Are Your Customers Seeing Green?

Are Your Customers Seeing Green Today?

Hopefully they are seeing green but not just because it is St. Patrick’s Day. Your customers should be seeing green from the money they are saving by staying at a Generation hotel. As a sales person one of the responsibilities you have is to effectively communicate the “value proposition” of your hotel. You do this by asking probing questions such as how many travelers are coming in, how often are they coming in and how long are they staying. You will also want to know what their travelers’ needs are so you can match them to the benefits and features of your hotel. Once you have this information you can formulate your “value proposition” and communicate it to the client. The client will be won over by the fact that you found out what their needs were first, helped meet their needs and showed them the overall value they get while staying with you. They can then start enjoying the money they are saving with Generation. As you can tell in the picture those lonely eyes are looking to make someone happy.

If you would like to hear the musical version of the money customers could be saving with Generation click on:

Money Customers Could Be Saving With Generation Hotels

Who Are You Sleeping With?

Who are you sleeping with? More specifically are you "sleeping with the enemy"? Before you say "how dare him ask that question" let me clarify what I mean before I get a bunch of phone calls and emails. What I am referring to is are you "sleeping with the enemy" (boy that was a good movie starring Julia Roberts) by staying at competitive hotels?

I have heard it said that you want to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. A good way to do this is to occasionally stay at competitor hotels to experience first hand what guests experience, learn your competitor's weaknesses and more importantly "snoop" to find accounts you can shift to your hotel.

It is time to fully implement guerrilla warfare and declare an all out war on shifting business from competitor hotels by going "behind enemy lines" (another good movie). In some cases your hotel may have a full time sales person that is able to stay at a competitor hotel in your market. In other cases we may have a DOS from another market visit your market and stay at competitor hotels. In other cases you may have a regional sales person or someone else that can help you implement this.

Even if you don't have a full time sales person that can "sleep with the enemy" in your market you can at least visit your competitors often and keep your antennas up for potential business. You can do this through parking lot shops, hanging out in the hotel lobby during peak check in times, set up your laptop in their lobby and use their internet (act like you are a guest), eat breakfast at competitors, etc. You can also contact me about having someone sleep with the enemy in your market.

We have already had some GREAT success stories from "sleeping with the enemy" and parking lot shops.

How hungry are you to get business in your hotel?

Are you willing to go the extra mile to gain market share?

Are you willing to sleep with the enemy to get business?:)....don't let your mind wander.

What Has Craig Done For You Lately?

What has Craig done for you lately?

Maybe the first question should be who is Craig? Is he the latest person to join your sales team? Is he someone that can help you implement your Occupancy Stimulus Plan? Is he someone that can put weekly or monthly business into your hotel? Is he someone that can help you grow your REVPAR through occupancy and increase your Extended Stay Occupancy? I am happy to report that the answer to ALL of the above questions is YES! I have even better news....he is available to work for your hotel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (sometimes 366) for FREE!!

Even though Craig is available and willing to sell for ALL of our properties, VERY few hotels are taking him up on his offer to sell for them at all times. Some hotels are using him once or twice a month and then forgetting to "renew" his services. Some hotels have only given him a limited opportunity by not promoting all that he can do to everyone. Some have completely forgotten him since he helped them out a few months ago.

Ok, I am sure most of you "sharp" people reading this ad are smart enough to figure out that I'm not talking about a person but I am referring to a Craig's List ad. A Craig's List ad can give your hotel immediate and long term business if it is thorough, refreshed & reposted every other day. We have literally had hundreds of rooms booked from CL ads and last week we had one hotel post an ad over the weekend, get 15 calls on Monday and book 5 rooms for at least 30 nights! With this kind of success I am surprised more of you "sharp" people aren't taking Craig up on his offer to sell for you at all times by keeping a current ad.

Below are instructions on how to post a CL ad. The instructions are followed by some tips and a Q & A section. Please contact me if you need help with your CL ad...I will be glad to help you.


Steps to post a Craig’s List Ad
(please call Michael Fortner at 919 740-7219 if you want assistance):

1. To place a Craig’s List (CL) ad go to www.craigslist.org.
2. Select your city or nearest city/region from the right hand side.
3. You will need to set up a user name and password. I recommend you use your email as the
user name and a password that is easy for you to remember.
4. Note: once you have an account set up and go to www.craigslist.org , it will bring you directly
to a page that displays the city you chose.
5. To place an ad click on “my account” once you have logged in.
6. Make sure your city appears in the box located at top right of your screen. If not you can click
the drop down arrow to change cities. This is very important to make sure your ad appears in
the right city.
7. Click “go” in the top right hand corner.
8. Then select housing offered to place an ad in the housing/apartment section (also might want
to consider putting an ad under sublets/temporary section and vacation rentals if you are a destination).
9. Note: The FIRST time you place an ad in the housing section it will take you through a
verification process and ask you to provide a number you can immediately be reached at (I
recommend your cell phone). The call is automated and it will give you a verification coed to
enter. Enter code & continue.
10. Click on apts/housing for rent.
11. Start entering your ad.
12. Be sure to put a title and the area you are in. ex Jacksonville/Bay Meadows, Fl
13. Type the content of your ad.
14. Enter a price in the $ section if you choose.
15. You can choose in the middle section to display your email, have a non-disclosed email people
can reply to (they will see your email if you reply back to their email) or not to use email as a
reply option.
16. If you choose to not use an email then BE SURE TO LIST A PHONE NUMBER or there will
be no way to contact you. My recommendation is to use an email that is not disclosed.
17. Click add images if you choose to display pictures of your property (I recommend pictures).
If you don’t display pictures no need to click add images; simply click continue.
18. If you use pictures it is best to resize your pictures to WEB LARGE size as this allows them
to be large enough to be seen but not take so long to load. Once you load your pictures (up to
four) click continue.
19. You will then be asked to enter a verification code and continue then you are done.
20. You can then click continue to craigslist, my account and you will see your ad.

Tips:
1. Put some thought into what you want to convey/feature in your ad. Involve your sales person
or look at other ads for ideas.
2. Show the benefits and features of your hotel and highlight such things as amenities, area
attractions, etc. Also, point out things such as no utilities, no leases, no deposits, no credit
checks, cable included, internet included, etc.
3. Be sure to repost you ad regularly or it will quickly get lost in the shuffle. I recommend you
change it at least every other day if possible. When reposting you ad copy it, paste it into a
new ad and then change the order of several phrases. There is a mimicking program that
won’t allow you to simply paste your ad the exact same way it was each day.
4. Try different types of ad titles/ads.
5. Some property’s like not mentioning it is a hotel until people respond to the ad. Some like to
be emailed. Some liked to be called. Some like to say up front they are a hotel. The main
thing is to place an ad and then see what works for you.
6. If you have a feeder city consider placing an ad in that city.
7. Call Michael Fortner if you have questions or want assistance.


Issues, Questions, Concerns that have come up from C.L. Postings

1. When I try to repost my ad an error message comes up and said a similar type of ad already appears.This is b/c a mimicking program exists that will keep you from reposting the same ad. All you need to do is copy the ad, paste it and then change around the order of words in the ad. EXAMPLE if original ad says “stove, refrigerator, microwave” then change the ad to say “microwave, stove, refrigerator”. Do this in three or four places in your and it will be accepted.
2. I can only load one picture or it takes a really long time to load my pictures. You can put up to four pictures on each ad. You need to open each picture and save it individually to your computer as a “web large” picture or smaller. After it is saved then upload it (call me if you need help).
3. I am receiving spam or scam emails. This happens with most internet ads at some point no matter what web site you use (it doesn’t just happen on C.L.). You can elect to not post your email and only put a phone number but you need to do one or the other (or both) so people can respond to your ad. My recommendation is to do both and just discard any spam or scam emails.
4. I haven’t received any calls or bookings from my ads. Try changing the title of your ad to appeal to a different segment. Try lowering the price on your ad. Try offering a different type of promo (offer weekly instead of monthly). Try adding more pictures of rooms or area attractions. The main thing is to make sure you have as many key words in your ad as possible. Ex. near beach, base, downtown, college, certain military base, amusement park, no lease, no contract, everything included, relocating, etc. Remember the more interest your ad creates the better your chances. Keep in mind there are multiple other ads similar to yours in the same price range so TRY TO STAND OUT OR BE UNIQUE!
5. My ad is no longer on the first page of ads in the housing section. Repost your ad REGULARLY. In some markets over 150 ads per day go up in apartment section. Some markets might only have a few ads per day so you need to repost you ad accordingly. I recommend at least reposting every other day. You can take turns reposting to share the responsibility. This is another reason to list in apartments and sublets/temporary section. This might seem like a lot of work but even if you had to take 10 minutes each day to repost and you get business from it is worth it and you have paid for the cost of your ad.

Are Your Parking Lot Shops Parking Cars in YOUR Parking Lot?

All of you have heard me say “parking lot shops are your BEST source to find immediate business that you can shift to your hotel”. If you weren’t sure of it before I think you will have to agree the proof is in the pudding! As you know from my recent emails several hotels are having success shifting business from competitor hotels. The question I have for you is "are your parking lot shops putting cars in YOUR parking lot?" The ones that are having the most success are the ones that are being proactive with their parking lot shops and that are FOLLOWING UP on them in a timely manner.

Below is an updated version of "Parking Lot Thoughts and Tips". If you follow the steps below or at least use them as a guide you will GREATLY increase your the number of cars in YOUR parking lot and lessen the ones at your competitors. If you have any tips to add please post them on this BLOG.


Parking Lot Shops (updated 3/2/09-updates in blue)

Definition - A parking lot shop is when you go to a hotel that is a competitor of yours to “shop” to see what type of guests they have staying with them, what companies are staying with them and to see how their hotel is doing compared to yours. Parking lot shops give you a snap shot at a point in time how you are doing verses your competitors. The purpose of doing them is to identify & shift business from their hotel to yours.

Thoughts and Tips for conduction effective parking lot shops:

1. Keep in mind parking lot shops are our BEST source to identify and shift business. Even though they are not convenient they are worth doing as they usually yield IMMEDIATE business opportunities.

2. Parking lot shops should be done at hotels listed on your STAR report comp set AND any other hotel that doesn’t report to Smith travel but is a true competitor or your. For example, Value Place hotel may be a true competitor of yours but doesn’t report data to Smith Travel/STAR. You should also shop hotels that are a classification above your hotel or one with a few more amenities since you might have some “trade down” opportunities. Lately (as of 2/09) we are getting more companies shifting from these type of hotels than ones in our traditional comp set.

3. Parking lot shops should be done late at night or early in the morning before guests leave for work. Ideal times are after 10:00 p.m. and before 6:00 a.m. While these times are inconvenient they will give you the best opportunity to identify business that can be shifted since more cars will be in the parking lot.

4. Shops at different times are ok but a shop at 5:30 p.m. is not going to put you in a real position to win the share shift war (If you have to do them for Rewarding Greatness you might as well do them at the times/days to give you the most benefit J). Don’t take short cuts. Paying the higher price of inconvenience should yield you to greater rewards.

5. For best results shops should be done on Tuesday or Wednesday. Next best days would be on Monday and then Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday typically will have the most travelers in the market.

6. Anyone can do parking lot shops. If you don’t have a sales person that can do your shops each week you might consider rotating these duties or getting your second shift person do them when they get off work. Richard (Sterling Sub. GM) has secured over $75,000 worth of business from parking lot shops.

7. If you don’t have a full time sales person (or they live a long way from the hotel) consider splitting parking lot duties. For example, the Gm does the shop one time a month, the sales person one time a month, the audit or security person one night a month and a GSR another night a month. Another option is to consider offering money for business generated from the shops. I’m sure you will have some volunteers to help out when there is money on the line.

8. Drive to competitors on REAL rainy days as workers might be back at their hotel. This shouldn’t be a substitute for your regular nightly (or early morning) parking lot shops.

9. If possible use a digital voice recorder (this is not a necessity). This is much more efficient than writing and allows you to record information in tracks. This is useful when you are counting cars and have to stop counting to record a company name/phone number. I usually say “34 cars so far & ABC Construction at 407-111-1111”. If I forget how many cars I was at I simply go the last track & hear that I was at 34 cars and continue (call me if this doesn’t make since). Digital recorders are $30 - $40.

10. When conducting shops record the number of cars at each competitor AND the number of cars in your hotel’s lot. This gives us a comparison of how you are doing that particular day verses your competitors. Also, you will often find a company in YOUR parking lot you didn’t know was staying with you and you can penetrate the account to find more potential business.

11. Be sure to record ALL information you see on vehicles with company names (all phone #’s, web site, type of company, other offices/cities listed, etc.). If the vehicle has a company name but no phone number try to find out which state it is from. This may help you narrow your Google search.

12. Be smart and safe when doing shops. It is not recommended you get out of your vehicle and start talking to guests. Also, please do not put your hotel’s literature on vehicles at your competitors. Remember “you reap what you sew” and we don’t want others doing this at our hotels.

13. Make parking lot shops fun. When we had a hotel near my house I used to take my whole family after church on Wednesday nights to do parking lot shops. My kids would take turns counting while I recorded the company names.

14. Make parking lot shops work with your schedule. You might want to plan to go grocery shopping at 10:00 at night instead of on your way home from work (you will also have less shoppers :).

15. Take the information obtained and IMMEDIATELY pass along to your sales person.

16. IMMEDIATELY call on companies the NEXT morning after you do your parking lot shops. This will give you the BEST chance to gain the business and the maximum revenue from the account.

17. My preference is to type up the shops the same night I do them into a spread sheet which has the hotel they were at, any pertinent information I obtained (phone 3, web site, etc) and have a column for contact person and notes. The next morning I do research if I have to find a phone number and then start calling around 8:30 (as a general rule I call ALL companies by noon the next morning after I do a shop (most of the time by 10:00 a.m.). I then take the next step (emailing, faxing, calling someone else, setting up tour, go to job site, etc.). FOLLOWING UP ON THESE NEXT STEPS THEN BECOMES THE KEY.

18. NOTE: One of the most common mistakes I see people making is waiting too long to follow up on their shops. The other mistake that is commonly made is that there isn’t a lot of effort put into following up on these leads or they aren’t followed up at all. Minimum effort will result in minimum results.

19. Call (or visit) the people working in the market AND call the key contacts at their corporate office. Sometimes the actual travelers are satisfied but the company contacts would love to save money on their travel and have a better value proposition to consider. I have had workers tell me they weren’t’ moving and then had the company tell them they had to move. Initially the workers weren’t happy with me but we eventually won them over and the company was happy they were saving money.

20. Make a parking lot plan that works for your property, execute it, make it fun, shift business and call Michael Fortner if you have questions at 919-740-7219. I will be glad to forward you sample parking lot shops, work with you to improve your shops and asssit any way to help you SHIFT business to your hotel. I have leterally done HUNDREDS of parking lot shops and shifted HUNDREDS of accounts and THOUSANDS of room nights over the years.