The owner’s children must not run loose in the house. In fact, if the family live on the same premises, there must be a clear division between the facilities for the guests and the family home. You may not, under any circumstance, use a family room for a guest!
One of the strongest selling points for guest houses is “value for money“. Be careful not to price yourself out of the market and do not see-saw with your rates, putting them up dramatically when things seem to be going well or dropping them substantially if not. You will lose your loyal customers this way. Note the trends in the market and retain a long-term vision. Do not become greedy or desperate!
A guest house initially draws its guests with its rates, location and facilities. It keeps its guests with value for money and service. Its best advertisement remains guests returning time and again and spreading the word. Unhappy guests can cause serious damage to your business. Treat your guests as though they are your marketing agents.
Be flexible with your rates. An empty room is unacceptable and last night’s empty room cannot be sold again! It is always worth while to offer a special rate for a long-term or group booking or for a late booking, where the room would otherwise have been empty. Adopt the policy of “yield management” in order to win a reservation.
Payments must be dealt with diplomatically and with tact, and invoices must be absolutely correct. Be willing to pay commission to agents. This can save you considerable advertising and marketing costs. You should also be prepared to sometimes wait a little longer for your payment, for example when travel agents make use of you. Do not nag large organisations for payment. Your guest house is one of the small goldfish in a very large bowl of available accommodation.
Should your guest house be experiencing problems with its occupancy, go back to your original market research and if necessary, do it all over again. This may assist you in finding the root of the problem, so that you can do something to rectify the situation. The most common reasons for low occupancy are the following:
* Wrong location
* Bad service of either yourself or your staff members
* Rates that are not market-related
* Facilities that are no longer acceptable, such as shared bathrooms
* More competition
* Bad management
* Incorrect marketing
* Factors outside your control, such as an increase in crime in the area
Look closely at all these aspects of your guest house. Improve everything that can and should be improved, for example the level of training and the quality of service by your staff. Bring your facilities up to standard.
Look at your guest house through a stranger’s eyes. You may perhaps not have noticed your many personal family items and photographs in the guest lounge. A fresh coat of paint or steam-cleaning your furniture may make a huge difference.
If you are not situated in a popular area, you could perhaps make your guest house irresistible in other ways, perhaps by adding a tea garden or other special attraction. You could offer special out-of-season rates and market them aggressively. You may not make much profit out of special rates but they could gain you a few more regular clients. Undertake various marketing actions and concentrate on an intensive personal marketing campaign.
How do you know when you are successful and doing it right? When your guests come back time and again and tell their friends, colleagues and relatives about you.
Always remember that your own unique personality is the single most important factor that will ensure your success. Enjoy your guest house, your guests and your success!
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