Everyone hates to be handed the highlighter and an arrival list and to mark off who to walk and who not to. If your property is in a walk situation, you the Sales Person should make sure that they do not walk a regular guest, VIP or a new client reservation.
When there is demand in your market, it is smart business decision to consider “walking” some guest if you want to maximize your revenues. At an airport location take a look at your Airline Crews who are usually booked at a lower negotiated rate. Another place to look is your hotwire, priceline, hotels.com and other ecommerce reservations.
First the Sales Manager should identify high demand times that you maybe in a situation to walk guests. Find a hotel that is simular to yours and close in location who will work with you on a Walk Rate. Establish Direct Billing. It is much smoother to have a contact or two at the walk hotel so that you can communicate easily.
Lets think about it. It is normal for any Sales Person not to want to walk. In serious cases, especially with the Airline Crews, the Sales Person should call their contact to let them know that their crew is going to be displaced. With advance notice, on most occasions the Airline contacts will work with you. This is why establishing a good relationship with the contacts is important. I have used the excuse that a large group has extended and that I am now sold out.
If the Airline Rate is $65.00 per room and your walk hotel has extended the same rate ~ you are selling rack at prime lets say for discussion sake $149.00, then you will profit $84.00 per room. Take a look at your low rated negotiated, Corporate Lodging or even a tour bus. I know as a Sales Person this isn’t fun and I hate doing it. But because I was sincere, communicated with the client and placed them at a simular hotel, I have not lost any accounts.
For the ecommerce guests, the Sales Person will most likely not be able to alert the guest.
The new consumers of traveling are smarter and have been educated. I am not recommending that you walk your guests or preferred clients. I am recommending that the Sales Person keeps an eye on the market and is involved with maximizing revenues especially during demand times. If your property practices Yield Management, then you should not be in a position to have to walk any guests.
Check out www.hotelsalesmanager/members for more information.
It is recommended that the Sales Manager negotiates a walk rate with the hotel prior to actually walking a guest. Have the forms ready to provide to the hotel to ensure that they have all of the information that they need. Find a hotel that is close to your location that will work with you on the ”walk rate”.
Don’t forget about your Front Desk Staff. Are they properly trained to handle the guest? Practice with them. If they are uncomfortable and uneducated, most Agents are, then they may crumble and make the guest even angrier. They will need to stay strong, apologize and be sincere about the situation. I’ve seen untrained Front Desk Staff actually break down and cry right in front of the guest. Don’t do this to the Agents, make sure that they know what to do.
Good luck!
Pure Energy
