How Important Are Your Reviews?

With the increasing prominence of online holiday and travel search/booking engines and the rising power of the customer review across all industries, just how important are reviews and how can proprietors respond to them?

Our hospitality finance team of experts at Stewart Hindley and Partners take a look at the current trends and have put together their thoughts, to help proprietors get into the heads of their potential customers.

  • With so many hotels to choose from, trying to make a decision about where to stay can be daunting for people. Hotel reviews are therefore a valuable way to determine if a particular hotel is a good option and should not be under estimated.
  • The hotel’s rating score – astute customers will look at the rating score and sort their options to show them the highest ones at the top. A higher score means past hotel guests generally liked the hotel and enjoyed their stay with few, if any, problems. If you limit yourself to these hotels, you have a better chance of enjoying your stay as well.
  • But a few extreme reviews may not be as significant as people think. The number of reviews of the hotel on the booking site will be listed and it stands to reason that a hotel’s overview will be more accurate, the higher number of reviews it has.
  • Remember, what might be essential for one guest is completely different from that of another. Your potential guests will almost certainly look at both the positive and the negative things people comment on in their reviews, and look for things that might bother them.
  • People are now getting used to ignoring those that protest too much. If 30 people are raving about the hotel and one person says it was horrible for whatever reason, it was probably just a fluke. For genuinely good establishments, these days, one negative review is likely to be outweighed by a sea of positive reviews.

The common sense conclusion is for 21st century hoteliers to be mindful, but not dictated to, by their reviews.  It is worth monitoring them and responding in just a few cases – where relevant and in brief – to overly negative comments.  This is perhaps particularly the case, when it was perhaps a genuine issue for the customer, that has since been rectified your end.

That being said, it is definitely worth promoting and encouraging customers to leave feedback, but  there is a fine balance between encouragement and overplaying your hand.

Once guests have researched their shortlists they will more than likely visit your hotel website for further information which is why it’s also worth investing in a professional website and keeping it up to date.

If you are looking to invest in upgrading your facilities in response to reviews, or need to boost your marketing spend, you may need hospitality finance to fund your initiatives. Contact our friendly team of specialist advisors now for advice and information on the latest hotel finance and other hospitality finance packages available today.

Source:
http://travel-made-simple.com/how-to-read-hotel-reviews/

Devon Spotlight: What makes these the best family-friendly hotels in Devon

Devon is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations and many hotels there have worked hard to promote themselves as family-friendly hotels. Could you learn from them?

The Telegraph’s expert panel listed the following as their Top 8 Picks for families in Devon, each scoring 7/10 or above.

  1. A beach paradise – Watersmeet Hotel – Woolacombe Bay: 8/10

  • Sublime beachfront location, with mesmerising views looking out onto the North Devon coastline and Lundy Island
  • Private access onto Combesgate Beach, a small, sandy cove that’s fantastic for body-boarding and rock-pooling, but rarely gets busy, even in the height of summer
  • Fresh and airy décor
  • Rare combination of friendly and romantic at the same time
  1. Gardeners Heaven – Hotel Endsleigh, Tavistock: 9/10

  • Grade I-listed Eden between Dartmoor and Exmoor
  • Set in verdant gardens and grounds – perfect for family games and picnics
  • Summer gardening activities run by Chelsea Flower Show gold medal florist, Amanda Randel
  • Has its own potting shed where the green-fingered can start growing their own plants to take home at the end of their stay
  • Baby monitors, meals, bottle warmers and babysitting are available
  1. Rugged Isolation – Soar Mill Cove Hotel, Salcombe: 9/10

  • With a rugged Devon cove and beach all to itself
  • All rooms either face the sparkling triangle of sea or look up the valley.
  • Host of activities including: snooker, board games and a rocking horse, golf clubs, boogie boards, crab lines, buckets and spades for outings to nearby Soar Mill Cove
  • Magicians, lawn games, cupcake decorating and cinema nights are laid on in the summer
  • Indoor saltwater pool, tennis court and games room with table tennis and pool
  • Resident golden labs Farley and Daisy are popular with young guests.
  1. Reminiscent of The Famous Five – The Cary Arms, Babbacombe: 8/10

  • Spectacular location beneath the cliffs on the beach at Babbacombe
  • On arrival, children are given a bucket, spade and fishing net with which to go rock pooling on Babbacombe Bay, a quiet beach by the hotel that has calm water and a friendly local seal.
  • The hotel also had four self-catering cottages which are well set up for families, with board games and children’s books, as is the Captain’s Suite one of the main hotel’s 10 bedrooms.
  • Local family attractions include Paignton Zoo and Splashdown Waterpark.
  1. Outdoors – Bovey Castle. Moretonhampstead: 9/10

  • Extensive castle grounds with tennis, croquet and a playground
  • Good choice of outdoor children’s activities organised as part of Bovey Rangers club, including survival skills, archery, reptile and owl encounters, rock climbing, raft building, canoeing and golf lessons.
  • Their indoor playroom, costing £20 per session, has painting, pottery, biscuit decorating, mask, puppet and badge making
  • Babysitting services can be arranged in advance, as well as hire of baby equipment.
  1. Walking and Watersports heaven – South Sands Boutique Hotel, Salcombe: 7/10

  • The hotel is right on the beach, with wonderful views across the estuary
  • White sands and calm seas are a beach ball’s throw from the hotel
  • Complimentary buckets, spades and beach bags are given to families on arrival
  • Family events organised in school holidays, including a summer solstice beach party
  • Five beach suites designed for families of up to six.
  1. Classic Devon – Thurlestone Hotel, Salcombe:  8/10

  • Rugged coastline in front and backing on to sheep-filled pastures
  • Black and white yachting photos on the walls and displays of vintage sailing memorabilia give this seaside hotel a nostalgically nautical feel
  • Indoor playroom and outdoor playground which includes mini golf, family badminton courts, a nature trail
  • A ‘Close Encounters’ shed where young visitors can learn how to handle stick insects, praying mantis, scorpions, tarantula and snakes
  • Children’s school holidays arts and crafts club, teddy bears’ picnics in the grounds, and entertainers.
  1. Gothic /Luxury – Highbullen Hotel Golf & Country Club, Umberleigh Bridge

  • A luxury, gothic-fronted country house hotel spread over a 125-acre Devon estate
  • Prides itself on being a ‘multi-generational’ hotel, catering for extended families with children aged eight and over
  • Dedicated rooms for families of four have sofa beds and pull out beds, while large families can hire out lodges exclusively
  • Children will particularly enjoy the giant outdoor chessboard and games simulator
  • Spread over the estate are two swimming pools – one indoor and one outdoor – seven tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, a private fishing river, croquet lawns, snooker rooms and a fully-equipped gym with regular exercise classes.

Need to look at your hospitality finance options?

If you are looking to purchase or start a family friendly hotel or guesthouse, or are considering upgrading your existing facilities to increase your family appeal you may well be needing finance.

At Stewart Hindley & Partners, we specialise in the hospitality finance sector.  So, whether it’s hotel finance or B&B finance you need, we can advise you on the best deals to suit your individual business circumstances.

To find out how much hospitality finance you might be able to raise call our friendly expert team now to explore the possibilities further.

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/devon/articles/best-family-friendly-devon-hotels/

Is your guest WiFi offering good enough?

Recent research across the UK and USA consistently highlights how vital it is for hotels and other tourism businesses to offer free, good WiFi.

A few research findings

  • The poll of 2,000 people for online retailer Pixmania revealed that 31 per cent of Britons regard access to WiFi as the second most desired ‘comfort’ while on holiday, ahead of having a clean room!

In fact, the top Top Five most desired holiday ‘Comforts’ were found to be:

  1. A nice view
  2. WiFi access
  3. Clean hotel
  4. Good mattress
  5. A Great hotel restaurant
  • HotelChatter found that 94% of people cite WiFi as the most important amenity with 38% of hotel customers say they would book elsewhere if there was no WiFi available.
  • A similar survey amongst Americans found that WiFi was more important to hotel guests than breakfast and parking; and here WiFi came in second only to cost when choosing which hotel to book.

Business travellers want WiFi in order to stay connected on the road; whilst millennials like to stream music or play video games – so whichever way you look at it, high speed WiFi is an important attraction for guests, whether you are offering hotel, B&B or self-catering accommodation.

Are you WiFi savvy?

If you are engaged in a hotel property search, researching the quality of the local broadband available is a must these days and should be researched thoroughly.

And once, your hotel is up and running then good connectivity will allow you to be pro-active about communicating with (and promoting your services to) your guests, including:

  • Using social media channels to promote your business, research your customers to make your marketing more targeted and effective, identify your repeat customers etc.
  • Using your WiFi to see where your customers spend most of their time e.g. café, reception, gym, garden, restaurant etc.
  • Encouraging social media referrals – create a simple way for customers to provide referrals through Facebook or Trip advisor with the aim of increasing word of mouth.
  • Make sharing easy – encourage customers to share pictures and experiences with friends via social media promoting your company and raising brand awareness.
  • Keeping your customers up to date through your WiFi landing page. Use this to publicise upcoming events and offers e.g. timetable of kids activities, evening entertainment, restaurant offers

Need to look at your hospitality finance options?

Whether you run a hotel, a B&B or self-catering accommodation, if you are looking to purchase a upgrade your WiFi offering to guests (and/or invest in digital marketing) you may well be needing to source finance and we, at Stewart Hindley & Partners, specialise in the hospitality finance sector.

So, whether you are needing hotel finance or B&B finance, we can advise you on the best deals to suit your individual business circumstances.  Take a look at our online Business Mortgage calculator for an initial guide to how much hospitality finance you might be able to raise or call our friendly expert team now to explore the possibilities further.

Sources: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2654182/WiFi-access-important-holiday-requirements-British-tourists.html

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article90435.html

 

Top 10 English Hotel locations

Last month a panel of experts for the Daily Telegraph put together a guide to 10 of the best places and cities to visit in England, highlighting their attractions for family holidays and couples, providing a host of learnings for anyone looking at taking over, or starting/locating, a hotel business in the UK:
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Are you dog friendly yet?

If you run a hotel or B&B and you don’t currently allow your guests to bring their dogs, you are potentially missing out on a rapidly growing market in pet travel. British dogs are increasingly regarded as a member of the family, with many owners seeking to take their four-legged friends with them when they go away.
Continue reading “Are you dog friendly yet?”

Are you dog friendly yet?

If you run a hotel or B&B and you don’t currently allow your guests to bring their dogs, you are potentially missing out on a rapidly growing market in pet travel. British dogs are increasingly regarded as a member of the family, with many owners seeking to take their four-legged friends with them when they go away.
Continue reading “Are you dog friendly yet?”

12 places in the UK which will make you feel you are abroad

British staycations are on the rise, not purely for Brexit or financial reasons, either – many of us are (re)discovering the UK’s incredible landscape, beautiful beaches and exciting cities. Hence it could be a good time to go into the B&B, guesthouse or hotel business.
Continue reading “12 places in the UK which will make you feel you are abroad”

7 of Britain’s very best boutique hotels

A relatively new addition to the hospitality trade, boutique hotels, thought to have been created in the 1980s, are typically small, independent businesses containing anything from 10 to 100 rooms. The very name suggests accommodation that is chic, classy and luxurious – that’s certainly what guests expect, at any rate.

We’re always helping new clients secure commercial business mortgages so they can open their very own boutique hotels – and with access to hotel finance, plenty of research and lots of attention to detail, there’s no reason why theirs couldn’t emulate the country’s best boutique hotels. Like these:

 

Randy Pike, Lake District

HOTEL FINANCE
Situated in the beautiful Lake District, Randy Pike is a converted gentlemen’s hunting lodge which has been recently renovated. The three large suites (with ‘a bathroom virtually the size of Luxembourg’) have been decorated meticulously, in keeping with the original features and without detracting from the wonderful views outside. The owners, Andy and Chrissy Hill, have earned legendary status on TripAdvisor.

 

Monachyle MHOR Hotel, Balquhidder, Perthshire

hotel financeImage: Monachyle Mhor Hotel by Raymond Chisholm

This award-winning 14-room hotel is set in the wooded banks of atmospheric Loch Voil. The 18th Century farmhouse has been renovated into a contemporary, stylish property, with design elements which were influenced by nature and the immediate surroundings. It contains incredible suites – some with their own log burners – and a restaurant which serves a-la-carte dishes. The hotel has been described as ‘exceptional’. You can even arrange to arrive by seaplane.

 

The Plough, Kelmscott, Oxfordshire

hotel finance
Deep in the Cotswolds is the delightful Plough Inn, the perfect spot from which to explore the neighbouring countryside. Retaining its traditional feel, the refurbished inn serves delicious food, while the seven double bedrooms and one single are light and airy, each with a luxurious modern bathroom. The entire inn emanates Cotswolds charm.

 

The Grove, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire

Hotel finance
Given an – in our opinion – ungenerous 8/10 by the Telegraph, The Grove is a stunning country house hotel which is nestled in a four-acre glade close to the Preseli Hills. With numerous accolades to its name, The Grove was restored from dereliction in 2007 and prides itself on sustainability. There are 14 immaculate rooms situated in the house itself plus several cottages, each one sumptuously decorated and furnished.

 

Kemp Townhouse, Brighton

HOTEL FINANCE
Chic and luxurious, the Kemp Townhouse is the epitome of elegance. A grade-II-listed building situated in one of Brighton’s most cosmopolitan areas, it is beautifully presented and deserving of its enjoyEngland.com and TripAdvisor accolades. Each of the rooms, ranging from the extravagant Four-Poster Feature Room to the Cosy Single, have been decorated to an extremely high standard.

 

The Zetter, Clerkenwell, London

Hotel Finance
Located in London’s east end is a former Victorian warehouse which has been reborn into an eco-friendly oasis of 59 ‘quirky vintage-modern style’ rooms. Choose from stunning rooftop studios or perfect rooms which feature smart TVs, a ‘rain dance’ shower and mood lighting – there are even hot water bottles and umbrellas to use, should you need. The Zetter is place with buckets of style and a lot of class.
 

The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Belfast

Hotel finance
Full of character and thoughtfully designed, the Fitzwilliam Hotel is vibrant, modern and that little bit extravagant. The suites are super-stylish with mini sound systems and plush, comfy beds, all featuring top quality furnishings from the distinctive purple and yellow colour palate. With its own bar and restaurant, it’s the ideal place from which to start your Belfast adventure.

As you can see, there are some beautiful examples of boutique hotels out there; more important is the fact that there’s a demand for such lovely accommodation. Yours could be the next big thing!

If you’re interested in opening your own bijoux boutique and would like to find more out about hotel finance, please get in touch, we’d be delighted to chat through your options.

How to finance a hotel

It’s good news for the British hotel sector. After a buoyant 2015, forecasts by PwC for 2016 suggest that UK hotels could expect revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth of 2.3 per cent in London and 4.2 per cent outside the capital. These rates have increased consecutively for the last seven years in London and four years in the Provinces, so setting up a hotel right now could end up being a lucrative endeavour.

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