Blogs

When you are running a hotel the welcome provided by the front office staff is very important and can affect the rest of their stay. It is vitally important that the initial impression is a good one and reassures the customer that they made the right hotel choice. There are a number of very simple tips that should be kept in mind by all staff who have direct contact with guests. We’ve put together a list of top 7 tips to form the basis of excellent customer service:

• A smile goes a long way!
• Eye contact with the customer before they speak to you

In terms of search engines there really is no competition; Google have 80% of the world wide search market and so it makes sense to concentrate your marketing budget on Google. The advertising system developed by Google called AdWords generates highly qualified leads and you only pay for customers who click to your site which minimises your risk. You also are totally in charge of your budget and are able to closely monitor how your adverts are performing.

An economic downturn is not bad news for all businesses for some it can be a real opportunity. It is a fact that during difficult times the gap between good and bad business widens and it also the time where great innovation takes place.
The online market place is growing with 17% of total consumer spending taking place online. That might not sound like much until you consider that 80% of consumers search online before making a purchase even though they may go on to make it on a more traditional way.

So in difficult times it makes sense to focus on your online presence.

So far the hotel industry in London has not been affected by the global downturn in the same way as the financial sector, however, the effects of high fuel bills and rocketing food prices are starting to take their toll. The impact of the economic problems in America will filter through to tourism in London sooner or later, so how to steer safely through the crisis?

Consumer reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor is becoming an increasingly popular tool for customers who are trying to choose their hotel. The reviews and information posted online by previous guests at the hotel are given more weight and credibility than information written by the hotel itself. For this reason it is important that hotels regularly monitor what is being said about their property online and respond appropriately.

When responding to a negative review online there are a number of guidelines that should be followed:

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected by the London Development Agency and Camden Council to work with Centa on delivering a hotel improvement project in Kings Cross.