Hotel managers have many priorities when it comes to the successful operation of their hotel, including maintaining a positive customer experience and staying abreast of changing technology. It may seem that your hotel’s design should take a back seat to those key features. However, your hotel’s design does not exist in a silo. Design affects the functionality, marketing and comfort of your hotel. In other words, an improvement to your design will improve all these areas.
Whether or not you are considering updating your hotel’s interior design because of a PIP (performance improvement plan), it is in your best interests to prioritize your hotel’s décor. It will improve guest satisfaction and benefit your bottom line.
Your customers are changing.
Millennials are now in their 20’s and 30’s and are exerting their influence on the hospitality industry. This can be seen in many ways, including hotels being more tech-savvy and prioritizing social consciousness. From a design perspective, millennials are driving design features such as communal spaces and social media backdrops. Scott Greenberg, President and CEO of Smashotels, noted: “If we attract young people, old people will show up. But if you build a hotel for old people, young people never show up.”
Millennials, as a group, are concerned with sustainability and their impact on the environment. Hotels can design an environmentally friendly and sustainable space that will appeal to that sensibility.
It is something your guests will notice (and will attract future guests).
A recent study analyzed thousands of online reviews, noting consistent phrases in highly rated hotels. Among those phrases were “comfortable”, “beautiful”, and “clean”. Your guests are noticing the visual and aesthetic feel of your hotel design and are commenting on it. That influences future guests visiting your hotel. Another study noted that 90% of hotel guests read online reviews before booking a stay. Therefore, your future guests will note the glowing reviews of your recently redesigned space.
It can be part of your marketing strategy.
Announcing your renovation and refresh can be a positive news story to share with your guests. It is a way to tell a story about the property, whether it’s new environmental features or how the design reflects the local community. A hotel redesign shows you are committed to investing in enhancements that will elevate their experience of the property.
It can build your bottom line.
Lesley Wong Interiors recently designed a complete room re-design. Following its completion, the hotel raised its room prices 15-20%. The result? Its rooms were fully booked! Guests have commented in recent online reviews that the rooms are “greatly designed” and are “bright, modern, [and] well-equipped.”
By way of example, a further study considered a hotel that had not been renovated in almost 15 years. It had a return on its investment within a year following its renovation!
Additionally, worn or tired features cost more to maintain – updating can reduce your operational costs.
Many hotel managers dread their PIP and view a renovation only in terms of monetary cost. However, the benefits are noticeable to your guest’s experience and to your bottom line. There is no time like the present to prioritize your hotel redesign.
