15 Ideas Hotel Staff Can Do At Christmas to Get Better Reviews
Christmas decor in a hotel lobby
Hotels and resorts truly shine in the Holiday season. Most of the bookings are made by people who are on vacation, visiting their friends or family, or entertaining their children before Santa makes an appearance.
December and November are the months when Holiday cheer is high, and people are looking forward to spending their free time in a comfortable hotel, which means that room for errors is zero. In fact, you should be working extra hard to make sure that your guests have a wonderful experience.
What Makes Guests Feel Special?
How many times have you heard that it’s the thought that counts? When it comes to celebrating holidays, especially Christmas, your hotel staff should be on their best behavior because even the smallest gestures make a huge difference. A guest request that is fulfilled immediately, even if it is for a bottle of chilled water, will earn you great brownie points.
Not just on Christmas but every day, your hotel culture should be all about focusing on the needs and wants of your guests. That’s the key to getting glowing reviews that talk about how spectacular your services are.
So, are you ready to find out what needs to be done to light the Holiday spirit in everyone’s heart and make them praise you?
Here goes:
Idea #1
Have Freshly Baked Cookies in the Lobby
Let’s start with something simple.
Say a guest enters your hotel to book a room. Unfortunately, the line is pretty long due to Christmas, and those waiting for their turn seem to be getting a little annoyed.
So, what do they do? Look here and there at the Christmas décor you have got up. Then, suddenly their eyes fall on the platter of chocolate chip cookies that are inviting them to have a taste. A little sweetness can cure absolutely anything. Even a sour mood.
A sweet start to their luxurious stay is something they will never forget. Yes, a warm welcome with words is heart-touching, but nothing can beat hot cookies!
Idea #2
Make Christmas Cards for Guests
Most hoteliers find it embarrassing to ask for reviews. This is because the request seems too in-your-face. So, a great way to go about this is wishing your guests a Great Holiday… through a Christmas card. Place one of those delicious Swiss chocolates on their pillows and a Christmas greeting card right beside it.
Now comes the part where you ask for reviews. Slip a small note on the card that says, “Let us know how your stay went by leaving us a review on Google.”
To truly entice your guests, give them a January stay special with a discount or another incentive.
Idea #3
Have a List of Christmas Events at the Desk
Are there are any special events that will take place near your hotel or anywhere close to the city? Many guests arrive in hotels a little early and check out late so that they can do sightseeing. This presents you with an excellent opportunity to tell your guests about any events that will happen in the vicinity.
Make sure to provide a detailed events list with complete addresses and directions on how to get there. This will impress the guests who are not familiar with the area.
Maybe even make a deal with a local ticket agency, such as our friends over at Discover Branson, for Christmas-related show tickets. Make it as easy as possible for guests to relax and enjoy their getaway.
Idea #4
Hold a Contest
A contest is a great way to involve all your guests and get more information about them for future references. Make sure that the contest centers on Christmas. Here are a few ideas for the competition:
· Best Christmas Cake: Upload a photo of the cake baked this Christmas.
· Best Room Decoration: Share multiple snaps of the Christmas decoration done in the house.
· Best Dance Routine: Share TikTok made on Christmas songs with family.
· Ugliest Christmas Sweater: Upload pictures of sweaters made by my loving grandmothers and mothers.
Make sure to tell your guests to use your hotel’s hashtag and others that are trending during Christmas.
Idea #5
Update Your Internet Sign-In Page
There are plenty of other ideas, but if you do find yourself stuck, turn digital. This is something that we believe you should do the moment Christmas starts to draw near – update your internet sign-in page.
You don’t need to do anything fancy but simply add a picture and a line or two about a Christmas event. For example, our Branson hotels might highlight the fantastic display of lights called “An Old Time Christmas,” which is done at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. The entire land is adorned in lights, and according to SDC, it becomes “The Most Illuminated Park on Earth.”
There are a few other events that you can add to your sign-in page in the form of a slideshow. These include:
· America’s Christmas Tree City Tour
· Branson Christmas Parades
· The Polar Express Train Ride
· Live Reindeer at Promised Land Zoo
· Christmas on the Showboat Branson Belle
· Winter Wonderlanding at Branson Landing
· Gingerbread Houses at Chateau on the Lake
· Branson Ferris Wheel and It’s “Electric Christmas” Light Display
The purpose of this update is to show the guests how involved you are with Christmas events and that if they have any queries, they can come to your hotel staff.
Idea #6
Offer a Present
Raise your hand if you love presents?
No matter how small or big, presents are a pleasant way to bring a smile to your guests’ faces. However, you can’t hand out presents just like that. You need to make sure that you are getting something in return.
Here’s how you can go about this:
When customers visit your website, treat them to a Christmas pop-up discount that promises $5 to $10 off on their bill if they sign-up for your mailing list. You can give away other things too, such as complimentary breakfast or upgraded coffee service throughout their stay.
Idea #7
Offer Extra Amenities Free of Charge
The idea behind providing amenities to guests is to offer them value. Usually, free Wi-Fi and breakfast are available at every hotel. However, there are a few other things you can do. For example, just for the Christmas season, introduce a mini-fridge with drinks and chocolates in the VIP room or maybe some hot chocolate that will work with the in-room coffee maker. Remember, this will be free of charge.
In order to implement this idea, you will have to take a look at your hotel’s financial statement to see if you can afford this type of investment or not. In the lower-rate rooms, maybe you place candy canes on the nightstand.
We do understand that this can run your cost a little high, so if you can’t afford this for the entire season, you can perhaps introduce this just on New Year’s Eve.
Idea #8
Decorate the Lobby
Decorating your hotel lobby is a must! In fact, your décor should give off a homey yet magical feel. The center of attention should be your Christmas tree placed near the entrance where everyone can see it.
Wrap empty boxes and place them under the tree and if you have an extra staff member on hand, dress him up as Santa. Don’t forget to keep diffusers everywhere to fill the rooms and lobby with the smell of holidays.
If your budget permits, place a small, faux tree in every room that is decorated with a few baubles. Here are a few more ideas on how to decorate the lobby:
· Elevate the interior with live décor
· Add pops of colors with wreaths
· Match the décor with the hotel’s color palette
· Use holiday lights
· Decorate the ceiling
Idea #9
Arrange Presents for the Kids
You don’t need to go all out with the presents. Families staying with you who have children under 12 years old can be cheered with coloring books and crayons. For older kids, you can wrap up candy canes, small trinkets such as a key chain or a comic book LEGO and for those staying in the VIP room, a Christmas globe will light them up.
Idea #10
Buy the Staff Christmas Hats to Wear
If your hotel is in Christmas cheer, so should be your staff. Not that we are saying that they should all be roaming in a Santa suit, but a reindeer hat would go a long way in making your guests feel the Christmas spirit. In fact, if the staff sees children getting excited over the horns on their head, instruct them to hand them a paper reindeer hat too.
Idea #11
Send Out a Christmas Special to the Mailing List
The pop-up on your sign-up page will get you plenty of emails to create multiple mailing lists. If any of these guests have stayed with you more than once, now’s your chance to show them how much you care about them. Pick a few guests at random who took part in the contest or were pleasant to your staff and include them in the mailing list too.
With your special mailing list now ready, send all the recipients an email that offers them a better deal than one made by OTAs if they stay loyal. This will make them keep coming to you and allow you to build a personal relationship with them that will help you in catering to their every need. As a result, they are bound to leave you a review every time they stay with you.
Idea #12
Change Your Wi-Fi Name
This one is quite simple and will hardly take a minute to implement – change your Wi-Fi name to Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays for December. In fact, implement this strategy at every big event.
Idea #13
Bring in Christmas Branding
Just like Starbucks gets into the holiday spirit every year, so should you. An easy and cheap way to do this is to give coffee and tea at the breakfast buffet in holiday-themed mugs. You can incorporate this into food too by making deserts with white, red, and green cream.
Idea #14
ON-HOLD AND IN-LOBBY CHRISTMAS MUSIC
A Christmas song can get you in the holiday spirit or take you back to days gone by. Maybe you hear a tune play that reminds you of shopping with your mom or listening to Christmas songs as you had your family dinner.
The hotel must appeal to your guest’s sight, hearing, and smell and make them feel like they are at home. If a guest has to wait a minute in line to check, but they are busy looking at the tree and hearing Here Comes Santa Clause playing in the background will make the wait seem like it took no time. Families with kids will have a much lower stress level as the kids are taken in by singing along.
If the desk is busy and your guest gets put on hold for a moment but has a lovely Christmas song to listen to instead of that boring elevator music, imagine how a longer wait will just melt away into a trip down memory lane. It might make a minute seem like a couple of seconds, and that will make both the guest and front desk staff happy.
Idea #15
Stream Christmas Movies IN THE LOBBY
The Polar Express, Home Alone, and Klaus are some of the Christmas classics that everyone loves. Why not stream them on a television in the lobby during the holiday season? Imagine a family walking into your lobby after a long car ride and the kids camp out in front of the TV for a moment while the family checks in.
The sight of Kevin trying to outsmart the Christmas bandits will make them laugh and have a great time. Maybe while they eat a freshly baked cookie (remember Idea #1) and wait patiently for the guest room keys.
There are plenty of other ideas that you can use to make your guests feel special. Anyone staying at a hotel expects to receive stellar service and during the Christmas season, the expectations get higher. So, tell your hotel staff to brush up on their welcoming skills and be in the holiday spirit to satisfy every guest.
They say, “The customer is always right.” In the hospitality industry, we say, “The guests get what the guests want.” Stick to this mantra, and you will see your hotel booking soar and the review pages filled with talk about how fantastic your services are.
Visit the website Motion VOIP to find out how we can help you make your hotel stand out from the competition.