As society starts returning to this new normal, consumers are looking to escape the confines of quarantine and travel to their favorite destinations. More importantly, they are looking for trustworthy hotels to keep them healthy as they foray into the world. Logistically, we know you’ve already been thinking about how to ensure your guests’ safety. But with trends showing a strong amount of pent up demand and consumer indicating that they want to know what steps hotels are taking to keep them healthy, a strong communication plan is key. After all, if you don’t communicate adequately, those CDC-approved air purifiers you ordered will never get their chance to shine. That’s where your killer digital strategy comes in! If you take the time to build trust by communicating your safety standards online, you can instill confidence in your guests that you are taking their well-being seriously and in turn, encourage bookings at your hotel.
Here are a few basic measures we recommend to help convey the message to your guests:
- Create an easy-to-read website landing page including bullets and short lists highlighting new policies and procedures. Keep the content easy to read and understand - everyone’s head is already swimming in an anxiety-ridden cesspool of information overload. Creating an FAQ section with the most common questions you receive will help guests easily find the answers they are looking for, and save you from having the same conversations all day long.
- Send an email to past guests or loyalty members explaining updates you’ve made and link to the landing page. It’s important your most valued guests feel confident that your safety measures are not just performative. Consider offering guests a direct contact on property to ask questions, creating a pinned post at the top of your social profiles where guests can ask questions or sending out a survey to find out what their primary safety concerns are. P.S. If you’re not already responding to consumer inquiries on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - shame on you!
- Integrate safety protocols into social content; work to keep copy conversational and engaging, but don’t focus too much on getting the perfect wording. The important thing is earnestly getting the message out that you are taking your guests’ well-being seriously. Post videos of your new cleaning protocols, photos of any special equipment you’ve ordered and open conversation in the comments section. Bonus points if you create a new TikTok challenge along the way.
- Utilize COVID-19 specific features on online listing sites. TripAdvisor just rolled out the “Travel Safe” feature, allowing you to select which safety measures you have implemented and link back to the (mobile-friendly!) landing page you created. Utilize posts on Google My Business and the “COVID-19 Updates” section of Yelp to broadcast these new safety protocols as well.
- Encourage guests to share their experience online. Now, more than ever, your online reputation will dictate the rate at which your business begins to normalize. The first guests who do come to stay at your hotel will serve as the messenger to the masses. Consumer distrust is at an all-time high and people want affirmation from real customers that their health will not be at risk while staying at your property and leveraging online reviews and social tags/mentions could make all the difference.
At the end of the day, we are all flying in uncharted territory. The most important thing you can do as we embrace this new normal is to stay transparent and open the conversation with your guests. This will help build trust with both new and existing guests. And as we all know, trust breeds loyalty, so treat these circumstances as an opportunity to create devoted customers for life!