Make upselling a part of your hotels culture

As in most industries, leaders in the hospitality industry are constantly pushing the barriers to achieve more, not only by increasing customer satisfaction rates and mining revenue as a result but also by paving a customer journey with an instilled culture of upselling at every touch point and across all departments.

Now you might be thinking how is it possible to balance customer loyalty, current hotel operations while instilling an upselling culture across all departments without creating an undertone of exploiting your guests. The simple answer is to provide your guests with unique experiences by empowering them to personalize their stay throughout their guest journey.

In this article we will be discussing 3 steps to make upselling a part of your hotels culture:

 

1. Set your staff up for upselling success

Traditionally upselling would take place at the front desk, giving receptionists a chance to upsell upgraded rooms during the reservation process or at the time of check-in, while also offering extra services to personalize the guest experience.

With the implementation of pre-arrival upselling systems hoteliers have been able to expand their reach and streamline their upselling from the point of booking confirmation all the way through to check-out and post stay. 

While most hotels implement upselling techniques at the front-desk or via an upselling system some leaders have adopted an upselling strategy which leverages both and in turn creates a 360 degree approach to upselling, forming a solid foundation for getting your staff and most importantly your guests onboard right from the start.

A 360 upselling system includes the two above key pieces while giving employees access to an online training and knowledge base, allowing them to learn on demand as and when they have the assigned time, setting them up for upselling success by empowering them to become what we like to call “Upsell Champions”. 

Aside from setting the foundations to an instilled upselling culture, additional key advantages of merging technology with customized consulting & training programs include the billboard effect: It is easier to upsell at the front desk if your guests were already informed and aware of the offerings communicated during the pre arrival email. The information collected during the pre arrival communications are also fed back into our system and made available to the front desk agents empowering them to make better suggestions and drive upsell conversion rates further!

A simple example of the benefits in action would be: having a guest who showed interest in some of your room upgrade options during the pre arrival stages without actually upgrading, then utilizing this information at the front desk to make smarter decisions and suggestions.

Did you know?

With UpsellGuru’s latest addition of a front desk upselling, training and consulting system, it is the only upselling solutions provider with a 360 upselling system, giving hotels access to powerful tools designed to offer room upgrades and extra services at all stages of the guest journey. 

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2. Training, Motivating & Incentivizing

As you can imagine, training is a cornerstone to the proper adoption of an upselling culture,  and by making knowledge and training material accessible you will empower your staff to take a sense of ownership towards your brand ultimately giving them the power to turn otherwise normal interactions into opportunities for enhanced guest experiences while tapping into additional revenue streams and increasing your overall bottom-line.

Abraham Lincoln said it best: “If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening my axe.” The same rings true for sharpening your teams skills set, equipping them with the knowledge they need to become true upsell champions.

While equipping your team with the correct training and knowledge forms the cornerstone of instilling an upselling culture, motivation and incentivization makes up the glue which keeps it all together. 

It is no secret that some front desk agents and staff are undermotivated and lack stimulation to keep their jobs let alone go the extra mile, and with more and more hotels and resorts highlighting staff shortages and high staff turnovers as a leading pain point the importance of incentivization has never been more justified.

Implementing a proper incentive system creates a win-win-win situation where your staff are motivated to better serve your guests and turn interactions into opportunities for additional revenue, while enhancing your guests experience and in turn increasing the hotel's bottom-line.

Aside from the standard, which is commission on every dollar they upsell, some alternative or additional incentive programmes could be as simple as acknowledging top performing staff with a certificate (Upsell Champion of the month) and including rewards for KPIs such as highest upsell revenue for the month and winning a free F&B voucher, or as creative as possible by getting staff to compete with one another across multiple KPIs such as daily revenue goals and be rewarded with additional commission, a free stay and vouchers. 

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Did you know?

A study showed that 88% of employees agree that it’s important that employers reward employees for great work., while another often-cited study from the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology showed a simple expression of thanks by someone in authority led people to be 50% more productive.

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3. Consulting

We have discussed creating a solid foundation by implementing a full circle upselling system along with ways to empower your staff through interactive online and on demand training coupled with motivational and incentive driven programmes, leaving us with the final step - consulting services.

Consulting services which are completely tailored to your business model help drive home the adoption of an upselling culture at all stages of the guest journey by observing current operations and identifying new opportunities which may include creative new products, services and upsell packages designed to complete your upselling strategy.

Carrying out a complete and personalized plan of continuous monitoring over time which includes, among other actions, routine visits to your hotel ensuring a maximized and realized revenue potential.

“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” - Ralph Nader

Interested in taking your upselling to the next level? Let us help you boost and reach your true upselling potential, book a demo and experience the 360 upselling magic of UpsellGuru today.