Give your hotel a 5 point design health check

Now more than ever it is vital that your hotel stands out from the crowd. Here are 5 key areas that you should be reviewing regularly. In each one the effective use of design can help you make a difference and attract new guests.

1. Do you have a master plan?

Are you making the most out of your property? Your building and its grounds are your biggest assets. You need to make them work for you 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Can you answer 'yes' to the following questions?

• Do your guest rooms have en suite bathrooms?
• Is the hotel available for bookings all year round?
• Do you have a bar?
• Have you redundant space that can be put to good use?
• Do you have a restaurant?
• Can you receive guests at any hour?
• Can you cater for weddings?
• Can you retail from your reception or lounge?
• Is your dining space comfortable?
• Can you cater for conferences or exhibitions?
• Can you offer services or facilities to non-residents?
• Does your reception look like it belongs to a professional and well-managed hotel?

Think creatively to maximise your income. Just surveying the space you have may reveal unrealised potential for growth. Get an expert to measure your building. It's the first step in developing a master plan for the future, enabling you to set targets and budget for future expenditure.

2. How strong is your brand?

The name over your door represents a set of emotions that customers feel when they think of you. Choosing the right name and logo is an important first step in establishing the set of emotions or values that you want customers to think of when they see your brand.

However, your brand is so much more than the name and logo. It is the encapsulation of everything you do and the way that you do it.  

Consider the brands EasyJet and Rolls Royce and then answer the following questions:

• What do they look like?
• What colours do you associate with them?
• Would you have confidence in buying their products?
• What kind of service can you expect from them?
• Are they reliable?
• Are they value for money?

All these thoughts are summed up in visual shorthand by the name and logo. What would a guest think about your brand? What would you like them to think? When you marry these two perceptions together you will create a strong and trustworthy brand. In financial terms this translates to increased profits because customers will pay more for a service they can trust.

3. Are your bedrooms up to scratch?

Evaluate your existing bedrooms from your customers' point of view. Can you answer 'yes' to the following questions?

• Are they clean and easy to keep clean?
• Are they comfortable?
• Are they places that you would be happy to sleep in? 
• Are they well maintained?
• Are the lights, television and guest facilities in good working order?
• Are you proud of their appearance?
• Do your rooms have en suite bathrooms?

The starting point for winning new business is to get the product right. If you can answer yes to all of these questions then you are getting the basics right. If not, take action to put it right. Ask an expert. Design CLD offers an excellent consultation service. We will give you all the information you need to create welcoming rooms within a budget that you can afford.

4. Does the reception area create the right impression?

The Reception area plays a key role in setting the tone for a visit. We all know how important first impressions are: does it come up to scratch? Evaluate your reception area realistically. Simple cost effective measures will create a good first impression and reinforce the guests confidence in you. That way you can take control of the customer experience giving you a great platform on which to build repeat bookings.

• Does your reception look like it belongs to a professionally run hotel?
• Is it clean and well presented?
• Is there a comfortable waiting area?
• Is there enough room for guests and luggage at busy times?
• Is it well maintained?
• Would it make a guest feel that they have made the right decision by choosing to stay with you?

5. Is your web site attracting new guests?

For many hotels their web site is the single most effective method of winning new business. Often it is the hotels first and final point of contact with the customer.   Therefore it's importance should not be under estimated. It is said that the average time spent visiting a web site is less than two minutes. To convert that visit into business means engaging with the customer by providing genuinely useful and well presented information. Avoid thinking of your web site as a selling tool. The web is all about information. Use the site to give your past, present and future customers the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. Once the customer is hooked you need to make it easy. Ensure that you provide an easy process to turn that interest into a firm booking.

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Over the coming months we will release further articles which will explore these themes in greater depth. We can email you to let you know when the next article is online - just sign up for our information service.