Text Messaging Still ‘IN’ For Your Business – Here’s Why

We want to send you 5 easy steps to boost your bookings

If you want to find out more about how to integrate text messaging into your business after reading this blog, then get in touch with us.

Hotel owners face a daily uphill challenge to ensure that their guests enjoy every bit of their stay. Most times, customers don't directly complain about your service if they're dissatisfied. This can lull you into a false sense of security. In the end, they may vent their anger on a review website by writing something negative or discouraging prospective customers from booking into your hotel. You can help avoid ugly situations like this by incorporating text messaging into your business. Big chains have started to offer this service with great success. We have developed 4 ways by which you, the independent hospitality owner, can implement texting into your business.

You may not know what it feels like to receive appreciative texts from a hotel you just visited until you experience one. When a guest checks into your property, whether it’s their first time or not, ensure you send a text about 20 minutes after check-in or when you feel they must have finished freshening up. Welcome them to your hotel and to remind them you are available to help if they have any queries. This is a great way to earn loyalty and return customers.

Avoid sending a text too soon after the guests leave the reception area. After the pressure of travel and check-in, guests may be stressed or distracted. In that situation, the guest won’t digest the information in a text and may not attach much meaning to it.

Every hotel knows the basic needs of its guests. While some of these needs cannot be attended to without the presence of a staff member, a lot more can be solved through the use of text communication. For instance, a guest arrives at your hotel and, after freshening up in his room, finds that he needs Internet access. He is likely to call reception to request the Wi-Fi password. Imagine how impressed this guest would be to receive the information via a text message before he even has to ask! Wi-Fi passwords are just the beginning of what you can accomplish using this strategy. You can send information on hours and services, too. When you send a text, that information is stored on your guests' phone, meaning that they can conveniently refer back to it whenever they like.

A day before your guest’s departure, send them a text thanking them for visiting. At the same time, ask how they felt about your services and if they are interested in extending their stay. As long as you send important texts only, they’ll continue to value the communication.

This is one sure way of continuously updating your guests and reminding them that they are still welcome at your hotel. However, keep in mind that you may need to filter what you send based on the guest. If you sense that a particular guest is a businessman who travels frequently to the same location, you can text on a two- or three-week interval. If the guest is not a frequent traveller, a text every one or two months should be plenty. Don’t forget to include new offers or a discount code. People are usually interested in what offers are available to them.

Comfort is not all about luxury rooms with large beds and HDTV. If a guest has to stand up from his bed to request or receive information, then the convenience is no longer there. Text messaging is often overlooked as a small way of improving your hotel's comfort and retaining your guests.

Find out more about how to send offers for more bookings with this training course.

We have just started working with Zingle, an automated text messaging service. First impressions have been fantastic and are saving our clients hours every week. To find out more, check out their website at www.zingle.me.

What do you think? We would love to see your comments below!