Freshers’ week is fast approaching, to help you navigate this busy period and make sure you’re getting the most out of your Zonal system, we’ve created 6 top tips all aimed at helping you achieve their business goals, and ensure everything in-venue runs as smoothly as possible:

1. Student Loyalty Programmes

Loyalty platforms help to encourage repeat customers, while also collecting data to promote new products, promotions and even venues. Multiple loyalty programmes can be created within our platform to benefit students. More importantly, loyalty programmes help to drive sales and footfall into venues. Each programme can be configured with different offers and rules providing a tailored approach to each target audience.

Actions and Rewards can be set up to work across the whole estate, alternatively, they can be limited to specific sites within the university areas as well as helping to drive sales towards an area of the business that might be struggling.

Multiple tiers can be set up to target specific societies within a university. By offering unique loyalty programmes and rewards to a society, this can help target specific days when they train or gather, and in return help drive trade for quieter periods.

An attractive sign-up offer can go a long way to a successful launch of a loyalty programmes. This can either be a free item for registration or additional currency/points being collected and redeemed per purchase. Points and Currency rewards can be delayed to the following day after sign-up. Aswell as delaying the reward, an expiry can be set. This helps target return footfall and spend in a short period.

Points for spend schemes are a fantastic way to encourage and promote spending in venue. Points accrued can be then exchanged for items or converted into currency to spend, providing students with something tangible to aim for. Double point offers can also be applied to specific sites at specific times to help drive sales during quieter times.

Due to the nature of the sales being very term time led, this can lead to items perishing resulting in increased waste. If there are specific items that are going out of date after the term, rewards can be created to increase interest and help these items sell.

2. Staff Programmes

The hospitality sector can be prone to high staff turnover, city and university-based venues that typically hire students will no doubt be used to this. Introducing a staff loyalty programme can help retain staff as well prevent the abuse of staff discounts.

All staff discounts can be hidden from a till user, and only be allocated to a bill when a staff loyalty card is scanned. Staff loyalty schemes encourage their spending to be done within the estate rather than with competitors. Loyalty rewards such a buy 5 coffee and get a 6^th coffee free can help to encourage this.

3. Voucher Manager 

Loyalty Programmes rely on students signing up to receive rewards or discount. However, Voucher Manager can provide an alternative solution to encourage students into your venues over a competitor.

Social media campaigns can contain a voucher code with a discount or promotion. This code created via our Voucher Manager solution and can be used by multiple customers. To redeem this, staff simply need to scan the code at the POS to apply the discount or promotional offer, removing any reliance on emails or sign up. Voucher Codes can also be printed on flyers and posters and distributed to students. Using the redemption data, code groups and folders, these vouchers are easily trackable, this can help you to identify which distribution method works best for your customer demographic, helping you to identify and utilise your optimal marketing channels.

Voucher Manager can also integrate into a CRM platform, enabling you to distribute unique codes to existing customers within the database. This will provide a unique identity on redemption and therefore improve your understanding of your customers spending habits. Within Voucher Manager, restrictions can be made on redemption date and time. For example, 2-4-1 cocktails before 9pm on Friday, helping to ensure maximum spend and increased venue during those busier periods.

As well as creating codes, Voucher Manager can be loaded with pre-defined codes with the discount or promotion assigned to them. An example of this is to upload Student IDs into Voucher Manager and configure a 10% off discount to these IDs codes. The student can then simply provide the site with their unique ID and receive their discounts, depending on your offer the discount can then be configured to be a one-off usage or allow for multiple redemptions.

5. Event Pricing  

Event Pricing in Zonal’s EPoS allows POS users to change the pricing of products. This is typically used to increase prices during busy periods, for example a Freshers Event or after a specified time. Overall, helping to maximise profit during your busiest periods.

6. App &  Web Ordering 

Students are a perfect demographic for Order & Pay, Click & Collect or Pay My Bill. These ordering channels help free up staff time and assist with operational processes in venue. It is also possible for customers to redeem loyalty points, vouchers, discounts & promotions within our Web Ordering platform and on our White Label App.

Get in touch today and our team of hospitality technology experts will be happy to talk you through what’s possible. 

In an era where hospitality standards define visitor experiences, the importance of ensuring quality standards is paramount. As a result, the free Visitor Ready Digital Accreditation Scheme was born – an essential benchmark for excellence that aims to elevate hospitality standards to new heights.

The scheme empowers UK hospitality businesses to demonstrate their commitment to operating safely within current industry standards and legislation. What’s more, it’s more than just a compliance tool, it equips establishments with the knowledge to meet today’s expectations for safety and cleanliness.

Understanding the Visitor Ready Digital Accreditation Scheme

With consumers becoming more selective over where they choose to visit, demonstrating a commitment to safety, ethical practices, and cleanliness has become essential for businesses in the industry. In response, the Visitor Ready Digital Accreditation Scheme was launched. This initiative, introduced in February 2024, offers hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and transportation services a free and pioneering opportunity to elevate the visitor experience within the hospitality sector.

The scheme stems from the modernisation and simplification of quality assessment frameworks previously utilised by the AA and VisitEngland. By making compliance accessible to all businesses in hospitality, it aims to ensure that establishments meet and exceed current industry standards. This strategic initiative not only boosts confidence among visitors but also supports businesses in maintaining high operational standards and fostering trust within their communities.

Purpose of the Scheme

• Safety and compliance. Ensures businesses operate safely within legal and industry standards.
• Visitor Expectations. Helps businesses understand and meet the evolving expectations of today’s selective visitors.
• Ethical Practices: Promotes ethical business practices, enhancing trust and reputation.
• Accessibility: Simplifies the accreditation process, making it accessible to all hospitality businesses.

Implementation and Accessibility

• Scope: The scheme is open to all businesses operating in the hospitality, leisure, and tourism sectors.
• Free Access. It’s a pioneering initiative that is free to participate in, ensuring broad accessibility across the hospitality industry.
• Quality Assurance. AA and VisitEngland’s baseline quality accreditation scheme is free and accessible to all.

Benefits for Hotels

• Enhanced Reputation. Demonstrates a commitment to high standards, boosting trust among guests.
• Operational Guidance. Provides clear guidelines on safety, cleanliness, and service excellence.
• Competitive Edge. Differentiates accredited businesses in a competitive market, attracting fastidious guests.
• Industry Alignment. Aligns with current industry trends and guest preferences, ensuring relevance and appeal.

Benefits for Guests

• Assured Standards: Guests can trust accredited establishments to meet stringent safety and cleanliness criteria.
• Confidence: Provides peace of mind through transparent compliance with industry standards.
• Consistency: Ensures consistent quality across various hotel services, enhancing overall guest satisfaction.

The Visitor Ready Digital Accreditation Scheme marks a significant step forward in ensuring excellence within the UK hospitality sector.

By embracing accreditation, hoteliers not only meet regulatory requirements but also cater to the expectations of today’s informed and more selective guests.

As the scheme continues to evolve and expand, it promises to set a new standard for hospitality excellence, fostering trust, satisfaction, and growth across the industry.

With the Summer season here and, demand for outside spaces at a premium, your mobile app is a great way for customers to order more food and drink without leaving their precious sunny seats!

To help you navigate this busy period smoothly, and make sure you’re getting the most out of your app, we’ve outlined ten features you could be missing out on if it’s not kept up-to-date.

Why update the app?

To benefit from the best new features of our White Label App, it’s important that we have the ability to automatically update your app to the most up-to-date version. For the app to be automatically updated, certain requirements must be met.

Some of these requirements may have already been completed during the build of the app, but others need to be renewed or reviewed periodically due to Apple or Google policy changes. These include:

Apple admin access: Zonal require admin access to the developer account to build and publish the app.

Apple agreement: Apple periodically update their terms and conditions and these need to be accepted in the Apple Developer Account.

Google admin: Zonal require admin access to the Developer Account to build and publish the app.

Google API key: This is required to have the app deployed successfully to the Google Play Store.

Licensed fonts: Only licenced Google fonts may be used in the app design. Any unlicensed fonts may result in the app being removed from app stores.

Privacy policy: The privacy policy is displayed in app stores and must be a URL.

*Without having all of these up to date and correct, you may be at risk of your app being taken down.

What new features could you miss out on if you don’t keep your app up to date?

1. Menu layout changes

You can now choose from three menu layouts, to best suit your personal branding and display available menus to your guests.

Banner - Provide the same visual priority and prominence to all menus.
Hero – Promote the first menu (for example a daily special menu or core offering).
Grid - Increase the number of visible menus displayed without scrolling.

2. iZone Gift Card redemption

iZone gift card balances can now be redeemed for Order & Pay, Click & Collect and Delivery to Location purchases. Reducing the need for staff to redeem through the POS and speeding up the payment process for the guest.

3. In-line basket tipping

With the changes in legislation set to land in 2024, there is a surge in platforms dedicated to capturing and distributing tips. With this feature, tips can be added directly from the checkout screen with pre-set percentages of 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% or a custom tip value. Having this feature not only makes it clearer and more visible, but it also brings in more tips!

4. Discretionary and mandatory service charges

Service charge can now automatically apply to any orders made and customers can have the option to remove it. A reason for the service charge can also be added.

5. Unified ordering

Want a seamless guest experience between ordering via your website and ordering via your app? Unified Ordering will allow for a single URL/QR code to be used on a table that, when scanned, will open either your app or Web Ordering via your website, depending on what the guest has installed on their device.

Deep linking also allows a QR code scan to take a guest to the site, order mode or table number, making the customer journey quicker and more convenient.

6. Guest checkout

Quick lunch? Speed up the ordering process for your guests. Guest checkout allows customers to place orders without the need to sign up or sign into an account, and still receive an emailed receipt.

7. Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal

Apple or Android? Guests can pay their way with Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal all supported.

8. Enhanced upsell groups

Further increase average spend per transaction through the use of Enhanced Upsell Groups, without slowing down the speed of service on the POS.

This gives venues the opportunity to upsell items and recommend products when guests are using an app or web ordering. It can drive awareness of promotional activity as well as allowing businesses to build their ordering workflows in the way they want, giving it the personal touch.

9. Delivery to location

Hotel, holiday park or theatre? Delivery to location is a new ordering mode which makes it easy for customers to order to their location, whether it be their room, seat or lodge!

10. Allergen handling

The mobile app has a pop-up prompt asking the guest if there are any allergens in their party. Click ‘yes’ and they are directed to speak to a member of staff to follow your company allergen procedures.

For help with implementing any of the above or for further information, please get in touch with the Customer Success Team and we will be happy to help!

Booking systems have become an essential requirement for running pubs, restaurants, and bars, but if it’s not something you heavily rely on, when it comes to maintenance, it’s also an area that often gets forgotten.

Outside of work, I’m part of a management committee for a community owned pub in North Wales, and it was one of the first things I set out to install and promote the importance of.

The site only has a 34-seater dining area, and we’ve historically been much more wet-led, with a lot of regular drinkers. However, after implementing table bookings, we saw an immediate uptake in online bookings, bringing in between 20-30 covers every day that we are open for food. This has helped hugely with the planning of bar and kitchen rotas, as well as stock ordering.

3 main reasons to implement a booking system:

When deciding whether to implement a booking system, there are three key areas worth considering, which also serve as important reminders for those who have already adopted a system:

1. Improving your customer experience

Convenience: Customers can easily make reservations online, at any time of day, reducing the to call. This not only allows the customer to do this at a time convenient to them, but it can also reduce the staffing levels needed at site.

We saw that over 72% of those who had booked online had made those bookings at times when the pub was not open – when no one was on site to pick up the phone.

Reducing wait times: By managing reservations effectively, the system can minimise wait times, improving the overall dining experiences.

2. Improving operational efficiency

Better table management: A booking system helps optimise table assignments and turnover rates, ensuring that tables are used effectively. Having a two-way integration between your POS and booking system means you have real-time awareness of what stage a guest is at in their visit.

Before we had a booking system at our community-owned pub, we had a pen and paper diary, so we were much more reserved when trying to plan table arrangements and assignments. It even stopped us taking bookings with confidence.

Staff management: Having systems in place can assist with better forecasting of busy periods, aiding in appropriate staff scheduling and resource allocation.

3. Enhancing data collection and marketing

Customer insights: Booking systems collect data on customer behaviour and preferences, which allow for measurements in trends and demand. Knowing what your online guests are wanting to make a booking for can help the operator make decisions on layouts, floor plans and menu builds.

Targeted promotions: Once you have a booking platform in place, you can link the data collected from the system into CRM and loyalty platforms to take your marketing activity to the next level. Loyalty programmes bring increased customer retention, engagement and revenue when able to adopt more direct and relevant marketing.

Introducing the Zonal Bookings Health Check

To help our customers get more out of their booking system, the Customer Success team at Zonal have implemented a “Bookings Health Check” for those who use the Zonal Bookings suite.

Who is it aimed at?

Our aim is to reach any Zonal customer who may need more support or who doesn’t have a big head office team behind them.

What to expect during the Health Check

The review is broken down into 3 areas. You’ll be able to choose from one of the 3 to be reviewed. These are: Pre-order, Capacity Management and Booking Journeys.

Once the review has been completed, you’ll be supplied with a document outlining any suggested changes that can be made, or an offer of support to discuss 1-2-1 over a Teams call – making sure you’re getting the most out of Zonal Bookings.

How to request a Bookings Health Check

If you’re interested in taking part in a Bookings Health Check, simply click here to complete the online application form.

Your request will be sent direct to the Customer Success team, and you’ll receive a notification from them to say that your review is underway or being scheduled.

To discover more about Zonal Bookings, visit  zonal.co.uk/bookings

In a cost-of-living crisis, consumers want their pounds and pennies to work hard for them, and so expectations are raised when it comes to going out for a drink or a meal. We wanted to find out what the top frustrations are for consumers when it comes to hospitality visits, to help our customers identify the issues and work out how to solve them – or prevent them from happening in the first place.

Our most recent GO Technology survey in partnership with CGA by NIQ, found that, when asked what the top five bugbears are, the following reasons came out on top:

1. A long wait for food and drink (91%)
2. Hot food served cold (91%)
3. Broken promises on a special deal/loyalty discount (88%)
4. Food served at different times (87%)
5. Waiting for their table to become available (86%)

The good news is that there are many ways tech can help operators tackle these issues and other common issues – read on to find out more…

Implement a range of digital ordering and payment methods

Waiting a long time for food and drink to arrive is one of consumers’ biggest bug bears but using tech to bring ordering and payment to customers is a great, simple solution to combat this frustration.

Providing the option for customers to order via an app online. or having handheld ordering devices for staff to take customer orders on, can help speed up service and make your operations much more efficient. Not only do these alternative ordering methods remove the need for customers to wait to be served in the case of apps or online ordering, but staff are not required to walk back to the main POS to re-key order information in,  which saves time and reduces the risk of mistakes being made.

Leverage digital kitchen management tools

Having a digital kitchen management system helps streamline processes for front- and back-of-house staff which will result in a better experience for the customer – and reduce the risk of hot food turning up cold or food being served at different times.

With kitchen management systems like Zonal’s Kitchen iQ, every order is automatically passed through to the kitchen for fulfilment and electronically displayed on a screen, showing each member of the team what to work on and what their next task will be. The order status is also available to front-of-house staff, allowing them to update customers if necessary. Tracking and managing orders in this way can also help teams manage their workload, as well as reduce and even avoid bottlenecks. For businesses with multiple sales channels, such as delivery or click and collect, kitchen management tech can also provide kitchen staff with complete sight of which channels an order has come from to ensure they pick up orders at the right time.

With a streamlined back-of-house, you’ll also be improving speed of service, enabling you to turn tables faster.

Prioritise digital loyalty schemes

We know that consumers don’t want promises broken, especially if it involves promotions, offers and rewards they believe they are entitled to. With 88% of people finding missing out on these frustrating, adopting a digital loyalty scheme which makes it easier for customers to accrue and use points and rewards, and  for staff to process reward redemptions, will be a great way of avoiding this issue.

With a digital loyalty scheme in place, operators can also make sure that they are targeting their customer-base with rewards and offers that are likely to resonate with them, encouraging them to visit and increase spend per head. When integrated with other tech in the business, operators can combine their loyalty data with  data from across the wider business, to build a better understanding of what they spend their money on, and then create tailored rewards based on this to further drive their loyalty scheme’s effectiveness.

Remove wait times for customers with table management tech

Having a table management system linked to online bookings empowers operators to better manage table covers throughout service. The right system should allow operators full control of their covers, showing a table’s in-session meal stages to manage waiting lists and walk-ins, as well as which will be the next available table based on group size.

The tech can even arm operators with valuable insight such as average table turn times depending on group sizes – helping them to remove some of the guesswork during planning so that customers are never left waiting for their table to become free. In the event that they are left waiting, it provides operators a chance to fix this by communicating when exactly their table will become free or offering them a complimentary drink whilst they wait.

What’s more, this tech can also provide the opportunity for operators to open-up tables for rebooking at the earliest opportunity to ensure tables aren’t sat empty for long.

With loyalty schemes becoming increasingly popular amongst cost-conscious customers prioritising value and reliable experiences, we’re committed to helping you maximise the benefits of your Zonal Loyalty programmes.

In this article, we take you through five ways your current Zonal Loyalty programmes can be linked to our wider connected ecosystem to help make Loyalty sign-up and redemption a breeze for both guests and staff alike.

1. Receive real-time, automatic reward conversions with Aztec POS

The integration between Loyalty and Aztec allows for real-time, automatic reward conversion. Customers can redeem rewards by scanning a QR code or entering their number, making the process quick and efficient. This integration is particularly useful during busy times, ensuring smooth transactions. If you have adopted iServe, you can also scan QR codes using the camera to add to an order.

Discover more about Aztec POS >>

2. Offer automated, segmented rewards via Airship

For those using our hospitality CRM, Airship, our integration with Loyalty offers advanced segmented rewards. Airship can automatically trigger emails based on loyalty points accrued, birthdays and registration, encouraging members to check their accounts for new rewards. Dynamic fields in emails include loyalty card numbers, making it easy for members to access their rewards. Additionally, Airship can alert members to expiring points or offers, driving them to visit your venue.

Discover more about Airship >>

3. Link customer loyalty cards and accounts to reservations in Zonal Bookings

Integrating Loyalty with our reservations and table management platform, Zonal Bookings, enables your customers’ loyalty cards and accounts to be automatically linked to their bookings, eliminating the need to scan cards or QR codes at the till. A heart symbol will appear next to their booking in the Tables Host platform, and the customer’s loyalty card details will pull through to the POS, allowing for easy application of discounts. You can also reward customers for making and completing reservations, such as a reward for their next visit or even on a specific number of reservations, enhancing their experience and encouraging them to visit again.

*Table Management is required for this integration.

Discover more about Bookings >>

4. Automatic enrolment for customers with Zonal’s bespoke mobile app

If you’re already using our White Label App and have your loyalty sign-up journey included, you can set up auto enrolment. This means that anyone who signs up to the app will automatically be signed up for Loyalty too. This is done within the settings in iOrder, allowing for a shorter customer journey, instead of having to sign up for both the App and Loyalty.

Within the White Label App the customer will be able to see a QR code for their Loyalty card along with all their rewards. Using the Order & Pay journey customers can earn their points or currency as well as having the ability to redeem some of the rewards.

Discover more about Zonal’s bespoke app >>

5. Reward overnight guests by linking your Zonal Loyalty platform with Zonal’s PMS

If your business offers accommodation, Zonal’s PMS integration enables you to reward residential guests through Zonal Loyalty. Guests can earn points or currency based on their accommodation costs and can spend this currency on accommodation transactions. Loyalty card numbers can be added during the booking or check-in process, and guests can earn points on food and beverage transactions using post-to-room functionality and swiping/scanning their card or QR code for each transaction.

Discover more about Zonal’s PMS >>

We hope you find these tips helpful. If you have any questions or need further assistance in enhancing your Loyalty programme, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

A Monumental Shift for Hoteliers … if they act fast! Booking.com is designated by the European Union as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act.

EU Recognises Booking.com as Gatekeeper

Monday, 13th May marked a significant milestone for the hospitality industry as the European Union designated Booking.com, a prominent Online Travel Agency (OTA), as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. This highly anticipated decision empowers hotels to take back control over their pricing strategies, placing them firmly in command of their product offerings.

The designation’s noteworthy implication lies in the elimination of rate parity clauses, granting hotels the freedom to introduce promotions and offer lower rates on their own websites in contrast to OTA platforms. This double opportunity now stands as a significant boon for forward-thinking hoteliers, empowering them to fortify their direct online bookings and diminish reliance on OTA channels.

With this newfound autonomy, hotels can optimise their earnings by reducing dependence on OTA commissions and, equally importantly, ensure the delivery of unmatched guest experiences. Moreover, by leveraging direct bookings to their fullest extent, hotels can tap into invaluable data insights. These insights facilitate personalised interactions with guests at every stage, enhancing service quality, and solidifying brand identity throughout the booking process.

Looking ahead, the European Commission will closely monitor adherence with these DMA obligations, with potential fines for non-compliance. Additionally, ongoing discussions with relevant stakeholders aim to ensure further fair and competitive markets in the digital sector.

“The European Commission’s decision ensures greater choice for consumers and opens up new business opportunities for hotels,” stated Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President responsible for competition policy.”

This pivotal decision presents astute hoteliers with a significant opportunity to thrive in the digital landscape. This window of time, more so than ever, underscores the critical importance of investing in your hotel’s technology. It goes beyond merely cutting commissions; it’s about reclaiming ownership of the entire guest experience, from booking to post-stay communication – and revisiting.

But, move with purpose Hoteliers.

Consider the case of France, whose ban on rate parity in 2014 was hailed as a liberation from OTA dominance, the below is from a 2015 article:

“It is a real revolution that is underway for the French hotel industry and for our customers, after the decision of the Competition Authority, this vote will contribute to the establishment of a renovated contractual framework to restore conditions of a commercial relationship based on trust between hotels and booking sites in the interest of the consumer.”

However, almost a decade later, Booking Holdings didn’t just maintain its market share; it quadrupled it.

Why?

France hosts a significant number of independent hotels, particularly in the one to four-star segment, comprising roughly 83% of the country’s hotel landscape. These independent establishments frequently prioritise other operational aspects over investments in technology. Could this continued neglect and insufficient investment in booking technology and digital marketing now be revealing themselves as a costly oversight?

Hoteliers, seize this pivotal moment. Investing in your hotel’s tech stack is even more financially compelling than you realise, and one seamless guest experience … often ensures another.

AKA: Mastering the Art of Booking Aggregators vs Direct Bookings. Despite the popularity of third-party booking sites and online travel agencies (OTAs), there is still an appetite amongst consumers to book directly with the hotel.

Hotel visitors and holidaymakers are more mobile and online savvy today than ever before. Indeed, from our research we know, 37% of people are now using third-party online booking sites to book their accommodation, highlighting the increased demand for this type of booking platform.

However, despite the popularity of third-party booking sites and online travel agencies (OTAs), there is still an appetite amongst consumers to book directly with the hotel. In fact, three in five people who have visited a hotel in the past six months prefer to book via a hotel’s website directly.

This begs the question: how do hoteliers maximise the opportunity presented by both third-party sites and direct online bookings?

Booking aggregators are a ‘must-have’ for hoteliers

As a key part of the marketing mix, OTAs provide an effective way to boost a hotel’s visibility, especially amongst potential first-time guests and during quieter periods. What’s more, we know people seek convenient and efficient experiences when spending time in hospitality, so the same can be expected of hotel booking experiences.

Having every accommodation option available in one place provides potential guests with an easy booking experience, which encourages them to turn looking into booking.

That being said, it doesn’t mean using booking aggregators comes without challenges. Only half (53%) of those who have booked a hotel stay in the past six months say third-party websites are easy to use. What’s more, only 50% realise that by using these sites, the website takes a slice of the booking cost from hoteliers. Once consumers know this, 63% say they are more likely to book directly with a hotel.

The benefits of listing a hotel on booking aggregator sites make doing so essential, especially as competition is fierce and you want to be where your competitors are. So, what does this mean for hoteliers?

How hoteliers can make the booking process as guest-friendly as possible?

Encouraging potential guests to go directly to their website will not only drive bookings but can increase guest spend and revPAR, as well as build loyalty and encourage guests to return. The key to success here is to ensure that owned booking platforms are user-friendly, up-to-date, responsive and secure.

We know that 60% of hotel guests book through the hotel’s website, making it the most popular channel to book through. To make the most of this opportunity, ensuring guests can easily book and update their reservations online is key to providing a great experience. Sending friendly reminders in the run-up to a stay adds a light personal touch to the customer journey that guests will appreciate.

Having a user-friendly booking system can drive revPAR too. With the right booking tools, hotels can offer guests added extras at the time of booking, such as ordering room service on their first night, Champagne to the hotel room or booking a table at the on-site restaurant. Offering guests these options can help drive overall spending at a time when guests are in buying mode.

Once a good online booking system has been established, what happens next? Offering a blanket discount or incentive to re-book may be partially effective in enticing some guests to return and book directly. However, to maximise this opportunity, hoteliers should consider offering guests reasons to return that tap into their individual preferences and needs.

From looking to booking – how to incentivise guests to book direct

We know four in five (83%) of consumers say a discount on a future visit would encourage them to visit a hotel again but to ensure they take that next step and book, hoteliers would benefit from having a customer relationship management strategy in place to utilise all the valuable data they collect on their guests. This will ensure they are providing guests with offers and promotions that are personalised and encourage them to book directly with the hotel next time.

To create these hyper-personalised offers for customers, data is key. All aspects of the hotel’s tech stack should be fully integrated so that data can be stored in one central location, enabling hoteliers to have a 360-degree view of the hotel, including a full breakdown of the most and least successful aspects of the business.

Once a hotelier has a greater understanding of their business, as well as their guests’ needs and preferences, hotels can create a whole host of incentives which lead to bookings, such as generous bounce-back deals or triggered voucher codes, as well as hyper-personalised incentives to guests based on their spending habits during their last stay, encouraging them to return.

How social media can take direct bookings to the next level

Social media platforms are also becoming increasingly important sources of bookings and, while only small numbers have booked a hotel via Facebook (11%), Instagram (11%) and Twitter (9%) so far, many more would be interested in doing so. Including the option to enquire or book via social media is an easy way to drive direct bookings.

Therefore, being present, active and helpful on social media is a great way to engage guests as well as drive loyalty and improve guest sentiment. In addition, something as simple as adding a booking button to social media pages can help generate incremental bookings.

Hoteliers that list their hotels on third-party booking sites and OTAs will not only increase the general visibility of their venues but leveraging both can drive occupancy as well as increase overall profitability. Once the customer is booked in, leveraging technology to provide personal touches and rewards can incentivise future bookings and build customer loyalty.

Hoteliers that do this will ultimately gain an advantage, helping them grow more profitable direct sales, drive more spend per stay, enhance overall brand perception and raise overall traveller satisfaction.

In this detailed and insightful presentation, Pete provides expert guidance on:

• Maximising the potential of your restaurant or bar
• Leveraging your room service offering
• Promoting your F&B offerings through various social media platforms
• Implementing innovative loyalty programs and personalised discounts to hotel guests

This presentation walks you through practical hints and tips to enhance your services, as well as discussing various channels to promote F&B offers, loyalty programs, and personalised discounts to guests. By implementing these strategies, you can improve your F&B engagement, boost loyalty, and maximise your hotel’s F&B potential.