Christmas and Covid. Wow. Such an unusual time for the global hospitality industry. But we’re here to spread the Christmas cheer and remind you of that common adage, “Unusual times call for unusual measures“. While travellers research where to spend Christmas in Europe, there are still many things you can do now to secure more bookings.
We’ve a downloadable 2020 Christmas Checklist for Hotels below. Ensure your hotel is doing everything it can to get Christmas travellers this year.
Corona news: The situation for hotels
The borders between European countries remain open at this time, meaning travel is possible. This should give the hospitality industry hope that there will be December 2020 holiday travellers.
Note that regulations differ among countries. Encourage potential guests to visit the European Union’s Reopen Europe page. They can search by country and find information regarding the country’s health situation, coronavirus measures, and travel.
Communicate to guests that you’re up-to-date with the latest corona news. Be proactive in answering guests’ inquiries regarding the coronavirus situation in the country of your hotel or business. It will pay off!
How hotels can attract tourists this Christmas season
As much of the world is reduced to home office, potential guests have more time to research online and compare among hotels. Make sure your hotel(s) tick all of these boxes when they search where to spend Christmas in Europe.
Measures against Coronavirus
To ensure health and safety in hotels, hotels must have clearly defined measures against COVID-19 for staff and guests alike. Likely your hotel is already doing most of these, but peruse the list anyway to see if there’s anything your hotel can do even better.
Covid-19 safety measures:
- Make check-in & check-out contactless. (If you’re not in the Contactless Era for Hotels)
- Remind guests to practice social distancing. Put up multiple signs to remind guests to keep a distance of 1.5 meters.
- Remove or rearrange furniture in the lobby & general areas to ensure safe distances.
- Put hand sanitiser stations around the hotel.
- Provide contact-free transactions around the hotel.
- Offer disinfecting wipes & sanitary gel in each room for guests.
- Enforce a mask policy. Remind guests to wear them in public areas & ensure your staff does.
Flexible Cancellation Policy
We know this one was previously tricky. But given the uncertainty that’s been ushered in this year, we strongly suggest that you offer your guests a reasonable cancellation period for the December 2020 holidays.
For non-cancellable reservations, consider allowing guests to change to a later date for no additional fees. You can always readjust this policy in the coming months when the global situation improves.
Bottom line: Make sure you’re the flexible option when travellers research where to spend Christmas in Europe.
Last-minute best Christmas holiday deals
Don’t underestimate the power of a discount during a spontaneous decision. We believe many people will make last-minute travel decisions. Your hospitality business’ best Christmas holiday deals could be a part of their decisions.
Consider using the following best Christmas holiday deals:
- Free room upgrade
- Free Christmas breakfast
- A certain discount Christmas code
- Partnering with a tourist attraction nearby for a holiday package
Showcase your new measures
After implementing these new measures for the holiday season, communicate them so potential guests know you’ve taken all things coronavirus-related into account.
Provide COVID-19 related information on your website
First of all, make sure you have a COVID-19 statement on your website. This statement should share with guests how your hotel has deftly adapted to the current situation and what it’s doing to ensure their safety and enjoyment this Christmas season.
For an example and a checklist of what to include in your statement, download our The 2020 Christmas Checklist for Hotels below.
Secondly, offer guests local updates and COVID-19 restrictions. If you don’t have the capacity to constantly update your hotel with the latest corona news and travel updates about where to spend Christmas in Europe, at least point guests in the right direction on your website. For instance, guests could find this helpful:
“To see restrictions in a specific location, we recommend you look at the European Union’s Reopen Europe website.”
Make sure to include a link so guests can easily check the sources you provide.
Display positive health-related feedback
If you don’t already, consider automating guest feedback by emailing questionnaires to them throughout the guest journey. Hotel VoC: The key to guest satisfaction is voice of the customer is a great source for those hotels who’ve yet to automate the collecting and analysing of guest feedback.
Now for those hotels who do have a Voice of the Customer solution. We recommend this addition: ask guests Covid-related questions in your questionnaires. We’ve provided an example one for you here.
And lastly, don’t forget! You can encourage guests in your automated email review invitations to mention how your hotel managed its COVID-19 standards.
So when guests are directed to leave reviews on major review portals like TripAdvisor or Google, potential guests will read recent reviews (hopefully) saying what a wonderful job your hotel did of taking action against corona.
Fresh reviews showcasing how your most recent guests felt taken care of by your hotel staff can go farther to sell your hotel than you think!
Engage with guests on all channels
Utilise social media, videos and/or mobile-friendly emails to inform loyal guests about your Christmas offers and measures against COVID-19
For example, write a personalised email to guests combining all the information you’ve already gathered for your website regarding corona. You can provide them with your hygiene checklist, an assuring statement from top management, a list of Christmas offers and a message about your hotel’s commitment to their safety amidst COVID-19.
Download: The 2020 Christmas Checklist for Hotels
We know COVID-19 is something we will all overcome. Until then, remain strong and keep evolving. We’re rooting for you! We hope you found the above information helpful and believe you should let the world know how you’ve actively worked to adapt your hotel to your guests’ needs during the pandemic.
In light of this (and as a little Christmas gift to you), we’ve created a helpful 2020 Christmas Checklist for Hotels.
It includes tips for your:
- Website
- Communication team
- Housekeeping and staff
- The hotel’s premises
- A hygiene checklist you can share with guests
- An example COVID-19 statement
Simply fill out the form below to download the checklist.
If you’d like help making your front desk contactless or assistance automating questionnaires and generating reviews to publish online, schedule a call with us! We’d be happy to show you how we can tailor our voice of the customer solution to suit your hotel’s needs.
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