Sorry Full!!
Working with hospitality clients the way we do, we always look for some of the simple changes that can be made to improve customer relations and communication. What is still staggering in the current climate is the lack of attention to detail by some organisations in their general communication. I hasten to add that this excludes all of ClaytonGiles’ clients.
On two separate occasions I recently tried to book a hotel and as both hotels didn’t have the facility to check availability online I wrote a very nice email to them both to see if by any chance they had a room for the weekend. I always include details of how I found them and why I want to stay – just because I think it helps to give feedback.
So, why do hotels assume that if they are full you are suddenly a nuisance? Both email responses were abrupt in tone and in one email no more than two words – Sorry Full!!! No “Dear Ms” or “Thank you for contacting us” or “please do try us again” or even “why not make a weekend of it in the Autumn with our special offer for ……”.
I have instantly now crossed both of these hotels off my wish list for weekend breaks and will have no problem spreading the word with colleagues and friends about the two hotels in question.
So why do hotels assume that a booking enquiry can be handled in this way? Both of the emails were from the owners themselves which makes me wonder even more. Surely even if you have the luxury of a full weekend, you should always invest in building relationships with potential bookers.
What is frustrating is that both of these hotels have great recommendations in terms of service and the product, so it’s a real disappointment that at the very first point of contact they failed!
Customer Service really has to spread throughout the entire process, not just when you arrive at the hotel and during your stay, but at the very first point of contact. These are the real moments of truth!
These hotels need to recognise this before they will no longer need to be responding saying ‘Sorry Full’, but yes, please do come and stay because we are empty!!
Rant over.
New Website Just Launched
What a busy morning… we have just launched the new Young Chef Young Waiter (YCYW) websi
te for the BHA and everyone is delighted with the results. Moving companies forward to develop more interactive uses of websites is something we have been working on for the past two years and we are delighted to be working with the BHA on their YCYW project once again.
Proposing a dedicated website for YCYW made so much sense considering the nature of the audience and the competition itself. YCYW has built a considerable reputation for itself and is a well received competition highlighting the incredible talent of our Young Chefs and Waiters. Now in it’s 26th year, it was important to the BHA to develop a website and the tools to engage with potential Chefs and Waiters across the UK and to promote the outstanding winners throughout the year.
We have developed online tools for the website that include a regularly updated blog, twitter account and links to forward details to colleagues or friends and post news on Facebook. Plus a live feed from Flickr which allows website visitors to see the regularly updated photography throughout the YCYW competition.
We designed the site to be clear and easy to use and most of all easy for the BHA to update on a regular basis. We find that the biggest challenge with social media and websites is keeping them dynamic and the news fresh. With so much activity surrounding the competition for YCYW this should not be a problem, but it is important to recognise the time required to update information. We therefore built the site using a blogging platform so that the blog can be easily accessed by the team at BHA and very simple to use.
The team at BHA are also very excited about the new look for YCYW and are looking forward to receiving lots of entries in the coming weeks.
Make sure you spread the word and promote this excellent initiative to harness our budding hospitality professionals.
A big thank you to BHA for making this such an exciting project for the team at ClaytonGiles Creative Communication
To enter the competition or for more information visit the website below.
Helping Small Businesses
We are currently developing a project to support and inform small businesses in the Hospitality industry and those wishing to set up their own hospitality business. We’d love to hear from any small businesses out there who need help or would like to tell us the help they need and the challenges they face running a hotel, restaurant or catering unit in the UK.
We will be running a series of Polls over the next few weeks to gain your input on marketing, promotion, legislation and PR so look forward to receiving your votes…
Bacon and Eggs…
Working with the hospitality industry gives you great insight into how the UK promotes itself as a destination to our own residents as well as those from overseas. You only have to switch on one of the many cooking, hotel and design programmes to see how small changes can make a big difference to the customer experience and how our interest in this area of business has increased.
I am constantly looking at how hotels and restaurants can deliver a better product without significant investment, whether that’s because I have worked in the industry previously or I’m just one of those customers that think that they can do it better, who knows. What I do know however, is that over the past few years there has been one area we seem to get consistently wrong in the hotel sector…Breakfast!
I’d love to boast that when I stay in a hotel I opt for the healthy prunes and muesli with a green tea – but I don’t. When I go away I like to spoil myself and a hearty cooked breakfast is a real treat so why not indulge?
It’s not something everyone cooks at home, but we all know how we like it cooked, runny eggs, well-cooked bacon, browned sausages, pools of HP sauce… we all have different requirements and the cooked breakfast is when we really know our stuff. We know exactly how we like it and we look forward to it.
So can you blame the Great British Public when we make demanding requests on hotels and restaurants about our breakfast? Are we a kitchens worst nightmare when our specifications flood the kitchen with different demands on what we want and how we want it cooked. I guess it’s no wonder hotels offer a buffet style breakfast – and why not? I think these can be very good, you can pick and choose what you want and you can look at it first – check out what looks tasty and what looks avoidable. I think the best breakfasts I have ever had have been presented in this way with a huge choice of different breakfast treats and all steaming hot. Perfect.
But, it’s the table service breakfast that needs work. I’ve been travelling quite a bit over the past year and entertained many an early morning breakfast with colleagues and I always sigh in despair at the early morning offerings that some hotels insist on charging over £15 per person for. I’ve never really examined the Great British Breakfast as a product or as a marketing tool, but my recent experience at the weekend in Somerset has really made me think about what we are doing to our industry and our tourist market with the continuous conveyor belt of poorly served breakfasts across the UK.
I do of course recognise that there are probably thousands of establishments serving outstanding breakfasts and will whole heartedly disagree with my appraisal, but for me, the percentage of bad breakfasts to good is too high and my choice in hotel is varied so there is no real reason for not living up to the expectations of Brits and tourists.
So, for what it’s worth, I wonder if anyone can answer the following?
Why does the bacon have to look like it’s just had a warm bath rather than had a good turn under the grill or in the frying pan?
Why are the scrambled eggs done in the microwave?
If we opt for fried eggs, why are they never cooked?
Why are the beans the smallest portion on the plate?
Why are the plates cold?
Why are we still serving jam and marmalade in individual small jars?
To me, it has to be simple. If you wouldn’t eat it – your customers will definitely not pay for it! We have so much to be proud of with our hearty breakfasts, but sometimes, the small mistakes really do make a difference and serving cold breakfasts with fatty anaemic bacon just doesn’t sell Britain…
If anyone is interested, I have to say on a positive note, the best breakfast I have ever enjoyed was in Scotland and it was delicious. I will always remember that hotel for the breakfast and I will always remember the hotel this weekend in Somerset for the breakfast, but I will not be returning!!
Two4One, Three4Two, Buy1Get1, 10% off and Free!
We are really feeling sorry for restaurants right now.
There are heaps of offers out there for diners and talking to some of clients as well as witnessing the growth of the ‘voucher culture’ has made for some interesting times for the restaurant industry. Last year there were reports in the hospitality industry concerning the sustainability of the ‘desperate’ offers restaurants were providing to get bums on seats. Over Christmas and New Year, the voucher frenzy continued and restaurants were fearful of how long they could sustain the demand for discounts, two for one’s and free drinks.
It therefore seems that there is very little light at the end of the tunnel as websites such as moneysavingexpert are still pushing through an abundance of great deals for diners with very few limitations on when the vouchers can be used.
There is clearly pressure amongst high street chains to remain competitive and to match some of the offers that are currently circulating. Some months ago we visited a well-known high street restaurant offering two for one and they were full. The four other high street brands were empty – they were not offering any discounts or vouchers that week at all. We receive at least four or five emails a day from restaurants enticing us with great deals on main courses and wine. What concerns us is how this is going to end. Will restaurants have to withdraw their offers in the near future in the hope that they have established a loyal following or will they have to continue to bribe customers through the door? Will they have to increase menu prices just so they can discount them again to make customers believe they are getting a great deal?
One thing is for sure – if restaurants are offering discounts and getting bums on seats – they need to offer a high level of excellent service and quality of food. Just because a meal is being provided at sometimes half the price, doesn’t mean the service and food should be slashed in half too. Incentives for customers need to be treated as a taster of what you provide under ‘normal’ circumstances, the idea is that the customer will try something or somewhere they would never have tried before and restaurants need to ensure they come back again and more importantly – spread the word.
We believe it’s important not to dilute your brand and offer a flood of discounts, but to think very carefully about your positioning strategy and how price discounts will affect how you are perceived and how you can operate with such a narrow profit margin (if at all).
If you feel that you can no longer sustain the heavy discounts – look for alternatives, get your message out to the masses, add value to your service and products and encourage people to come back. Find out what they liked, what they didn’t like and make their whole experience one they would like to repeat – even without a voucher.
We are exploring lots of new ways to help independent restaurants to achieve the booking levels they deserve and there are still lots of marketing tools out there that can provide an increase in bookings. It doesn’t always have to be a discount, just a good offer!
A timely gesture
Being the social media ambassadors that we are, we decided to run a quick competition on Twitter for Easter. Followers had to take part in a virtual Twitter Easter Egg Hunt and watch out for a Tweet with the word EGG in it. The first to Re-Tweet the EGG Tweet would be the lucky winner of a bundle of Easter Chocolate Goodies.
We couldn’t wait any longer, so we tweeted EGG just after 11am today and were delighted to see that one of our fabulous clients Re-Tweeted the fastest and won herself a lovely Cadbury Chocolate Gift Box full of Easter Treats. What was even more fabulous was that rather than scoff the chocs herself, she asked if we would be happy to forward her prize to the Safari Day Care Ward at Great Ormond Street, so we threw in an extra box and the chocs are now winging their way to the kids at Great Ormond Street – all thanks to our client. What a lovely gesture – so thanks Maria!
It certainly makes you think about how a small gesture can really make someones day, Maria’s gesture today really made us smile and I’m sure the kids will be very pleased when their box of goodies arrives on Thursday.
Online Reputation
Wow, the months are really going fast and I can’t believe it’s been almost three months since I’ve had a chance to update our ClaytonGiles blog. We have had such a busy few months with Hotelympia, new clients and a new member of staff.
Despite the busy months, we still find value in taking time out to find out what is happening in the hospitality industry and were delighted to get the chance to attend a recent Hotel Marketing Association event last week in London.
We are frequently asked by our clients the importance of integrating social media with their current marketing plans and we always respond with the same answer – “only do it, if you are prepared to update it”. Ironic considering how long it’s been since we have blogged, but we are always tweeting and updating our details on our social media groups, so we don’t feel too ashamed.
There has been a lot of speculation about the threats and opportunities social media provides to the hospitality industry and the session last week certainly highlighted some interesting points regarding online reputation.
We all know that the consumer has the tools to critique service delivery and products online for everyone to see, but what we need to harness is the ability to manage these comments – both the good and the bad.
Many of our clients are worried about the time that would need to be spent online, monitoring the comments being made about them, but there are now very effective tools out there which are free that enable businesses to do this without consuming too much time. What is more important however is that this needs to be seen as a marketing opportunity. If someone is saying something negative about an experience, we all know that it’s important to address the response, but also to explain how this can be remedied for the future – that creates positive PR.
It’s also important to recognise the good reports. If someone says something wonderful about you, then ask them if you can use their comment as a testimonial – afterall, they just became your greatest ambassador.
It’s vital for the hospitality industry to Listen to what their customers are saying about them and there is no use denying the fact that lots of potential customers will take notice of their comments online. It’s therefore important to be proactive whilst reinforcing the great delivery and service you are proud of to combat the negative comments. It’s a new way of thinking for businesses and it’s important to ensure small businesses are aware of the tools available and how important online monitoring is.
We drew lots of tips from the event last week that reinforced to us the work we are doing for our clients and how valuable it is to make small restaurants, hotels, B&B’s and caterers aware of the potential damage and the great opportunities that social media can provide.
We are therefore going to continue to help and update our clients with more information about online branding, reputation and management for social media to ensure they are prepared for what is set to be another shift in consumer behaviour.
If you would like to find out more about how we help our clients manage their online reputation and improve their social media presence, then do drop us a line – it’s not as scary as it sounds.
Alternatively you may be interested to attend one of the Hotel Marketing Association events in the future, addressing topics such as digital marketing, online reputation and brand management.
We shall be launching a list of practical ideas and tips for social media for the hospitality industry soon, so if you would like to know more and receive a regular copy of our newsletter, please email info@claytongiles.
New restaurant opened – no marketing!
So, with bated breath we all wait for the opening of a long-awaited restaurant to fill the hole that was an empty shell near the station. For years there has been a void underneath an executive block of apartments near the train station and finally businesses are seizing the opportunity to take on the reduced lease.
So, we see the signage go up, the awning erected and the tables delivered…. and yet, no sign of a web address, menu or A board outside to say ‘hey we are open, come inside and taste our wonderful menu and have a glass of wine on us’.
Nope, what we see is almost an undercover operation. The awning is indeed up and proudly displaying the restaurant name, but still no sign of a phone number or web address. There is nowhere to park nearby, so I finally get around to walking by on a trip back from London. I pop my head in the restaurant and to my delight, it looks great, clean, spacious and inviting and I manage to confirm that it’s an Italian restaurant, so yippee for me. I make a booking for the following weekend and ask if they have a website – which they do. So why oh why don’t they put the website on the outside of the restaurant? With nowhere to stop in a car, they are completely reliant on people walking by. I spent a good hour searching online for their website and never found it. When they gave me their business card, I realised I had made a mistake and omitted the various stops and hyphens they used in their URL. So no wonder.
Living just 10 minutes walk from the restaurant I was a little surprised not to have a flyer through the door or see a sign up at the station promoting the opening. The local paper didn’t seem to cover it and having spoken to lots of colleagues and friends in the area I seemed to be one of the only people who knew the restaurant was even there. Surely this is the most obvious mistake to make – not telling anyone you are there and that you are open!
Still, you may think that perhaps they wanted a soft launch, so fair enough. However, it’s now been open for over a month and nothing – no offers, no promotion, no menu announcement and no web address or phone number outside. Despite the businesses either side of them placing A boards on the pavement, this restaurant seems determined to keep their existence under wraps and after eating there, I have to say, this is probably a good decision!
The service was as non-existent as their marketing. squashed tables, poorly presented pastas and pizzas and tasteless sauces. The wine selection was dire and every table around us complained bitterly about the food and the service. So, I fear that this long awaited eatery may be short-lived. I really hope not, as it would be so great if they nipped these mistakes in the bud now and put some real thought to their marketing and more importantly their service and food, nothing is impossible to correct and I’m sure they will be able to turn this around before doing too much damage with the locals.
Fingers crossed we see a revival of this poor Italian restaurant and we get to see some real entrepreneurial spirit back in our town.
WIN a…Nice Pair of Creatives!
Oh Yes Please I hear you cry.
Desperate to add some sparkle to your advertising?
Want to spruce up your website?
Need some cheer putting back into your email marketing?
Or just want to improve your online presence?
Enter our competition to be in with the chance to win a spectacular pair of creatives for the day! With the New Year fast approaching, you may already be thinking about ways to improve your marketing and design for 2010.
It may just be a few tweaks here and there, a new advertising campaign or you need some input into planning your strategy to win more business. Whatever your wish, enter our competition by 31st December 2009*, we will then draw a winner at random who will have a pair of ClaytonGiles creatives all to themselves for one whole day!
Go on, what have you got to lose? Click on the link below to enter your details to be in with the chance of winning.
Good Luck…
*The winner will be drawn at random and notified by 15th January 2010. The winner will receive one day of free creative consultancy from ClaytonGiles with no obligation to continue or purchase additional services. ClaytonGiles will visit the winners premises or a location of their choice within the M25.
£100 for a website
Having just had my boiler replaced I was keen to know more about how plumbers and electricians market their business. It’s only when we are in dire need of their services that we turn to portals such as checkatrade or the yellow pages to find the best man or woman for the job. But how do we make the decision to employ their services? Do we make the decision based on their website, their credentials, their price list or their location or a mix of all of these? We know as a design agency that first impressions really do count, but more importantly, it’s information that really counts. If a website doesn’t contain all the information you need to make your decision then you may be quick to click away to another site.
All too often we hear about companies including the building trade, creating their own site for £100. Great – to get you online and give you a presence, but it’s important to make sure you know enough about the content, navigation and optimisation of your site to really make it work for you…It’s like booking an ad space in a magazine and just putting a line of text.
We recognise the need for low cost websites but websites that work hard for their money so we are now developing new ideas to build packages for our clients to help them get more out of their online presence and to make sure that they have all the right information where it needs to be!
I doubt we can do it for £100 though!
