It's the most wonderful time of the year -- especially for hoteliers! Folks from all over the country make the mecca back home for the holidays, and that means that they need a place to stay. With countless options for lodging, though, it's important to assess your hotel's situation and determine what sets you apart from the competition. Why would the Jones family want to spend Christmas with you as opposed with the motel around the block? This list will take a closer look at what hotel guests are looking for during the winter rush.
Easy Booking
How easy is it for your prospective guests to book a stay with you? Everyone is in a hurry during the Christmas season, so it's important that you've got a 24-hour answering service for phone calls and the ability for simple, mobile-friendly booking online.
Convenient Check In and Out
Spending all day in the heavy flow of traffic while it's snowing or navigating one's way from airport to airport can be extremely stressful. After all of the hassle associated with traveling, your guests want to know that they will be able to easily settle into your hotel and start enjoying the holiday. Whether you're relying on your staff to handle the process or are interested in setting up mobile-friendly check-in and/or check-in kiosks, it's important that you work out all of the kinks to ensure that the process is as smooth and seamless as possible. You should also verify that your VoIP or mobile-controlled check-out features are working properly before the seasonal rush.
Security
Holiday travelers are typically carrying a lot more than just their luggage with them. Most will be heading across the country with loads of sentimental -- and valuable -- gifts for their nearest and dearest. It's crucial, then, that you are able to offer the highest degree of security possible to your clientele throughout the Christmas season. You might offer increased access control, lockers, and in-room safes where guests can store their valuables even when they are away from the hotel.
Personalized Services
Although guest are excited about seeing loved ones during the holiday season, it can still be difficult to be away from one's own home for an extended period of time. As a result, you and your staff need to double your efforts to make patrons feel as though they are at home. Hotels that employ high-tech VoIP phone systems will benefit from their ability to personalize guest experiences, as incoming calls will state the guest's name, language, VIP status, and other important details to help customize their experience.
Ability to Stay Connected
Just because it's the holiday season doesn't mean that business comes to a screeching halt. Many savvy business men and women will need to stay connected to the office, even as they are traveling for the holidays. These individuals will demand a high-speed internet connection, business center, and very reliable phone system. VoIP phone networks offer clear calls, personalized voicemail, conference calling, and a number of features that professionals will appreciate during their stay.
Wake-Up Calls
When Christmas morning finally arrives, you want to make sure that your guests are able to rise and shine and head on over to their family's houses in order to see what Santa dropped off the night before. Guests will value the ability to set up custom wakeup calls that can even tell them what to expect in terms of the weather outside.
Is your hotel up to snuff for the Christmas rush? Reach out to the experts at PhoneSuite to learn more about how upgrading your phone system can help you for the holiday season and beyond.
