July 2024 Newsletter
July 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to the July 2024 edition of the GuestPoint Newsletter! This month, we dive into a recent study around technology anxiety and how to best navigate this also we provide a comprehensive guide to help your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in our latest blog. We’ll also show how to use non-residential accounts and offer a detailed breakdown of using rack rates and how they can benefit your property. Plus, don’t miss our “Did You Know” section—you’re sure to discover something new!
Industry News
Finding Peace With Innovation
Navigating change can be daunting, particularly when uncertainty surrounds the outcomes, a challenge often felt keenly within the hospitality industry. However, don’t let unfamiliarity impede your ability to enhance your property through the adoption of new technologies. A recent survey revealed that over 90% of property managers experience ‘tech anxiety’. So, what advantages do these innovations offer your property?
Common Concerns
Many managers share concerns about privacy, security, and the potential for data breaches. While these risks exist, modern technology upgrades incorporate robust security systems that mitigate or prevent such incidents. This is especially critical for online payment systems, where legal requirements mandate fraud and card protection measures, safeguarding your property from data vulnerabilities.
Embrace Possibilities
Despite apprehensions about new technologies, a significant number of property managers have yet to embrace cloud-based systems. Avoiding cloud solutions limits access to innovative technologies that could significantly enhance daily operations. Transitioning to the cloud enables remote access, facilitates seamless integration with third-party solutions, and ensures you can be up to date with industry standards.
Benefits of Cloud Migration: Moving your property management system to the cloud offers numerous benefits:
Enhanced Guest Experience: Centralised systems streamline booking histories and customer preferences, enabling personalised service that encourages repeat visits.
Improved Front Desk Efficiency: Integration of additional solutions optimises operational processes, freeing up time for staff to focus on guest interactions.
Adaptability in a Competitive Market: Staying current with technology trends ensures your property remains agile and responsive to market demands.
Take Action
GuestPoint provides a reliable cloud-based solution equipped with these essential benefits. If you’re still using a local system, now is the time to transition to the cloud. Embracing GuestPoint not only enhances operational efficiency but also prioritises data security with PCI DSS compliance.
Make the change today and embark on a journey with our unified cloud-based solution. Open your property to a range of tailored solutions that elevate guest experiences and operational excellence.
Blog Article
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
What is SEO
Having a robust SEO strategy is essential for any business, particularly for hotels/motels catering to individuals seeking accommodation in your area. So, what exactly is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which involves optimising a website’s technical configuration, content relevance, and link popularity. This optimisation enables its pages to be easily discoverable, more relevant, and popular among user search queries, consequently leading to better rankings on search engines.
To achieve a higher SEO ranking, search engines evaluate four key processes. Below are these processes outlined, along with recommendations on how you can enhance your website in each category
- Crawling
- Indexing
- Ranking and Scoring
- Query request and result serving
Crawling
The crawling process marks the initial step toward improving your ranking. Search engines conduct this process, utilising systems to scan all websites for keywords and various content. This comprehensive scan covers all publicly accessible areas of your website, analysing images and keyword usage.
However, the importance of crawling extends beyond surface-level scanning. Swift crawling is crucial for time-sensitive content. Without timely visibility, content may become irrelevant to users—last week’s news, expired events, or sold-out products won’t engage audiences. Even in industries where time to market isn’t critical, speedy crawling proves beneficial. Whether updating an article or implementing significant on-page SEO changes, faster crawling by Googlebot allows quicker optimisation benefits—or prompt error detection for swift correction. Without speedy crawling, the ability to iterate quickly is hindered.
Indexing
Indexing stands out as the pivotal step in this process because content absent from the index stands no chance of being ranked. Once your page undergoes crawling, it’s then placed into the index based on the keywords and phrases identified by the crawler. Therefore, if your page’s content is deemed high-quality and relevant to a particular search query, it will be indexed under the corresponding search phrase. Consequently, when someone searches for that phrase, your page appears in the search results.
The significance lies in the quality of your keyword indexing, as higher indexing correlates with better visibility in search results. For instance, in the hotel industry, when someone searches for “Motels in Mackay,” all suggested motels within the Mackay area are displayed. However, the top-ranking motels are those that have been indexed prominently based on their crawl and whose content is deemed highly relevant and applicable to the search.
Ranking And Scoring
Your site’s overall SEO Score is determined by its performance in four key subcategories: Technical, Content, User Experience, and Mobile. Each subcategory comprises various checks with different weightings, which are aggregated to calculate a score for that specific aspect of SEO.
Technical:
This evaluates how well the technical components of a site facilitate its accessibility, crawling, and indexing by search engine bots. Proper indexing is vital for a site to be ranked by search engines; without it, even excellent on-page content and links won’t attract visitors. Therefore, technical SEO plays a crucial role in driving organic traffic.
GuestPoint Guide to:
How to Use Non-residential Accounts
Utilising non-residential accounts can prove advantageous for hoteliers by facilitating deferred payments or credits for guests. For instance, if a guest originally booked for a three-night stay only stays one night, you can offer them credit for their next visit using this system. This simplifies the process of managing payments and enhances guest satisfaction by allowing charges to be held until future stays.
Additionally, non-residential accounts can be used for various purposes such as day room rentals, local parking fees, or charges for damage to a room. This flexibility provides an additional avenue for storing information and offers more versatile options for managing transactions effectively.
How to use and add a non-residential account:
- Click on ‘Accounts’ on the left-hand directory
- In ‘Overview’ you can see a list of all non-residential accounts titled ‘Non-residential Accounts Summary’
- To add a new account click the blue plus in the top right corner
- Or click at the top of the screen the ‘Non-residential Accounts’ Button
- Once on that screen, you can add a ‘New Account’ at the top right of the screen
- Or search and filter your opened non-residential accounts
Management Tips & Tricks
Rack Rates
Setting and utilising ‘Rack Rates’ can be widely beneficial for many properties. As it allows you to have a reference point for the baseline pricing of your different rooms. This also allows you to set rack rates that coincide with your revenue goals for the year. Where this rate can be used as a minimum price for your rooms which allows you to still reach set goals. It’s suggested you never go below your rack rates. How to set rack rates in GuestPoint:
- Click on the ‘Management’ Tab
- Then at the top click ‘Setup’
- Find ‘Rooms and Room Type’ Click on it
- Then you can either select ‘Expand all’ at the top or click on the room individually
- Then you can change many different things in regards to the room one being ‘Rack Rates’
Updates
Exciting Upcoming Releases
The GuestPoint Development team has been diligently working behind the scenes to enhance our platform for you. Here are some of the new releases scheduled for the next quarter, along with the benefits and uses of each implementation:
New Direct Booking Engine
- A dedicated Booking Engine tab will be added in GuestPoint to manage all the configuration options available for the booking engine.
- A booking summary cart/card will be added to provide a better booking experience to guests throughout the booking process.
- A Flash Sale feature will be introduced to allow properties to provide any last-minute deals.
- Messages feature will be introduced to allow properties to display any messages/notifications on the booking engine.
- A policies feature will be introduced to allow properties to set up different policies for specific rate plans on the booking engine (i.e., set non-refundable rates via GuestPoint Pay for example.)
- A currency conversion feature will be added where guests would be able to see the prices in their currency but still be able to book in the property’s currency.
- An option to allow guests to self-manage their booking will added.
- Support for multi-property where properties can now set up a multi-property landing page for all of their properties.
Custom Report Builder
- A dedicated tab will be added to allow users to write and view custom reports.
- This feature allows you to create custom reports for the data you need from GuestPoint.
- The reports can be in any form that you would like your data to appear (i.e., chart, table, list, graph, etc.)
New Accounting Interfaces
- First out will be the Xero Interface
- A dedicated section has been added to manage the accounting interface.
- This feature will allow you to connect your Xero account with GuestPoint.
- As part of this GuestPoint will post the daily journal entries to Xero automatically rather than you needing to export the file from GuestPoint and import it manually in Xero.
- You can configure the journal to be automatically posted after the rollover or at a scheduled time or press a button depending on your preference.
Properties of the Month
Alexandra Place
Nestled in the heart of Bendigo, Alexandra Place epitomises an exemplary guest experience. The management keenly understands and meets guest expectations with precision.
Bendigo, renowned for its vibrant wine scene in Victoria, complements its annual French-style events seamlessly. Alexandra Place has emerged as the preferred accommodation for diverse travellers visiting this city.
Featuring a range of rooms and suites, Alexandra Place caters to various guest preferences. The standout ‘Terrace Room,’ a delightful two-bedroom unit with kitchen and laundry facilities, highlights their commitment to excellence. Guests consistently praise all accommodations, underscoring the property’s meticulous attention to detail.
Alexandra Place offers a distinctive experience with a contactless check-in system that guests admire. This streamlined process allows guests, particularly corporate travellers arriving at all hours, to check in swiftly and stress-free, without the need for a traditional front desk visit.
This innovative check-in method is a valuable asset, recommended by management for any establishment equipped to implement such efficient infrastructure. GuestPoint facilitates the seamless integration of these external systems into your Property Management System (PMS).
Alexandra Place took the leap into a relatively unknown technological advancement to their property and since they have reaped the benefits of this. They have given their guests a streamlined experience and appeal to a greater target audience, including corporate travellers. The contactless check-in is just one of many new technologies finding its way into the accommodation industry. Explore your options and like Alexandra Place don’t be afraid to step into a new error of accommodation technology.
GuestPoint Did You Know
How many people on average visit France every year?
- 100 million
- 200 million
- 150 million
- 50 million
Correct Answer a) Over 100 million people visit France every year making it the most visited country in the world, whereas Australia has an average of 6.6 million.
Want to read more articles? Click below to access more resources!
Simplify your operations, manage your revenue, and create great experiences with GuestPoint.
