How Bed and Breakfasts, Guest Houses and Inns Can Meet Their Guests' Expectations Every Time
Hi I’m Yvonne Halling at BedandBreakfastCoach.com and today I’m going to talk about how to make sure that you meet your guests’ expectations, plus I’m going to give you 3 things you can do right now to reduce the risk of negative reviews or complaints due to unmet needs.
The main reason you may be falling short on meeting your guests’ expectations is because you’re unclear on what it is you offer and you don’t understand what your guests are looking for.
If you think you’re offering a bed for the night with a breakfast in the morning then I want you to think more deeply about the experience you offer, rather than the nuts and bolts. The nuts and bolts are the bed and the breakfast.
The experience is the kind of atmosphere or ambiance you create that has your guests feeling a certain way, which will probably include the bed and the breakfast, but it’s not the whole thing.
If you don’t pay attention to the experiential element, you’re missing the reasons why people choose bed and breakfasts, guest houses, inns or small hotels, over large chains.
Studies have consistently shown that your guests are looking for an emotional connection with you, your property and your area, where they can create memories with their loved ones.
They’re looking for a deeper connection to themselves and to life itself, and they can’t get that at an anonymous chain hotel.
They very often choose something small and intimate to relax, pamper themselves and just getaway from their everyday routines, and to have someone knowledgeable on the area who can help them is also very important.
It doesn’t matter where you’re located, or how you run things, if you focus on creating that more intimate, better-than-home-from-home experience for your guests, coupled with insider knowledge, they won’t be disappointed.
So here’s what you can do right now to make sure that your guests’ expectations are being met:
Step #1 Get clear on who your guests really are, and why they’re coming to your property. You could even do a survey to find out.
The more we know about our customers the more we understand them, and the more we understand them, the more they will love us.
Step #2 Make sure that your website is conveying precisely what you offer. Examine your home page and read the text on it – does it inspire you? Or are you talking mostly about you and your awards? Take an hour to write something more emotional on your home page that reflects the experience you offer.
Step #3 Communicate clearly to all booked in guests prior to arrival, exactly how you roll, so that there’s no grey areas. If you don’t take children, but guests keep showing up with unbooked in infants, then make sure they know that they’ve made a mistake before they arrive, so you can put them straight. Don’t be afraid to cancel bookings where a child has been entered into your system and then recommend somewhere else for them. They’ll be happy that you did, because they don’t want to feel out of place any more than you do.
Clear communication, emotional connections and clarity on who you welcome and who you don’t will eliminate the stress of not matching your guests’ expectations very quickly.
If you’d like to know more about how to not only meet but exceed your guests’ expectations, streamline your business so you can free up even more of your time, then register below for my upcoming Masterclass where I’ll show you how to make more, work less, pay less commissions with less stress.