Here under are some key pointers to help survive during difficult times:
- Think very carefully about your advertising and marketing activities and adjust them accordingly
- Know your guests and understand their requirements
- Monitor your competitors on a regular basis.
- Research and refocus your target market segments and go for volume -- for instance, choose 100 small contracted companies instead of five key accounts
- Make sure the correct rates for business and leisure guests are loaded into the right distribution channels.
- Do not forget about your existing regular contracted clients. Provide loyalty programs and, remember, it is easier and less expensive to keep existing clients rather than find new ones.
- Make your website a business generator =
- Familiarise yourself with the latest and most up-to-date technologies and booking systems
- Load promotional videos and advertisements on portals such as www.youtube.com; use social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and Web2 and deploy word-of-mouth strategies.
- Don't hesitate to keep co-operation going with third party intermediaries (such as HRS.com, booking.com), online travel agents, business travel agents (such as AMEX) and other tourism related companies.
- Use customer relationship management systems
- Create special offers for local clients to encourage them to use your hotel at weekends and during holidays.
- Develop new packages and programs to generate demand from new guests.
- Drive cost-cutting activities in the hotel. Involve hotel staff in looking at how costs could be reduced in their departments and introduce incentive programmes to encourage come up with ideas.
- Always employ talented service-orientated people
In my opinion, if we look carefuly at these 15 key points, sales and marketing strategies have become the main tool to survive through the recession. That is why, I have chosen this year to do a last internship in the sales and marketing department of a hotel, because I believe that I will learn new ways to develop hotels in general. I think, that these key points will help me in my internship, and that they will be effective to adapt in those financial circumtances.