Behind the Scenes of the Hotel Industry

My name is Dane Herrmann, and I am a hotelier. An industry-wide term used for those who simply just love this industry that is at times chaotic but can bring so much joy to companies, families, sports teams, and business travelers over a calendar year. In my last eight years of experience, I have held the titles of coordinator, manager, director and area director within the sales department of multiple brands and hotel products since 2017. Amongst friends they always ask 'So what do you do again' or 'what is it like working at a hotel every' question like these I feel have a different answer all the time as hospitality and standards are always changing in order to keep pace with the demand of what the market brings. I hope to shed some light and perspective from the eyes of a hotelier on current challenges, guest satisfaction improvements, and tourism marketing tactics to stay competitive in the Wild West of hotel performance against your competitor set of hotels.

In hotel sales, regardless of your role, it's always most important to know your market, location, and strengths your hotel has to offer any segment of guests staying at your hotel over the calendar year. Tourism marketing is very important for large markets with a strong Convention and Visitors Bureau that helps bring in large city-wide events to support and attract tourism in your immediate area. Things like ribbon cuttings for new property openings, monthly luncheons, and business over breakfast are all great tools to utilize to stay active and seen in the community. In this age of hospitality, marketing has never been easier; using LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram, people are able to view the hotel's weekly specials, menus, discounted pricing, and so much more with the right target audience based on your location and segmentation of guests that consistently visit on a yearly basis. This helps fulfill your hotel's pipeline of group business and meet revenue goals. Doing all this gives your hotel in position and, in the word of mouth of hotels in your area, the exposure necessary to stay top of mind in the mind of a customer visiting the area of your hotel.

"My advice to anyone in this industry, no matter the position or hotel size, is to ask questions, take a leap of faith in your next role, always push your boundaries, and continue education within the hotel industry."

In the 21^st century, the one thing that is vital to a hotel’s success is the way people view your hotel online. Your third-party service scores (Expedia, Priceline, Booking.com) can hurt the image and reputation of the hotel, which will deter companies and social and tourist guests. Keeping the scores high by providing excellent service scores and new membership incentives with in-house amenities to put forth will not only help your scores but creatively re-inforce the guests as to why your product and staff can help deliver a memorable experience.

Since COVID-19, major hotel brands have changed some service industry guidelines that also impact scores, and a major one I wanted to bring up is housekeeping. With the pandemic, staff have been cut short and hours regulated, making a 2 PM clean up every day on top of flipping rooms to be ready at check-in has become a challenge to provide this kind of service that was normal in 2019 and before. A solution best practice is to let the guests know at check-in and have them request additional cleaning services to help compensate for some hotels struggling with staffing problems.

In conclusion, there is so much that goes into our industry that people may not see the operational side as a guest but that the next time you are on a weekend stay at your next Hilton Garden Inn of Marriott Courtyard, re a 24-hour non-stop service entity that its main focus is to make the guests happy. My advice to anyone in this industry, no matter the position or hotel size, is to ask questions, take a leap of faith in your next role, always push your boundaries, and continue your education within the hotel industry. It is forever changing but so rewarding to those who truly love what they do; this industry has changed my life and given me the purpose to be the best person I can be and to build lasting relationships with my coworkers and clients.