Renovating your hotel every three to five years can leave you worried about filling your rooms during the process. While it may be tempting to refrain from informing your guests about the renovation process before they book in order to fill every room, it’s usually best to be upfront about the situation. Follow these suggestions during your hotel renovation to keep guests happy and prevent negative online reviews that will stick around for a while.
You Can Fill Rooms Even During Hotel Renovations
Inform Guests About the Hotel Renovations Before They Book
The last thing you want to do is surprise your guests with a renovation when they show up with their bags ready to check-in. Guests who are expecting a clean, quiet, and relaxing stay and who are then bombarded upon arrival with a chaotic refurbishing scene may instantly run to the internet to leave a less than glowing review.
Informing guests beforehand that renovations are happening will prevent surprises and prepare guests for what to expect. Be as detailed as you can with noise, inconveniences, and dates so guests know that they won’t have to take the stairs or wear noise-cancelling headphones during their stay. Post consistent details on your website and any booking services you use.
Provide Amazing Customer Service and Communication
Renovating and re-furnishing can be loud and disruptive at times, so maintaining exceptional customer service and open communication will help your hotel avoid negative remarks. Inform guests of the daily itinerary so they know what to expect and if anything will be unavailable to them. Be sure to be on hand to answer any questions and offer any help or solutions you can.
If something is unavailable, offer an alternative service so guests don’t feel as though they are missing out on their experience. Also, if something doesn’t go as planned and guests arrive and can’t make it to their rooms, offer to store their items and a complimentary service while they wait. Even if you can’t do anything to fix a problem, listening to their concerns and apologizing for any inconvenience will help alleviate some of their stress.
Thank Guests In Person and Online
Showing appreciation for your guests’ patience and understanding can go a long way in booking rooms and keeping guests happy. Before guests arrive, send out an email thanking them for their business and ensuring them that they will be well taken care of during their stay. Train your staff to be patient with unhappy guests and to thank them at the end of their stay for their support in the hotel’s renovation. When guests leave positive reviews online about their stay during the hotel’s renovation, be sure to thank them and let them know your staff focuses solely on a positive experience for every guest.
Refurbish a Little at a Time
Your hotel won’t book up any rooms if you decide to close down most of the hotel at the same time. Breaking up the hotel refurbishing into small sections will ensure that not everything is closed or unavailable at the same time during anyone’s stay. You can find a company, such as The Quality Group, that will store items at their secure storage facility while you renovate small sections of your hotel and deliver and set up items when you need them. With this method, you can renovate floors or sections of your hotel at different times and keep guests booking rooms during the entire process.
Renovating and re-furnishing your hotel should be exciting for you and your guests because it means updated furniture, clean fixtures, and modern rooms. When you are done updating your hotel, be sure to celebrate by informing previous guests and inviting them back and potential guests to entice them to stay. Update your website and post on social media channels to let people know that your hotel has recently been updated and enjoy enthused and happy guests.
Refurbishing your hotel doesn’t have to mean a lull in your booking process. Being honest, providing excellent customer service, and keeping services as open as possible will ensure your guests have as pleasant of an experience as they would if you weren’t renovating. Enjoy the positive reviews and flood of room booking requests once your renovations are complete.
Work with The Quality Group
At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.