• Fare forecasting
• Predicting seasonal demands
• Personalized search and booking engines with learned preferences
• Competitive pricing
• Customized, personalized experiences

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Here are seven of the most important technologies that have emerged as essential for hospitality businesses in a post-pandemic future.

Machine learning & AI systems

New developments in these technologies shaped by online search engines and booking apps have a huge potential to revolutionize the hospitality property industry, including:

• Automated Revenue Management Tools
• Evolving Search and Booking Databases
• Getting More Personal

The biggest advantage of developments in machine learning is the ability of businesses to personalize experiences and provide constantly improving, streamlined services and marketing, based on customer data.

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In-property communication

Clear communication amongst hospitality property employees will become more vital in the future and this can be made more efficient by moving things onto an app. Your staff will be able to easily share pictures of rooms that need cleaning or tasks that need specific attention across all different departments so you can quickly react.

Training can also be moved online so that all of your employees are able to stay up-to-date with any new changes.

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AI voice assistants & smart rooms

With the need for contactless service during and post-pandemic, more properties have begun to install Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice assistants, such as Alexa and the Amazon Echo into updated ‘Smart Rooms’. Integrated into the room tech and the Internet of Things (IoT), these voice-activated, digital butlers can do everything from searching for local attractions to lowering the room lights. Not only can this advanced technology provide an attractive and safe service for guests, but it can also collect and analyze data.

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Virtual reality travel experience

Before the pandemic, virtual reality (VR) technology was only just being touched upon in the hospitality sector but had yet gained widespread appeal. The real value of VR has slowly started to take on a life of its own during coronavirus lockdowns when would-be travellers sat at home, wishing they were somewhere else.

The pandemic has prompted a flood of creative VR travel experiences crafted by a diverse range of providers including national parks, hotels, tourism companies, public broadcasters and museums.

Hospitality properties have jumped on VR as an opportunity to showcase local attractions, market destinations or entice customers to take tours of rooms and facilities. Even if customers can’t travel right now, they will be enticed to visit later if provided with some memorable experiences and the chance to ‘try before they buy’.

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Mobile app integration

Mobile app integration is when your phone becomes your tool for practically everything, and it has been a progressively growing trend for years. The pandemic has accelerated adoption.

Today it is becoming more common for apps to allow guests to make pre-check-in requests, easy check in, unlock the room, communicate with staff, look at menus and services and control room features.

These are just a few of the apps and integrated mobile technologies providing convenient solutions for customers. Others include, Travel apps, booking apps, review sharing apps, and social media content aggregating apps.

There is endless potential in mobile integration to help customers and help hospitality businesses track data, manage revenue, offer new products, or improve services.

Do these make sense?

Let me know in the comments.

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Rising contactless solutions

Human contact will always be central to an industry defined by service, but now there are ways to manage safety that will still never replace customer service with a smile.

• Restaurants replacing paper menus with scannable QR codes
• Contactless check-in options
• Non-touch control panels

Because many of these contactless solutions are also easy, convenient, fast, and integrated with smart hotels and mobile apps, they’ve had the additional benefit of streamlining customer experiences.

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AI chatbots

Customers want a fast response to their queries, especially online and can abandon their effort if they fail to get assistance promptly. Where human intervention is not immediately available, AI chatbots can help provide the needed support to staff by managing multiple customers needs simultaneously and seamlessly.

AI chatbots, while useful in collecting data, can go a step further and conduct a customizable conversation that addresses the individual needs of every visitor in a more helpful way than the traditional website fill-in forms, which can help improve the customer experience.

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In conclusion

7 out of 10 employees want and believe that the global pandemic will profoundly change work habits. Faced with new social behaviours and other challenges arising from Covid-19, the classic hospitality industry will have to evolve by launching new initiatives.

New hotel technology is imperative for the future, and artificial intelligence is an obvious way to move forward as it can be personalized. Personalized service will be more pivotal in the hospitality property industry and will drive customer experience. The properties that wish to grow their customer base and revenue will need to embrace technology to enhance their chances of achieving these goals.

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What new technology are you going to adopt at your property?

Let me know in the comments.

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A Division of Keystone Hospitality Property Development

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The future for spa and wellness travel post-COVID may seem a bit unclear now with so many new regulations, that some might worry we won’t enjoy the experience as we once did.

So why are many hospitality property owners optimistic?

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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Updated Members Video.

No matter how you look at it, the last year and a half have been stressful—from worries about catching the virus to job stress and all the other problems in the world around us. Through all of this, not everyone has taken the time to focus on themselves and their own wellness. As COVID-19 has caused so many changes in the world, it has also affected how people look at health and wellness going forward.

So, what can hospitality properties do? I’m going to give you spa and wellness travel options to consider.

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1. Increased cleanliness procedures

Spas have to adopt new cleanliness methods every day. While sanitation has always been a priority, it’s clear that constant sanitization and disinfection will have to increase. As properties reopen their spas we can expect staff to take on extra responsibilities when it comes to cleanliness. These steps not only protect customers but also help employees stay safe as they return to work.

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2. Outdoor facilities will become more popular

People will focus on outdoor activity more since many are tired of the stay-at-home restrictions. For the foreseeable future, their focus will be more on getting outside, where they feel safer and more socially distant as the impact of COVID still remains a problem in congested areas. The ability to be in a location where there is access to top-quality facilities to help reset their mind and body, yet isolated from crowds, will be in great demand.

Hospitality properties can enhance their onsite offerings with engagement activities like biking, hiking and outdoor fitness classes.

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3. Smaller guest experiences

The spa experience may become more personal. That’s why some spas may take a more personal approach, as they’ll want to reopen methodically. They may only accept a few customers at a time so that it’s easier to social distance. This method could be a two-for-one for spas and customers since an exclusive experience often makes people want to visit more.

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4. Air purification

Customers are interested in new filter technologies capable of capturing and destroying particles and will expect hospitality properties to add filtration systems to rooms, common areas, restaurants, fitness centers and spas. These air filtration upgrades can be listed as an amenity to entice customers.

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5. Mental wellness

Mental wellness is finally getting the attention it deserves, and many properties be including apps offering micro-sessions or mini-mental breaks through guided meditations. You’ll now see more devices with built-in alerts to remind guests to stop and breathe when it measures the heart rate is up, identify habits and help track progress toward reducing stress and being healthier.

More holistic classes will be offered that connect the body and mind to strengthen total well-being.

Hotels and resorts can help promote mental well-being with wellness packages that combine facility assets for full- or multi-day retreats or with in-room evening audio meditation sequences.

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6. More science-backed evidence

Guests want more and more information about how health-focused remedies benefit them. COVID-19 has pushed us to become more conscious about what we do for our bodies. This urge may translate to spas directly, especially when you consider the treatments they provide. This is not to say that spas haven’t provided evidence to their customers in the past, it’s that they’ll need to ensure that each experience has the data to back up its claims.

It’s all about transparency from the business itself. If your experiences can help your guests lead fuller, healthier lives, you’ll want to make their benefits clear.

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Do these make sense?

Let me know in the comments.

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7. Virtual training

For almost two years, with fitness centers only opened in a limited capacity—or not at all—many trainers have turned to virtual classes. Health-conscious consumers shifted workouts from the gym to home and this preference for home workouts is accelerating the hotel in-room fitness trend.

Post-COVID, many travellers will want in-room hotel fitness and virtual options to eliminate worry about being in a communal workout facility during their stay. In addition, the convenience of on-demand programming has solved the challenge of meeting scheduled classes or finding a trainer while travelling. Hospitality properties are keeping pace with this trend by offering in-room fitness experiences.

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8. Circadian health

People are looking beyond the mere number of hours of sleep they get to better understand their quality of rest. Research has shown how a person’s internal clock or circadian rhythms, impact health.

Circadian rhythms are influenced by environmental factors, number one being light, and there will be devices that will flood the market that filter out blue light from screens on tablets, phones and computers, which interfere most with sleep.

The hospitality industry is working to combat these natural cadences by providing sleep coaches, circadian lighting, apps to fight jet lag and circadian dietary options. As we look into the future, the manner in which we respond to our circadian rhythms will only become more prominent in our understanding of how it contributes to modern-day wellness.

If you are a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, as a bonus, I am going to share with you four more health and wellness travel options you could consider for your property.

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In conclusion

It may take a little while for spas and wellness travel to find their stride, but they will be able to overcome the barriers that COVID-19 has created and some of the trends introduced during and post-pandemic will be here to stay. With a little thought and a few tweaks, you to can take advantage as we navigate this new reality.

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Do you currently or are planning to offer spa and wellness travel options at your hospitality property?

Let me know in the comments.

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A Division of Keystone Hospitality Property Development

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