Any small or boutique hotel can find it difficult to attract a higher clientele without having the marketing and advertising budgets of larger corporate rivals at their disposal. Luckily, being a smaller business can mean that you actually have some built-in advantages that might help level the playing field.
Attracting different demographics simply means identifying what appeals to certain people and working out how to put changes into effect that will win their customers.
Less is more
Every successful business has to target its customer base. Your hotel will only be able to attract a higher clientele if you can work out exactly want they want in terms of service, pricing, and facilities. Sometimes less really is more, because a smaller boutique-style approach can mean you offer individualized rooms and services that larger homogenized corporate hotel chains simply cannot manage.
A more personalized service also means you can connect with people on a one-to-one basis in a way that larger hotels can’t match. This means relationships can be built up that make return custom far more likely.
Online connectivity
Obviously, higher-spend visitors expect modern facilities and that means much more than a stylish en suite these days.
Free, good-quality Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the hotel is essential, but using online resources to your advantage is something that is also important. Helping customers find your hotel by using SEO and SEM techniques with clear and easy-to-use navigation tools and information can play a big part in attracting your preferred visitors.
Business sense
Business customers can mean high spending and regular bookings, but they also tend to stick with what they know. Getting new B2B bookings can mean making deals that offer competitive pricing against rivals, or perhaps being more creative and offering facilities such as conference or event hosting
Bringing in new investors can also help attract new business, as well as provide funds for any changes you want to make or pay for new initiatives that you want to pursue.
Investors
A good investor will work hand in hand with a small business to help it grow, and personal introductions can often work wonders in the way only word-of-mouth recommendations can
When a high profile man such as Lord Laidlaw sells events company business for £768m, the Scottish Tory party donor shows why he is exactly the type of investor who could bring far more than funding to business investment. The recently ennobled Conservative peer is the richest Scottish-born entrepreneur, and his philanthropic work has garnered him a reputation as someone whose interests go far beyond simply making money for money’s sake
Connections
By making the right type of connections, together with having a solid business plan and clear objective in mind, even the smallest business can adapt and use its unique strengths to punch far above its weight. With the right amount of creative thinking and an openness to joining forces with the right partners, attracting a higher clientele to your hotel is well within your grasp.