Branding Strategy for Hotels
Branding Strategy for Hotels
For hotel industry brand is a powerful thing because generally customers make their decision well in advance. Typically guests do not visit the property, eat in the restaurant and lay on the bed before making a reservation. Brand image is the only thing which can influence the decision making process of a customer. Now a day’s consumers access the information and reviews about the property and then make a choice. The current landscape of hospitality sector pushes hotels to work harder to differentiate their brand and promoting their services. Branding is a central component and a powerful tool of an effective marketing strategy. It is a long term project that involves communicating the values, the mission and vision of the company to both employees and customers. A successful branding strategy includes various marketing principles and develop a brand identity through which it communicate the value, mission and vision of the company to create a positive perception in the mind of customers. Many aspects of branding are well within the control of a hotel and are crucial to driving sales and maintain high average daily rate. Below are some branding strategies which can be helpful to acquire more customers and establish a brand-
1. Consumer Satisfaction: This is the most important aspect to create a strong hotel brand. Consumer satisfaction is the baseline of hotel branding. A high guest satisfaction level leads high occupancy level. Whatever services the hotel provides but consumer satisfaction must be the ultimate priority for developing a strong hotel brand. If your customers are satisfied they will spread a good word about your hotel and word of mouth publicity is the best publicity.
2. Digital Presence: Gone are the days when having a beautiful hotel at a good location was enough for success. In this digital age social media and digital presence plays an important role in acquiring customers. An online presence in form of a user friendly website or association with hotel review sites such as Trip Advisor or an online booking system such as Make My Trip etc. is important to enhance the confidence of customer about the hotel. Where customer can check the reviews and get real insight about the property.
3. Social Media: To have a Facebook and Twitter page is equally important where the management can interact with customers and answer their queries. But management should be professional enough to answer the queries even if somebody has posted a negative review; you should apologies and explain the situation. Even special offers and events can be highlighted on these pages.
These brand building strategy are very effective. Guest satisfaction is the first and foremost thing which should be taken seriously. Brand image and awareness cannot be improved very fast. It takes time. When you start to follow these strategies, slowly and steadily the brand will become.