Bartercard Examine Hospitality Trends

This month Bartercard have some industry tips to keep you thinking outside the walls of your establishment, and ultimately, to increase your cash flow, and the first is the matter of direct bookings. While operators want to maximise direct bookings to lower costs, they equally don’t want to burn bridges with platforms like Booking.com or Expedia which bring continual business. Hotels and resorts are doing more to proactively attract direct bookings in 2019 so expect to see more direct marketing, online tactics and special rates rewarding travellers who book direct.

Another trend is the use of more user-generated content. The industry will continue to collaborate with influencers in 2019 to stay at the forefront, but you don’t have to be a global brand to appear in social feeds.  User-generated content is unpaid, and posted by followers who love the brand and want to talk about it.  According to tintup.com, 86% of millennials consider referrals a good indicator of brand quality and a great brand across the board underpins user generated content.

The upside for visitors who can instantly post about brands in a digital age is a higher benchmark of service, Instagram-able spaces and more creativity.  Room gadgets like nail dryers, rewards for eco-conscious guests and smart cars for shopping trips (cutting out car rental) are a few ideas at future-focused hotels, leading to enhanced experiences.

Smart-room technology is trending, and many are already using mobile keys, text messages instead of calls to reception, and customised temperature, lighting and toiletries to enhance the guest experience and stay ahead of the curve. Personalised entertainment via guests’ Netflix and Amazon accounts is letting them watch what they want, when, which allows hotels to create a more comfortable and cosy stay.

The final trend this month is to create a home away from home. Hotels are creating familiarity in more places in than just entertainment, transforming lobbies into expanded living rooms and adding a longer list of features like exercises, massages, cooking classes, dry cleaning and deliveries.  With more services at guests’ disposal, hotels are turning eco-friendlier too; embracing local over imported ingredients, furniture and art.

Bartercard recommend you use their services to boost your hospitality business.

In a fast-evolving market, Bartercard is a flexible business solution to attract customers, fill empty rooms and increase cash flow.  Thousands of members in the hospitality space use Bartercard every day to take cash out of the picture and supplement business, so for more information on customer loyalty reward programmes, profit increase and increasing business profit please go to www.bartercard.co.nz .

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