Hospitality is a dynamic industry, and hence, it is constantly innovating, pushing new boundaries and enhancing the guest experience. One such new trend is the Boutique Hotel. Never term of this term? Google it, and you will fall in the love with the images! Boutique Hotels offers you aesthetic pleasure along with hospitality.
The guests are looking for boutique hotels because they are looking for something unique and out of the ordinary. Initially, guests wanted comfort, good service and value for money. Now a new ingredient has entered the mix, experience. Boutique Hotels provide ample of it since it has a unique style, design and atmosphere. Many factors determine its success.
Numerous Boutique hotels have emerged, and the competition is intense. There are many aspects one needs to take care of to make a hotelier’s Boutique Hotel a success.
What Is A Boutique Hotel? Can It Be Successful?
A Boutique Hotel is a small property, usually with 10 to 100 rooms. The difference between a Boutique hotel and other types of property is that the former has a unique character and essence.
They offer ultra-personalized experiences, which include aesthetics of a unique theme. For example, there are heritage-themed hotels, urban-style hotels, forest-styled hotels etc. What determines the success of boutique hotels is their ability to provide great service to customers.
How To Make Your Boutique Hotel A Success?
With growing competition, many successful boutique hotels are emerging, each offering its own USPs. You need to stand out from the crowd and satisfy the ever-increasing demands of the guests. Here are a few tips you need to follow!
1. First Things First, Establish A Brand
A hotel runs on its brand. The brand goes beyond a logo, logo colour and the company name. It is the identity and the personality of your hotel. A strong brand attracts your customers and also sets you apart from your competitors. Your marketing should be directed towards establishing your brand.
Whether it is email marketing, social media marketing, advertising, email design, copies, banners etc, your brand identity and personality should be reflected in it. It is the first step to making your boutique hotel a success.
2. Who Are Your Ideal Guest? Understand Them!
Boutique Hotel is different from standard hotels, that’s why your audience is also different. You can target the segment effectively only when you understand them. Like other human interactions, you need to understand your customers to communicate with them effectively.
There are a few questions you need to explore before you approach different guest bases and persons: “Which type of guests would like to stay in a uniquely styled property? What is their age group? Their occupations? Their personalities?”
You need to map the guest persona of your target audience. A guest persona is a representation of an audience segment that is most likely to stay on your property. When you start devising the guest personas for your hotel, you will be able to provide better services and personalized experiences, since you know your audience better now!
3. Know And Analyze Your Competitors!
It doesn’t matter whether you are entering the boutique hotel industry or already running one, you need to understand your competitors well if you want to gain success in the hospitality industry. Competitor Analysis can provide you with an insight into the marketplace and help you refine your strategies.
The boutique hotel domain is an emerging one, so the number of competitors is also limited. To make the most out of it, you need in-depth analysis. It includes the analysis of price, design ideas, the type of guests catered to, their budget etc.
4. Understand The Pros And Cons Of Your Hotel
After understanding your competitors, you need to audit and understand your hotel. You need to audit your property based on certain parameters to know your standing. These parameters are as follows:
Boutique hotels are known for the vibes they offer. So try to determine whether your hotel has the right ambience and atmosphere. For that, you need to work on your hotel aesthetics. You can use Pinterest to take inspiration and ideas.
Evaluate your pricing strategy. Are you overpricing your rooms or undervaluing them? What is the budget of your audience segment? A competitor's analysis should give you a clear picture of your pricing strategy.
A hotelier should also understand their operational efficiency. Various tasks can be automated to make them more efficient. Doing so will give you an edge over your competitors. A Hotel Property Management System (PMS) can help you with the job.
What is your reputation in the industry? Are people talking about you? If so, then is it positive or negative? A Reputation Management System can help you solve queries and keep customers satisfied.
Follow these few parameters and you will be able to navigate the stormy seas of the industry and make your boutique hotel a successful business.
5. Your Staff Can Make Or Break Your Hotel! Train Them Properly.
Boutique hotels are all about service, style, vibe and sophistication. Only the ambience and aesthetics will not cut it. Your staff also needs to up the game. Your boutique hotel may be the most well-designed. However, if your staff is lacklustre, your property will not even get visitors.
You will need to invest a good amount of time, energy and effort to train your staff properly. A boutique hotel will have lesser staff compared to bigger hotels, so the training will not be as tedious.
6. Explore Technology And Automate Operations
Technology is a major role in the economy, and the hospitality industry is no exception to it. Whether you are a single boutique hotel or a multinational chain, you need technology to increase the efficiency of your operations.
With a hotel property management system (PMS), a hotel can manage a reservation, check-in/check-out, room assignment, rates management, smoothly. Not only that, but you can also integrate your Channel Manager, booking engine, revenue management software, and accounting system in your hotel operations.
7. Don’t Ignore Your Local Guests
Boutique hoteliers are under the assumption that their properties should mostly target travellers and tourists. Local guests can also bring a lot of profitability and success. The current trends of staycations, workstations, and work from home have proved it. Targeting them is essential for making your boutique hotel business successful.
People want to escape from their boring lives and want to experience sometime unique. This is where boutique hotels come into play. Run dedicated campaigns that offer unique deals as well as twerk your pricing strategy to attract more locals.
8. Want Visibility? You Cannot Ignore The Internet
It is the era of the internet. If you are not there, then you are as good as invisible. Most people look for hotels on the internet. However, you need to make your property easy to find to get leads, and ultimately, customers. There are a few ways by which a property can be made visible on the internet:
Having a hotel website is as good as mandatory. Without it, no one will take your hotel seriously. A hotel website not only gives information about the property but also drives commission-free bookings.
You need to be active on social media as well since it is where most people communicate. You also need to update and manage your social media handles regularly.
Your property needs to be on Google My Business. It enables you to list your business location on Google Maps and local search results, along with displaying important information about your hotel.
OTA platform is a great place to list your hotel. Most guests search on OTAs if they don't have a particular property or properties in mind.
By following these tips, you will be able to make your boutique hotel a successful business. If you want to know more about the hospitality industry, you should check out our blogs. Bigfoot Hospitality is a one-stop solution to your hospitality management needs.