The hospitality business has long been a highly competitive industry. Hotels and restaurants, among others, have been consistently launching aggressive promotional campaigns to show that each has better amenities than the rest. While this may seem like a very hostile and unhealthy competition, it’s a blessing in disguise as it forces industry players to improve their amenities and services to benefit their respective clients.
If you happen to be in the hospitality business as a manager or owner, you should know some simple, yet highly critical ways to make your facilities highly functional and attractive to your paying customers.
Here are six add-ons to improve your hostility business’ form and functionality:
Consider the alfresco setup.
Do you have a sizable space outside your main dining hall (like your lawn or rooftop) that lays unused? Why not use that precious real estate to accommodate more clients?
Whether you own a restaurant or a hotel, you can turn your idle outdoor space into a functional spot simply by investing in a canopy, tent, or any type of shade structure and then the usual tables and chairs set up. By having added seating capacity, you can maximize not just space but also your business’ earning potential. Plus, you’ll also tap into the segment of tourists and regular customers that is fond of the alfresco dining experience.
Invest in functional and stylish lighting.
How your restaurant or hotel is lit plays an important role in drawing hordes of eager customers. This is unsurprising given that the ceiling is one of the areas in any business establishment that customers’ eyes are drawn into.
As such, be sure to invest in functional and stylish lighting fixtures to ensure that your restaurant or hotel looks inviting for any guests that step inside. Specifically, try some unusual, yet very interesting lighting solutions, such as a mosaic glass chandelier that not only looks stylish but also artistic. Such lighting options may cost higher than traditional ones, however, they are nonetheless the better pick since they work like magic in luring customers and making any hotel or restaurant stand out.
Don’t scrimp on furniture pieces and decors.
Guests are easily wowed by furniture pieces and decors that scream premium from every angle. Knowing this, you should never scrimp on these essential functional and decorative items if you want to distinguish your business from the competition.
Among other items, you should invest in plush couches and chairs for your lounge or lobby area. You should, likewise, splurge a bit on decorations such as wall paintings and lamps to create a sense of luxury and aesthetic sensibility that guests appreciate genuinely.
Go digital.
Today’s hospitality business realm is almost exclusively embedded with some forms of technology, particularly digital ones. If you want to future-proof your business and make it more convenient for you and your loyal customers, you should invest in cashless payments, professional social media accounts and website, custom property management software, and modern POS with contactless ordering and payment features.
These modern business tech tools will allow you to streamline your processes, give customers and your staff hassle-free means of processing and completing transactions, and just generally make your business more professional. They may cost you a considerable amount of money to set up, but they will surely work wonders in giving your business the edge it needs over the competing ventures.
Think green.
Among the fastest-growing trends in the hospitality business is the extensive incorporation of green features that appeal to eco-conscious clients. With this in mind, you should gradually allocate a sizable portion of your operating expenses to turn your hotel or restaurant into a green structure.
You should consider investing in a solar power system to complement your power source from the grid, which would lower your monthly power bills and give your establishment plus points in the eco-friendliness department. Additionally, switch to low-consumption lighting solutions such as LEDs and CFLs. You should also invest in a greywater recycling facility and bigger windows that let in as much natural light as possible, so you only have to turn on fewer lights.
There are practically hundreds of possible ways you can make your establishment as green as possible; just do some research and you’ll know which ones will fit your business model perfectly.
Invest in productivity tech.
If the bulk of your customers are business people or creatives who need to stay online while staying inside your hotel or restaurant, then you should invest in some tech tools that allow clients to stay productive outside their workplaces.
Among other things, you should have a fast WiFi connection, complimentary tablet or laptop for onsite use, and other devices that would let your guests stay productive while staying in your facilities.
With these simple improvements, you should find it easy to keep the customers coming in and the cash registers busy.