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Santa
Fe, NM – November 2021 / Newsmaker Alert / As the hospitality industry
begins to step out of the shadow of the COVID Pandemic, one question remains
after a year-and-a-half of uncertainty, “what do travelers want now?”
The
events of 2020 forever altered the way we travel. While the industry has
been able to successfully adapt after the hardships of the last year, we
must address the fact that travelers’ wants and needs have changed. Every
aspect of travel was impacted by the events of the last year, from how
travelers book their stay to what they expect out of their hotel experience.
So, how can hospitality professionals keep up with the shifting demands
of today’s travelers? By listening, offering choices, and providing real
value.
To
find out how hotels can better adapt to the needs of the modern traveler,
continue reading below as we break down how traveler’s needs are changing
in every step of the traveling process in Hospitality on Their Own Terms.
Travelers may
require a personal touch while researching and booking
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While
booking through OTA’s and other third-party platforms has steadily increased
over the last decade, travelers are now seeking a personal touch in the
booking process. Travelers who do their own research and even book
through their own preferred channel are now seeking the comfort of
traditional voice channels as they book travel in this new post-pandemic
landscape.
Many
travelers are calling into reservation departments seeking personal reassurance
that their travel experience will meet their expectations. When a prospective
traveler calls your reservation department, make sure you have professionals
on the other end of the line. Properly
trained call center agents are experts on your property and can sell
your hotel on its best attributes while also reassuring potential guests
about any concerns they may have such as the need to be assured that safety
practices are being taken seriously.
When
speaking on airline sanitation policies for the Washington
Post, Raquel Rosenthal, CEO of Digilant,
a marketing agency that tracks consumer preferences says, “Consumers don’t
just want to read that an airline brand has strict sanitation policy. They
want to see and experience it through digital signage and customer service
interactions. And when a policy changes, consumers want to know why and
how it will directly affect their experience.” The same can be said for
the hospitality industry.
Travelers are
spending more, and they expect real value in return
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Travel
prices are on the rise. Travel prices seem to be bouncing back and even
surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. Whether for rental cars or hotel rooms,
travelers are spending more each trip than ever before, and they expect
to see real value in return. With higher listed prices per night, your
hotel's best shot at conveying the true value of the total travel experience
is through a certified
hotel call center.
The
Kennedy Training Network Call center agents are trained to sell your hotel’s
best features and convey to guests the true value of every dollar spent.
A friendly voice operating your hotel’s reservation line will showcase
their real value using their voice channel.
According
to Doug Kennedy, President of The Kennedy Training Network, “If your hotel
is going to push rates, you better be prepared to deliver throughout the
guests’ cycle of service, but most importantly when they call to double-check
a rate offer or with questions about services and amenities.”
Cleanliness and
assurances of safety are at the forefront of every traveler’s mind
New
cleaning and safety practices have been adopted in all industries, hospitality
included, and are now considered standard. Hotel guests want to be sure
their stay will feature the latest sanitation and social distancing practices.
As
the last year has taught us, up-to-date safety and sanitation procedures
can require the attention of the entire hotel staff. Let your staff focus
on current guests while expertly trained call center agents man the lines
in the reservation department. Utilizing a hotel call center will allow
your staff to give 100% of their attention to meeting and exceeding your
guests’ expectations.
A personalized
experience has become the expectation of every traveler
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When
speaking to the Washington
Post, Danny Turner, the Global Senior Vice President of Creative
Programming at Mood Media, had
this to say, “More and more brands are changing their perspective from
a brand-first position to a more customer-focused effort.”
Essentially,
each traveler expects the heightened customer service efforts of the pandemic
to remain long after the pandemic is a distant memory. “Companies that
treat travelers with appreciation and personalized service will have the
edge over the ones where you feel like a number,” says Jeff Galak, Associate
Professor of Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper
School of Business, also while speaking to the Washington Post.
As
the title implies, customers don’t want the cookie-cutter travel packages
of the past – they want to travel on their own terms. Hospitality on the
guests' terms means hotels need to offer more flexibility in bookings,
room selection, and rewards programs.
In
addition to pleasing customers, offering more choices to hotel guests introduces
more opportunities for new revenue streams. But that’s not all, Berkshire
Hathaway Travel Protection’s latest State
of Travel Insurance report states that travelers want more flexibility.
Travelers are learning what hoteliers have known for years, that booking
directly with a property offers more flexibility than booking with an OTA.
Many OTAs fail to accommodate reservation changes or provide refunds in
the event of a cancellation. New research suggests that despite the continued
use of OTA’s, more
travelers will book directly with properties.
To
meet the rising expectations of a world where customer service is paramount,
hotel professionals are turning to expertly
trained call centers to man their voice channels, sell reservations,
and increase revenue. As the role of customer service and personalized
travel experiences grows, it’s more important than ever to have call center
agents who know your property inside and out.
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About
Travel Outlook Premium Hotel Call Center
Given
its progressive approach to the voice channel – in terms of performance,
training, transparency, testing and the tools used to measure performance
– Travel Outlook Premium Hotel
Call Center has become the premier voice reservations team in hospitality.
Travel Outlook’s valued client list includes Catalina Island, Highgate
Hotels, KSL Resorts, Outrigger, Pacific Hospitality Group, Proper Hospitality
Group, The Irvine Company, Viceroy Hotel Group and many others. Travel
Outlook’s team and approach increases sales conversion and helps to create
more effective voice communication between hotels and their guests, resulting
in improved social scores in addition to increased voice channel revenue.
For more information, visit www.TravelOutlook.com.
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Media
Contact:
Raul
Vega
LEVEL
5 Hospitality
www.LEVEL5hospitality.com
Mobile:
954-817-6371
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