You have a few seconds to attract your customer’s attention. If your star ratings do not draw them in, they will likely join the 96% of travelers who will automatically move on to a hotel with better ratings.
Potential customers will look first at your star ratings before they decide whether to book a room at your hotel or not.Even though a hotel manager’s duty is to provide a comfortable stay for your guests, of late, the hotel industry requires you to market your services beyond the confines of the plush corridors.
Improving the star ratings for your hotel is challenging yet essential to drawing in customers and increasing revenue.Travelling has been uncertain for many hoteliers, so you want to make sure that travelers feel like they can count on you to give them a unified experience.
Knowing how to increase your hotel star ratings will help lure potential customers.
What do Hotel Star Ratings Mean
Hotel star ratings are a rating system that assesses the available amenities and features at a hotel to assist potential guests in choosing the best hotel to stay at based on their budget. A guest can use the ratings to pin down which hotel to stay at, whether they are simply looking for a bread and breakfast or a luxurious experience.
Star ratings help narrow down the search through the desired features versus the available prices. Hotel star ratings start from 1 to 5, one being the most simplistic and five being the most luxurious.
How to Improve Your Hotel Star Ratings and Increase Sales
There are a few easy ways to get a market foothold in this competitive space.
Use Amazing Photographs and Videos
Use HD-quality photographs and videography on all your official platforms. A great picture goes a long way in making a lasting first impression and highlights the hotel’s top offers. Not only do you need the best quality images or video, but you also need to consider some crucial points while creating them.
Identify the most flattering spots at your hotel and use the best available equipment to take images of these spots. Try to capture images of people having a good time at your hotel as much as possible. Taking pictures of empty rooms is not good practice. If you take photographs outside, merge them with the excellent weather or the hotel’s best nighttime features.
Impress with Your Hotel Description
They say the first impression lasts forever. An outstanding hotel description will give you an edge over hundreds of other hotels. You are tasked with the challenge of coming up with a unique description. First, provide a clear description of the type of hotel you operate and your offers. Don’t forget to be creative in your description.
It is essential to consider your target audience and speak to them using your description. Having a fascinating description with high-quality photography and videography is like killing two birds with one stone. It will go a long way in attracting more guests to your hotel and increasing sales.
Pro-tip; Always describe notable hotel surroundings to give it more appeal.
Know Your Competition
Knowing your competition is an excellent way of increasing your hotel ratings and sales. Do some marketing research, do independent research, monitor their prices, and check online for feedback from their customers.
That should help you determine whether you are offering competitive prices, overpricing, or underpricing your hotel rooms based on what they are charging for the same services.
Having competitive prices is a great way to get more guests. However, you can also focus on your competition’s sore spots and charm their unsatisfied guests with solutions.
Manage Guest Reviews
Many travelers check online reviews of hotels before booking a room. Take some time to manage your guest reviews to ensure more guests come to your hotel. One of the most effective ways is to ensure your guests receive an excellent customer experience. Then, when your guests are satisfied, they will be more than willing to leave a good review after their stay.
Likewise, if your guests are unsatisfied, they will leave a corresponding review. Identifying the most general complaints and resolving the issues will help you manage guest reviews.
Develop a system of immediate resolution of issues so that your guests may be satisfied during their stay. Provide accurate descriptions on your platforms so that your guests know what to expect. You do not want guests pointing out services described but not rendered in their review.
Partner with some OTAs
One of the best steps to improving your hotel ratings and increasing sales is finding suitable online travel agents (OTA) and partnering with them.
That should help you reach target audiences to optimize your ratings and revenue more efficiently. Take some time to research different OTAs and partner with the ones that will be most effective in reaching your target audiences.
How are Hotel Ratings Generated
Initially, hotel rating systems generated data-based hotel facilities, quality of service, and luxury offerings. In more recent times, companies have started generating hotel ratings using their sustainability practices, like how much they promote environmentally friendly practices.
These practices include; environmental awareness, waste management, water management, and others. There is, however, no global standard for hotel star ratings as different individual guides tend to have unique criteria for actually rating hotels.
Some countries like Germany have a national rating system under the hotel industry association. However, the rating system differs with some companies using stars and others using letter grades from A to F or diamonds.
There is no verified international standard despite the efforts from different organizations across the hotel industry. Popular online travel agents (OTA) like booking.com, yelp, kayak, and trip advisor generate hotel ratings using the five-star rating system.
Potential guests will look at your hotel star ratings first before deciding on whether they will stay at your hotel or not. Now that you are ready to start your journey of improving your hotel star ratings, balance sustainability practices with excellent service and marketing to increase sales.
