Surely during a trip you have considered the possibility of upgrading your stay, either because you are traveling by car and need to request the parking service, or because you want a room upgrade, or even if you have seen that the hotel has a spa and you think it is a good idea to relax at any time.
Upselling, also known as “suggestive selling” has become one of the most powerful and widely used tools in the hotel industry, improving the customer experience and increasing revenue per room.
Nowadays, the guest experience is considered the driving force that attracts travelers to make a reservation, enhance their stay and convince them to return. However, there is an upward trend: customers’ expectations are increasing and they are looking for their experience to be as personalized as possible, regardless of the cost, and therefore value the possibility of obtaining extra services.
In this article you will find 8 examples of upselling for a hotel that will exponentially increase your profits and get the best reviews from your guests.
The 8 examples of upselling for hotels you may know
1. Early check-in y/o late check-out services
It is very common for guests to arrive before time and want to find their room ready so they can leave their luggage, wash up and leave the hotel in order to make the most of their trip from the first minute.
In these cases it is optimal to offer them a supplement so they can enjoy early check-in and have their room clean for the arrival. In addition, the client will thank you for giving them the option to better organize their stay.
The same applies to late check-out, when the guest wishes to spend more time in his room before departure.
2. Room upgrade
After booking a room, some customers choose to upgrade their booking by paying a small supplement. This action favors customer loyalty and the perception that they are enjoying something better for less.
3. Minibar services
The minibar service is essential if you want to offer an optimal experience to your guest. The client will appreciate having the basics and necessities in their room and not having to worry about it. If you provide them with premium products such as bottles of wine, you will exceed their expectations.
4. Parking service or arrival and departure transfers
Offering a parking service can be a distinctive feature for the customer who travels or rents a car when choosing accommodation. It will not be inconvenient to pay extra for this service.
In case your client does not have or has not rented a car, you can offer them the purchase of the pick-up and drop-off service at the check-in stage. In this case, they will appreciate the offered con1ford avoiding them taking another type of transportation.
5. Room service
Every guest likes to arrive at their room and find a bottle of champagne with strawberries and chocolates, as is the case of the amenities, or even customize some qualities of the room to make their stay more pleasant and to their liking.
Some of the services best valued by guests are the provision of a full bathroom, with gels, moisturizing milks, toothbrushes and toothpastes, large towels, or free coffee capsule machines, pillow service and even chromecast or smart TV services.
6. Loyalty programs and memberships
Implement loyalty programs that offer exclusive benefits to returning customers, such as discounts on future stays, access to special events or memberships that provide additional privileges.
7. Experience purchase
One of the most common practices in vacation destinations is the purchase of activities and experiences by partners, which can be booked before the client’s arrival or during their stay. This is the case of sports activities, excursions, gastronomic experiences, and a long etcetera.
Another upselling case would be to offer activities that can be realized in your property. If you have the resources, like a wine cellar for tasting or a large natural space to offer yoga classes, your guest will be delighted.
8. Package purchase
Similar to the previous section but offering a set of products or services in a closed package and at a certain price. Packages should always consist of services that complement each other making sense, such as spa and massage services.
Creating experience packages can be a strategy to implement a new activity that you want to promote or increase the purchase of a service that may not be sold separately.
Now, you can implement these upselling examples in your hotel. You will be able to generate more revenue per room and offer a perfect and totally personalized experience to your guests.
The best strategies of upselling for hotels
Suggestive selling techniques have a great advantage. You can use them at any moment of the guest journey, before the arrival of your guest, during their stay at the hotel or even after leaving. In other words, they can be adapted to each specific case, but there are some strategies to consider that will make your upselling even more effective.
1. Know you guest
If you personalize the sale, the guest will perceive it as a unique offer and will understand that you care about their well-being. You will create a climate of closeness and improve their satisfaction.
2. Find the best opportunity to promote the offer
Analyze each of your offers and decide when they are most appropriate. Anticipate the needs of your customers and detect each of the opportunities.
3. Offer a range of available options
Don’t limit guests. Offer them several products and services at different prices so they can choose the one that suits them best.
4. Take advantage of visual resources to make more attractive offers
Images are very useful tools to capture the customer’s attention, so don’t forget to include them in your offer.
5. Use automated solutions to facilitate upselling
Simplify the reception using a software integrated to your PMS that allows you to schedule and launch offers to the customer.
Civitfun’s Upselling not only automates the upselling process, but also allows you to offer a superior stay to your guests, improve reviews and increase your RevPar.
This solution is available during online check-in or independently so you can customize the offer to your customer’s needs.
We hope these examples of upselling for hotels will help you to offer a quality stay to your guests and to increase the valuation of your property.
