Combining pre-arrival and front-desk upselling
The role of upselling in hotel guest experience
January 22, 2023
The mental mapping of upselling: Understanding the psychology behind hotel upsells
February 9, 2023
As an owner or operator of a hotel, you know that every guest experience is important. From the moment a guest books a reservation, you want to ensure that they have a great stay, and that includes offering upsells that are tailored to their individual needs.
Traditionally, upselling has been done at the front desk when guests arrive, but recent trends have shown that combining pre-arrival and front-desk upselling can yield more positive results. This technique allows your staff to better prepare for guests’ needs when they arrive, and can increase revenue for your hotel.
One of the key benefits of combining pre-arrival and front-desk upselling is that it allows your staff to be more proactive in offering upsells that are tailored to each guest. By gathering information about a guest’s preferences and needs ahead of time, you can more easily suggest services that they would be interested in. This could include things like upgrades to a better room, additional amenities, or special packages.
By offering upsells before the guest arrives, you can also create a more personalized experience. For example, you can use the information you’ve gathered about a guest to suggest packages or services that are tailored to their interests. This could include things like tickets to local attractions, reservations at a nearby restaurant, or a spa package. By taking the time to personalize each guest’s experience, you can create a more memorable and enjoyable stay.
Finally, combining pre-arrival and front-desk upselling can also help to increase revenue for your hotel. By offering upsells before the guest arrives, you can give them more time to consider and purchase additional services. This could result in more money for your hotel, as guests are more likely to purchase additional services when they have more time to decide.
Pre-arrival upselling
Pre-arrival upselling is a strategy used by hotels to boost revenue by persuading customers to purchase additional services or amenities prior to arrival. This strategy is typically used for guests who have already made a reservation, and it allows hotels to offer additional services and amenities at discounted rates.
The strategy usually works as follows: a hotel will send out an email, direct mail, or other type of communication to guests who have already made a reservation. This communication will include a list of additional services or amenities that are available for purchase at discounted rates. This list typically includes items such as early check-in, late check-out, room upgrades, spa packages, and meal packages. Guests are then given the option to purchase these additional services or amenities before they arrive at the hotel.
The goal of pre-arrival upselling is to increase revenue by offering guests additional services and amenities that they may not have otherwise thought of. It also allows hotels to guarantee additional revenue prior to arrival, as they can be certain that the guests will purchase the additional services or amenities.
Overall, pre-arrival upselling is an effective strategy that hotels can use to increase revenue and provide guests with additional services and amenities.
2 big benefits of using a pre-arrival upselling tool
The first benefit of using a pre-arrival upselling tool is that it enables hotels to increase their average daily rate. Guests who are given the opportunity to purchase additional services and amenities are more likely to book a higher-priced room or package. This increased revenue provides the hotel with additional resources to invest in services, amenities, and other offerings.
The second benefit of using a pre-arrival upselling tool is that it helps hotels to better manage their inventory. Hotels gain greater control over their availability and pricing when they are able to track which guests are interested in purchasing additional services or amenities. This helps the hotel to better allocate their resources, ensuring that they are able to maximize their profit margins.
Front-desk upselling
Front-desk upselling is a sales strategy used by hotels to encourage guests to upgrade their reservations or purchase additional services during the reservation process. Upselling occurs at the front desk when a guest is checking in, and is a way for hotels to increase revenue by offering customers more value or features for their stay.
The hotel staff will typically start by asking guests if they would like to upgrade their reservation, add additional services such as a late check-out or airport transfer, or purchase amenities like spa services or restaurant meals. The staff will then explain the benefits of each additional service or product, emphasizing how it can make the guest’s stay even better. The goal is to convince guests to take advantage of these additional services or products, and in turn, increase the hotel’s revenue.
The more modern upselling systems provide front-desk agents with upselling recommendations and are directly connected to the hotels PMS to automatically update transactions and log all the top performing staff on a leaderboard for a healthy sense of competition and be rewarded with commission or incentives. We will explore the topic of bridging the gap between people and technology in hospitality in the next chapter as we tie these two separate stages into one synchronized upselling solution.
2 big benefits of using a front-desk upselling tool
Similarly to pre-arrival upselling, the front-desk is a great place to perform upselling functions that result in increased average daily rates and ultimately more revenue for the hotel and more seamless communication experience for the guests, however there are some hidden befits:
One main benefit of using a front-desk upselling tool would be the ability to track performance in real time and display it on a gamified leaderboard as a means to create a healthy competitiveness between agents and even departments. It is a great way to reward upselling excellence by setting goals and driving them with commission or incentives - boosting morale and creating an upselling culture.
The second benefit of using a front-desk upselling tool is the ability to leverage guest data and segmentation to craft upsell recommendations based on the guests booking information and other data gathered during the pre-arrival stages to better receive each and every arrival. We all understand the importance of first impressions and that front-desk agents are our first line of "impressions" so its imperative any upselling tools are adopted with training and consulting in order to really own and create a culture of upselling and guest excellence.
All-in-one upselling
Is it feasible to synchronize hotel upselling and what are the benefits?
All-in-one upselling is a method of upselling that combines pre-arrival upselling with upselling at the front desk. Pre-arrival upselling is when a hotel sends out emails, SMS messages, or direct mail prior to the customer’s arrival to attempt to increase their spending on extras such as room upgrades, spa packages, and dining add-ons. On the other hand, upselling at the front desk happens when a hotel staff member attempts to increase spending on extras while a customer is checking in.
The benefits of synchronizing pre-arrival upselling with upselling at the front desk are numerous. By combining both of these strategies, hotels are able to increase their revenue and enhance the guest experience. Pre-arrival upselling gives customers the opportunity to plan and budget for extras before they arrive, while upselling at the front desk allows for a personalized approach that can be tailored to the individual's needs and budget. The combination of both methods also allows for more accurate forecasting of revenue, as it eliminates the need for guesswork when predicting how much extra revenue each guest will generate. Additionally, with both pre-arrival and front desk upselling, hotels are able to build relationships with customers and make them feel more valued.
By accurately gathering data about the guest during the pre-arrival stages, front desk agents are equipped with recommendations that the guest is most likely to opt-in. This along with the dynamic pricing feature which shops rates and other useful data such as city demand to optimize each of your offers in real-time.
Other key features of an all-in-one upselling solution lie in the ability to track and monitor key performance metrics, and tying this into a competitive and gamified interface to motivate front desk agents or even among competing departments who are hungry for those bragging rights and extra commission - of coarse!
Overall, all-in-one upselling is a great way for hotels to maximize their revenue and improve the customer experience as well as staff morale. By synchronizing pre-arrival upselling with upselling at the front desk, hotels are able to take advantage of both strategies and get the most out of their efforts and resources.
The value of training front-desk agents on upselling
Training front desk staff in upselling is a valuable tool for hotels in order to increase revenue and provide better customer service. Upselling is the process of promoting additional services and amenities to customers during their stay. By training front desk staff in upselling, hotels can ensure that their staff is equipped to offer guests the best possible experience and to maximize revenue.
First, training front desk staff in upselling allows hotels to increase their revenue. Guests are more likely to purchase additional services and amenities when they are presented with options while they check in. By upselling, hotels can make more money from each guest.
Second, training front desk staff in upselling allows hotels to provide better customer service. By offering guests additional services and amenities, hotels can ensure that their guests have the best possible experience. Additionally, upselling can help hotels to build loyalty by giving guests a reason to come back for future stays.
Finally, training front desk staff in upselling allows hotels to build morale and confidence in their teams, by introducing an upselling program with goals and a leaderboard, hoteliers are able to create a healthy competition between agents and departments with rewards and commissions designed to promote excellence and ultimately drive a better guest experience and more revenue for the hotel.
When you have the right driver behind the wheel of the right vehicle great things happen, the same is true for hotel staff. A well trained hotelier conveys confidence and leadership by relying on the systems and colleagues besides him.
5 Steps for better upselling
Combing technology and people for a better guest experience...
1. Educate agents on the hotel’s amenities: Ensure that your agents have a thorough knowledge of the hotel’s amenities and services. This will help them make more informed recommendations to guests and increase the likelihood of upselling.
2. Provide effective customer service training: Your front desk agents should be trained on customer service techniques, such as active listening, being polite and friendly, and addressing customer concerns in a timely manner. This will help ensure that guests have a positive experience and are more likely to return.
3. Leverage technology and data: Use technology and guest data to present the best most personalized offers while automating functions to alleviate your time to focus on your guests.
4. Provide incentives for upselling: Create an incentive program that rewards agents for successful upsells. This will motivate agents to make more recommendations and increase the chances of upselling.
5. Monitor performance: Monitor your agents’ performance to ensure that they are following upselling protocols and providing guests with an optimal experience. This will help you identify areas for improvement and ensure that your agents are upselling effectively.
In conclusion, combining pre-arrival and front-desk upselling can be an effective way to increase revenue for your hotel and create a more personalized guest experience. By gathering information about a guest’s preferences and needs ahead of time, your staff can be more proactive in offering upsells that are tailored to each guest. Furthermore, by giving guests more time to consider and purchase additional services, you can increase revenue for your hotel.
The importance of training, consulting is vital to the adoption of any new processes or systems, which too comes with added benefits such as boosting morale, creating more efficient processes and instilling a guest committed culture of upselling excellence.
