Curb appeal…kickin’ it up a notch!
Wow! What a difference. The new outside lighting has finally been installed down our driveway. Not working yet but in a day or so it will be. Looks absolutely awesome. Great job to all of our staff involved who conquered the project! I will personally make it my duty to shake their hands and congratulate and thank them.
Ok, so I’m calling, faxing and practically begging for one of my regular group accounts to send their rooming list in for ……their arrival for tonight. By early afternoon I finally received it but of course I had no nails left. Now – all of a sudden – the issue with the rate. I received a message from their Owner complaining about how they advertise free for us etc….want some cheese for that wine? Where, where is the advertising and if you are then shouldn’t the hotel approve it?
I’ll tell you, it’s better not to offer introductory rates if you don’t have to cause when you go to raise them it’s a royal pain. They don’t care about inflation, gas prices, multi-million dollar completed renovation plans….or new parking lot lighting. The haggling is enough to make you scream.
The new transient account is producing well already. And so far so good. Although they are not my client, I still plan to drop off a thank you package later this week. It’s important to nurture new business, especially since they will make a difference to our bottom line. And take a moment to educate the Front Desk Staff about them. Knowledge is power so give it to them so they don’t look like fools….thus complaints, thus lost account.
I found a ton of leads in the Book of Business. Certainly worth the $99 a year for the Business Journal. They will send you a Book of Business each year that you are a member and monthly news prints. I feel like I’m holding a million dollars in leads and if I work them, I will book them and succeed. If your property doesn’t have it in the budget, then you can get daily news and information emailed to you for free by creating a free account.
As far as the direct billing accounts, I’m finding that:
A. Most of the contacts are gone and the new contacts have no idea that direct billing is established.
B. Their needs have changed.
C. And the worst scenario, they are using a competitor.
Just because direct billing is established doesn’t mean that they will choose your hotel first as a preferred although, in the Sales mind, they should. I require at least $10 grand in revenue before I even bother to send up information about the account that is requesting direct billing. I have made a FEW acceptions. It’s just too much work for accounting. What about the requests that expect immediate billing? Give me a break.
Good luck selling tomorrow! Don’t let nothing get in your way.
Pure Energy
