Understanding how your guests think and why they choose not to book your B&B, hotel or short term let…
You may feel you are offering comfort, luxury, value for money and exceptional service in your accommodation, but you also need to deal with factors that can dissuade potential guests from making a booking in order to guarantee success. There’s no point providing overnight accommodation if you have no website and don’t advertise as you’re unlikely to have a successful business. In the same way, there’s no point having a website and advertising if you’re not overcoming the objections to booking that your potential guests may have.
Understanding these reasons can better help B&B proprietors, self-catering owners and hotel managers tailor their offerings and services to meet guests’ needs and preferences resulting in more bookings. Here are three common reasons why guests might hesitate to book your accommodation, and what you can do to address them:
Pricing and Perceived Value:
Problem: Guests might feel that the price of staying at your accommodation is too high for the value they perceive they will receive. This could be due to a mismatch between what you offer and what they expect, or it might be due to not clearly communicating the unique value proposition of your establishment.
Solution: Be transparent about what your guests will receive for their money. Highlight the unique features of your accommodation – whether it’s the historic building, the locally sourced breakfasts, or the personalized concierge services. You definitely don’t need to be the cheapest or even compete on price at all. My successful Bed & Breakfast business was the most expensive in town, by far. But I sold a dream, a unique experience, something others weren’t offering. Find your niche and convey that to your ideal customers. You may need to consider offering promotional rates, but keep these to certain times of the year, or to promote special events. Be clever with them like offering discounts for longer stays, or packages that include additional amenities meaning you’re keeping your profits up. Try to avoid just dropping your prices, add more value instead.
Lack of Information:
Problem: A potential guest may be interested in booking your accommodation, but have unanswered questions or concerns. This might include anything from accessibility concerns, pet policies, check-in/check-out times, to what’s included in the room rates or what there is to do in your locality.
Solution: Make sure your website is comprehensive and easy to navigate. Include a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section that addresses the most common questions. Ensure your contact information is easy to find, and respond promptly to any enquiries. Offer plenty of information on the locality and what there is to do – how far are you from the beach, shops and tourist attractions? Consider offering virtual tours or videos to help with visualising. Include lots of photos of all the rooms as well as bathrooms, amenities, and common areas. Detailed and clear information can help put potential guests at ease, answer their questions and concerns and increase their likelihood of booking.
Online Reviews and Reputation:
Problem: Potential guests often turn to online reviews to help them decide where to stay. Negative reviews or even a lack of reviews can be a deterrent.
Solution: Encourage satisfied guests to leave positive reviews on popular platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, or Booking.com. Most guests will also read the management responses to reviews. A personalised answer from a manager shows that you care as a business what your guests have to say and have an interest in their happiness and satisfaction. It’s just as important, if not more so, to address any negative reviews. Showing that you value guest feedback and are committed to making improvements where necessary will be appreciated. Sometimes it can be important to put your point across and diplomatically explain what went wrong on that occasion. There will sometimes be unreasonable, unfair or unfounded reviews, sometimes not even from your guests. Keep calm and reply to these politely, and your guests will see through these odd anomalies. It’s not about getting rid of the negative reviews, it’s how you handle them which make your future guests respect you and actively cultivating positive ones can help counterbalance any occasional negative comments.
In conclusion, understanding why guests don’t book your bed and breakfast, hotel or short term let is a crucial step in improving your business. By addressing pricing concerns, providing comprehensive information, and managing your online reputation, you can help ensure that more potential guests choose to book their stay with you. Remember, every guest’s decision-making process is unique, so covering as many bases as you can will only help in the long run and ultimately improve your profits.
If you’d like my help in any of the areas mentioned, do drop me an email at info@NeonDuck.co.uk I can help you get your pricing right, offer suggestions to improve your website, and improve your online reputation with a variety of tactics.
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