Increasing Occupancy rates in Boutique Hotels

I have a number of great friends in the hospitality industry, whom I've met since working with the International Hilton chain,  since being self employed (Through mainly networking events), and from extensive trips away with my Hubby and the biggest challenge for hoteliers is the occupancy rates.  

If you're going to be running a sustainable business in this trade you have to do a number of things:

*Customer Experience has to be a priority 

*Use technology as an enabler to keep staff overheads affordable 

*Have interiors that surpass expectations, surprise and delight guests.

In a recent blog: Short stay let's, I go into more detail, go take a read.  In this post I want to focus on 'How you get customers returning time and time again' & 'Attract new guests'.  So the worry of occupancy rates are a distant memory.  

Firstly, with Social Media marketing have such a huge impact on influencing our buying habits.  The likelihood is that people will discover your hotel through these channels.  Having stunning interior Visuals will lead customers to aspire to visit.  

Having interior aesthetics that ooze class, opulence and charm will help your hotel standout in what can be a crowded online market. Social Media influencers also have a great sway in helping you with bookings, so this is definitely food for thought. This is ultimately why it's important to get your interiors right. 

Once you have your bookings the next important element is guest experience, this will lead to better reviews and ratings.  If the rooms are purely functional then, your guests are unlikely to rave about your venue in the feedback.  

Guests that are Wowed by your rooms and communal spaces are more likely to return, become your business advocates and share their joy by word of mouth with others. 

The other element to consider is that if guests feel like they are getting a premium upscaled room design, you are more likely to be able to command a higher room rate price.  With booking shortages, it creates a demand and you'll find guests will either want to book way in advance or request to be notified of availability & cancellations.  This in turn means that the demand is there rather than you having to constantly put your efforts into marketing.  Savings from which, can then be plied back into a annual cyclical refresh or refurbishment program. 

Cleverly styled communal spaces can be zoned to create different atmospheres that connect on an Emotional level to guests. Encouraging guests to spend more quality time in your establishments, which will in turn result in them spending more of their holiday funds with you and not with other potential local competitors. 

If you create a flow from one area to another in the different zones, again it keeps guests engaged. 

The type of interior design style you choose will be affected by different aspects: location, age & architectural design of the building and the demographics or target market your looking to attract, I'd highly suggest speaking with an interior designer initially to scope out your refurb plans. The other important thing to consider here is finding the right designer for your business. Every interior designer has a preferred ID Style or strength in different industries. That said, the best designer is one that listens to you and recreate your vision, which they should all be able to do.  Then it comes down to your relationship & trusting in their abilities. 

Personally, my preferred interior design style is Classic, Victoriana and Biophillic, that's been heavily influenced by my love of history, grand houses and period dramas. I would then learn more about you and your vision and collaboratively come up with a design that delights you & of course have the desired affect on your hotel business.

Just wanted to share a few facts for you to round up this blog. 

* Up to 67% of a hotel’s revenue is influenced or determined by its interior design and architecture choices. 

*While guestrooms get 90% of a designer's attention, they only drive 60% of revenue. So be sure to optimise your other commercial communal spaces as explained above. 

* Luxury interiors can command a 15% to 20% premium on their Average Daily Rates.

* Investing in great hotel interiors acts as a powerful lever for customer retention, which is 5 to 20 times cheaper than trying to attract new guests.

I hope this gives you plenty of rationale as to how investing in your interior design can help your occupancy rates and drive success. 

Thanks for reading. MJ

#Countrylife #Interiordesign #interiordesigner