Also, they say, when you give someone a gift, you don’t expect something in return. The reason is that, one way or the other, it’s often the one giving the gift who gets the biggest benefit.

But are gifts limited to individuals? What if hotel businesses want to use it? Can they also make the most out of it while not expecting anything in return?

The answer is an absolute YES.

While every type of gift is special, today, I am shedding light on a specific one — gift of travel. This is not just a gift to make guests feel special, but also a strategy to build a brand that everyone loves and eventually increase sales.

What is a Gift of Travel?

A gift of travel in the hotel industry is nothing but offering people free trips.

However, this concept of gifting free travel to people (mostly guests or potential guests) doesn’t always include each and every aspect.

Now, the idea behind the gift of travel is mostly to bring people to stay at your hotel or to avail some sort of service. Also, at times, it’s not the guest that becomes your source of revenue but other businesses as well.

I will explain everything going forward in this blog.

The Rise of Gift of Travel

The gift of travel concept isn’t something new; it’s been around for years. However, not many hospitality establishments were making the best out of it. And the prime reason was lack of knowledge.

Hotels didn’t know the right things to offer, the right investment, and also, didn’t have an effective approach.

Moreover, it’s not just the knowledge aspect of the hoteliers, but also the market condition. This concept wasn’t much popular back in the day.

But things have changed significantly in the past couple of years. Millennials and Gen Z are two of the generations that are driven towards ideas like a gift of travel and then don’t hesitate in participating in events that could win them a free trip.

So, if you see, today, hotels are going all out on investing, making this concept work. Because they now know the returns are worth all the efforts.

How Can Hotels Use the Gift of Travel Concept?

I am sure you must be finding the gift of travel concept intriguing. But how are you going to offer it? 

Don’t fret! I will help you with just that in this section.

1. Host a giveaway on social media

Why would a hotel offer a free trip? Wouldn’t that be a lot of investment?

First, hotels do that to boost their sales and branding efforts. Now, when I am saying giveaway on social media, it is mostly to increase engagement.

Let me explain how this works with an example.

Hotel Spring Ville has a total of 15K followers on Instagram. Lately, they decided to boost their followers as well as engagement. This is when they came up with a giveaway contest where they chose to promote the gift of travel concept.

To be eligible for the giveaway, people were required to do the following things:

• Follow Hotel Spring Ville on Instagram
• Share the most recent post on their stories
• Like, comment and tag 3 friends

Thousands of people participated and at last one person won the free trip. And the hotel gained extra 10K followers and skyrocketing engagement.

Not just that. Their property also became popular as more and more people started looking at them on Instagram. It had literally opened a whole new avenue to portray their might.

2. Use print media marketing

Print media is one of the fantastic ways to market your hotel or any campaign you’re running. Just like the social media giveaway strategy, you can gift a stay by using print media i.e. some sort of popular magazine.

Talking about the contest, this is how you can curate it.

Book a stay with us between this particular date to that particular date and stand a chance to win a 2D 3N trip to Bangkok.

Just make sure, the magazine you’re advertising with has got a good readership.

Of course, there’s a fee involved for advertisement but if the campaign is pulled off correctly, it is going to be worth it.

3. Make use of partnership marketing

Partnership marketing in the hotel industry is basically a model where multiple brands pool their resources to carry out a campaign to boost sales and market share.

Now, you must be wondering how this works for free travel campaigns.

A hotel and an airline might decide to work together. Meaning, if someone books a flight from that particular airline, s/he might stand a chance to win a stay at the partnered hotel or vice versa.

When you collaborate with other companies, you open doors that can help in generating more leads, building stronger relationships with customers, and enhancing your brand visibility.

We have done an in-depth blog on this partnership marketing.

Do give it a read as it contains information as valuable as gold.

Partnership Marketing for Hotels

4. Host lucky draw for in-house guests

This is one of my favourite strategies when it comes to offering something to our guests.

Again, here comes the example.

A hotel can let its in-house guests know that it is hosting a lucky draw and the prize is a free 2D 3N stay, sightseeing, and trekking in a nearby destination. Guests who are going to book another stay are going to be eligible to participate in this.

If the prize is intriguing, you are definitely going to witness upfront bookings and a boost in revenue.

Note: You have to ensure that the amount you’re investing in the prize is not exceeding the profit you’re expecting.

5. Tie up with corporates

Corporates are like gold mines. If your hotel has great services and delivers a commendable experience, they won’t hesitate in paying.

Now you can offer 1 or 2 free travel packages to companies who choose to pick your hotel as their go-to event or stay venue. It’s upon the companies to who they give those packages.

It is a great way to boost your hotel bottom line. The only catch here is that you have to be aggressive in your sales efforts while dealing with corporates.

Brownie Tips to Make Your Gift of Travel Intriguing

Offering a gift of travel is one thing, you also have to be very creative while creating them. Here are some things to consider while doing so.

1. Make it much more than just flight tickets

Most of the time, these gifts of travel only include flight tickets. And that’s actually legitimate. Air travel has always been expensive and back in the day, people used to love free flights.

However, gone are those days. People today expect more.

Therefore, if budget and profit margin permits, hotels must change their strategy and offer a little more than just flight tickets. Maybe include a stay, meal, sightseeing, or some sort of experience. Just make sure, you’re doing things differently.

2. Do not plan the entire trip

This is a red flag.

NEVER plan an entire trip for ANYONE.

The preferences of travellers have changed over time. If you plan an entire trip for someone, s/he might not like it, and this wouldn’t make a good impact. Rather, give some room to play around and plan their itinerary.

3. Pick an Instagram-worthy destination

This goes without saying. If they are going on a trip, they are going to click photos and put them on Instagram. So, why not pick a picturesque destination.

Better the destination, more the uploads on Instagram and more tags for your hotel.

Note: Make sure you pick a destination that includes experiences. Do not always seek luxury, people are into offbeat stuff more than ever. Experiences over goods and luxury are going to take you places.

4. Keep a surprise for the end of the trip

Imagine checking out of a hotel and the manager walks to you and gives you a gift hamper. Wouldn’t that bring a smile to your face? Of course, YES.

It is always a good practice to surprise your guests at unexpected times. So, you can also do the same at your hotel.

Word to the Wise

Giving the gift of travel is an expensive marketing strategy. Also, it is something that cannot be executed often.

Just because I am writing this blog doesn’t mean I am urging every hotel to tap into this segment and drain their budget.

Even if it’s bitter, the reality is that not every hotel can afford to carry out this strategy.

Therefore, get your hands into this only if you have the capability to pull it off without any repercussions.

If you don’t have the budget or manpower to work on these kinds of offers, what you can do is create discounted packages or offer gift cards for hotel stays. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a trip; you can always explore various gifting options.

The post How Can Hotels Leverage the Concept of Gift of Travel appeared first on eZee Absolute.

I am Maya (that’s what my hoomans call me. So, I am assuming it’s my name) and I am a Sheprador.

It’s been a little more than 5 months that these hoomans brought me home. I won’t lie, things were going pretty well initially. I would sleep, play, eat, bark and repeat.

But I have grown up now and I want to run around outside, dig holes, and sniff random objects. Unfortunately, these hoomans are super busy; especially the one who lives with me.

So, I decided to let them know that I need to step out and explore. And finally, after days of barking, scratching and a few whacks, they came to their senses.

Now my hooman takes me out on weekends (at least) to different places — we go on drives, trek, and do a lot more fun stuff.

But the other day, my hooman was a little annoyed.

“Woof woof!” .

I asked

“What happened Maya? Stop biting my hand, I am already annoyed. Do you know how much I was planning for this weekend? And no hotels allow pets. I think I will have to leave you home this time.”

he replied

“Woof woof woof! (Noo..don’t do that. I don’t want to spend my weekend with that terrifying man and clueless lady) woof woof woof.”

I said

“No, I can’t take you with me. I will see you on Monday, Maya.”

he said and left

Why can’t these hotels welcome me? I am just a harmless puppy! 

Not sure how hotels work but I too deserve a good stay at a nice place. I will ask my hooman to talk about it. 

Hey folks, don’t mind! Maya is just a little annoyed. And you know why.  

So, today I am going to cover this topic. If you have not embraced the idea of welcoming pets yet, then this blog is for you. It will help you turn your hotel into a lucrative pet-friendly property.

Are we good to go, Maya?

Woof woof!!

Why Should Hoteliers Bet on Pet Hospitality?

“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.”

James Cromwell

Maya has said what she feels. And I think she’s correct; pets do deserve all the privileges we get.

But I am a human and I have a different approach to explain. So, I won’t give you any emotional or empathetic opinion.

Rather, let’s talk business.  Let me tell you how beneficial it is to become a pet friendly hotel.

“Woof woof (Do you think this will work?).”

asked Maya

“Yes, Maya! It will.”

I said and winked.

Did you know that the global pet care market is expected to reach $202.6 billion by 2025? Yes, you heard it right.

People love their pets and they spend billions on them every year. Not to mention, there is a rise in the adoption of pets and demand for premium care products and experiences.

Now, when it comes to travel, the number of pet travellers have increased lately. Because people (especially millennials and Gen Z) prefer to take their pets along. And they look for pet-friendly hotels to stay.

But if you still think that it doesn’t make any difference, then let me share some more insights.

Pricing

When you start welcoming pets to your hotel, you get the opportunity to charge a pet fee to guests. It is one of the major aspects of how pet-friendly hotels work.

Further, you can also price your rooms a little higher depending on the services you offer.

And I am sure, this is an intriguing factor.

Brand Image

Apart from the monetary benefit, you get the opportunity to set up a solid brand image. And as a result, you inspire guest loyalty.

I always book with hotels that deliver a great experience. And it is the same when I travel with my Maya (even if I have to pay an extra amount for that).

That’s not all.

Pet owners also engage highly with pet communities. And they tend to share their experience with the community. Meaning, your chances of getting referrals increase.

Pet hospitality is a lucrative segment of the industry. Not many hotels have incorporated this idea. And being a blogger from this domain and a pet parent, I bet that the early adopters are going to bring home the bacon.

“Woof woof!! You’re going good hooman.”

cheered Maya

9 Tips on How to Become a Pet-Friendly Hotel

If you think you’re game to bet on this segment, then let me help you with that too. In this section, I have listed some of the legitimate tips on how to make a hotel pet-friendly.

#1 Decide on the type of pet

People keep different types of animals as a pet. But you cannot allow every animal on your premises.

So, you must decide the type and size of animals that are welcomed on your property. The most common pets are cats and dogs and it is completely fine if you want to stick to these two.

You can set protocols such as ‘only two pets per room or per guest with defined weight and height limit’.

This will not only help you manage your guests and their pets better but also keep you away from any sort of miscommunication.

#2 Set proper rules and regulations for pet owners

Let me share my experience.

Last month, I was at my friend’s place with Maya. And guess what, there was a potty accident. I could see my friend’s face.

Maya: “Hooman, I couldn’t control my bowel. I was barking, but you didn’t take me out. It’s not my fault.”

Me: Okay fine, Maya! I am just giving an example.

I am sure, just like my friend, the hotel staff would feel the same if such accidents happen. So, when you run a pet-friendly hotel, it is imperative to have strict rules and regulations for all pet owners.

Let the pet owners know they have to clean the room after their pet is done with their business.

I have listed some of the must-have pet policies for hotels at the end of this blog. You can refer to that.

#3 Build a play area for the pets

Do you have some extra space at your property? If so, then turn that into a play area for the pets.

Pets (especially dogs) need mental stimulation at least once a day to keep their minds sharp, focused, and calm.

And if you don’t have any such space, let your guests take their pets for walks in the locality. 

However, let them know that they must leash their pet and use a potty picker and a disposable bag to keep the neighborhood clean.

#4 Offer pet treats as a gift for booking

The first impression matters. And when you run a pet-friendly hotel, you have to set that first impression right.

One of the best ways to do so is by offering complimentary treats on direct bookings.

Personally speaking, this works. People love it when their pets are treated nicely. Hands down!

I also have another idea.

How about collaborating with some pet food companies and using their treats? They get marketing opportunities for their products and you get free treats. It’s a win-win.

#5 Hire an animal behaviourist or trainer for certain situations

Have you ever heard about zoomies? No?

Let me explain.

Zoomies (which is also known as midnight crazies) are random bursts of energy occurring in dogs and cats. Every time a cat or dog gets zoomies, they run around frenetically. It is nothing to be scared of, but there are times when pet owners fail to control them and it might disturb other guests.

So, it is advisable to hire an animal behaviourist or trainer to handle such situations.

That’s not all. Many animals don’t get along with other animals around them. And to maintain a peaceful time in the play area, you need a trainer.

#6 Decide on proper pricing

This is a little tricky. But with proper analysis and management, you can pull this off successfully.

Like I have said in the beginning, you can always charge a pet fee to your guests and increase your room prices based on the services and amenities you offer. 

However, you have to make sure that your pet-friendly room pricing and regular room pricing are not interfering with each other.

If you feel it’s overwhelming, then I would suggest you seek help from revenue management professionals.

#7 Offer room services for pets’ requirements 

Pet-friendly services play a major role in making a hotel successful pet hospitality.

If you can offer room services to your guests, then you must do it for their pets also. As simple as that. 

For example: If you welcome dogs to your property, you can curate a “canine menu” and add certain dishes specially for dogs. People would definitely pick up the intercom and place an order.

Treat the animals like they are going to write a review about your hotel. 

#8 Set up a pet shop as a POS outlet

There are different types of POS outlets in hotels (gift shops, spas etc.). But today, I would like to tell you about another lucrative POS outlet — a pet shop.

If you’re a pet-friendly hotel, a pet shop is a gem. People love to buy essentials for their pets and when they get them inside the hotel premises, it makes them feel more welcome.

Not to mention, it is also a great way to up your hotel’s bottom line.

#ProTip: If you don’t want to start a pet shop, set up a pet daycare centre. There are times when guests want to go out but they want to leave their pets in the room. Instead of that, you can always ask your guests to leave their pets at the daycare centre and charge a fee for that.

#9 Let other guests know that pets are around

While you have learnt how to make your hotel pet-friendly, I would like to add another IMPORTANT point.

Let all your other guests know that you’ve animals on the premises. And there are multiple ways to do that. You can mention it on your website, in the booking confirmation emails you send, at your premise entrances, place information pamphlets in rooms etc.

Here are some booking confirmation email templates you can use:

That’s not all, you also have to be clear that even though you’re a pet-friendly hotel, you don’t compromise with the quality of experience you deliver to other guests.

Simply put, both of your hospitality segments must go hand in hand.

General Rules a Pet-Friendly Hotel Must Have

Above, I mentioned all the important points on how to make your hospitality business pet-friendly. But there’s more to it.

For a smoother functioning of a pet-friendly hotel, you must have robust rules and regulations in place. Here are some of the pet policies you might want to consider:

• Guests must pay a pet charge during check-in.
• Pets must be vaccinated and the vaccination card must be presented at the time of check-in.
• Number of pets per room or per guest.
• Pets are not allowed in the no-go areas.
• Pet owners must clean the room/toilet after their pet is done with their business.
• Guests cannot leave their pets unattended in rooms.
• Pets must be leashed inside the hotel premises.
• They must be muzzled if they tend to charge on other animals.
• Pets that are not comfortable around other animals are not allowed in the play area.
• Pet owners are responsible for any damage to any of the hotel’s property by their pet.
• Guests must use the elevator and stairs that are allotted for guests with pets.

The post How to Turn Your Hotel Pet-Friendly? [A Dog & Her Hooman Explain] appeared first on eZee Absolute.