May 2023 Newsletter
May 2023 Newsletter
In the May 2023 Newsletter, we discuss the potential negative impact on regional Australian properties as Australians regain confidence in overseas travel, with Bali and Fiji receiving significant growth in arrivals. However, the article also suggests that regional destinations could still attract travellers seeking alternative-style holidays with authentic experiences that go beyond the obvious. Additionally, the newsletter features a blog article discussing six effective motel marketing strategies, including an online presence, promotions and deals, email marketing, local advertising, online reviews, and referral programs. Lastly, we have included a guide to creating new room rates in GuestPoint PMS.
Industry News
Is the Golden Era for Regional Australia About to End?
With overseas travel from Australia finally taking flight, the impact will likely negatively affect regional Australia.
Australian holidaymakers have regained confidence in travelling overseas, potentially at the expense of local regional destinations. Bali and Fiji received significant growth in arrivals in January 2023, with Australians making up the largest inbound market, and both markets are targeting holidaymakers who may otherwise have selected a beach holiday in Queensland, northern NSW or WA. This poses the question, of what properties in regional centres can do to remain competitive in the face of this increased competition.
Australian properties in high-end beach destinations such as Noosa, Port Douglas and Byron Bay are likely to be impacted by substitute overseas destinations as airlines increase outbound capacity and international fares become more competitive. These regional destinations could still have a chance to attract travellers seeking alternative-style holidays, The key, however, will be for hotels and attractions to excite travellers with authentic experiences that go beyond the obvious – the “no-normal” trend, as Expedia has dubbed it.
Industry observers cite cultural and food-based tourism as new demand drivers, and hotels will need to work with local tourism bodies to provide seamless packaging and added value.
The record crowds at the recent Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne suggest that Australians will always engage in exciting major events. Regional destinations may not be able to mount such vast activities, but highly individual food and wine festivals, art trails and outdoor events such as triathlons, mountain biking and trekking will likely resonate with travellers.
Can Bonza Save Regional Australia?
The recent entry of Bonza into the domestic travel market presents an opportunity for regional areas to shine, as the increased airline seat capacity comes at the right time. The Sunshine Coast has become one of the busiest regional airports in Australia with direct flights from 16 markets, while other coastal airports such as Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Mackay, and Townsville will also benefit from the influx of new visitors. Bonza’s commitment to low airfares has led to competitors offering special deals, which may not slow the trend towards overseas holidays but will help regional destinations compete strongly for short-break holidays, groups, conferences and special occasion travel.
It may be impossible to hold back the tide of growing overseas travel, but regional Australia still has plenty of ammunition to maintain its position in the travel market.
Blog Article
6 Effective Motel Marketing Strategies - Managers Must Use!
Marketing a motel can be a challenging task, but with the right strategies, it can be an effective way to increase bookings and revenue. This blog will discuss the six most effective and easy-to-implement marketing strategies for motels.
1. Online Presence
In today’s digital age, having an online presence is essential for any business. For a motel, it is important to have a user-friendly and mobile-responsive website and list your motel on popular online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor. This will help potential customers find and book your motel online.
2. Promotions and Deals
Offering promotions and deals can be an effective way to attract price-sensitive customers and increase bookings. Some ideas include discounts for extended stays, free breakfast, or free parking. You can also create package deals with local attractions such as theme parks or museums to offer guests an all-inclusive experience.
3. Email Marketing
Collecting email addresses from customers and using email marketing to keep them informed about special promotions and events can be a great way to retain customers and encourage repeat bookings. You can use email marketing to offer exclusive deals and promotions to your subscribers.
4. Local Advertising
Advertising in local newspapers, on billboards, or on radio stations can be an effective way to attract customers who are looking for a local motel. This can help increase local visibility and attract customers who may not be actively searching online.
5. Online Reviews
Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on online review sites such as TripAdvisor or Google My Business can help improve your online reputation and attract new customers. Responding to negative reviews and addressing any issues can also help improve your reputation.
6. Referral Program
Implementing a referral program that rewards customers who refer friends or family to your motel can be an effective way to increase word-of-mouth marketing and attract new customers through personal recommendations. You can offer discounts or free stays to customers who refer new business to your motel.
GuestPoint Guide to:
Creating a New Rate Package in GuestPoint PMS
Updating room rates and pushing them out on GuestPoint’s new channel manager has never been easier! Here’s a guide to creating new room rates you can use at your property!
Step 1: Go to the Management Tab in GuestPoint
Once in the Management tab in GuestPoint select ‘Standard Rates, Extras and Promotions’
Step 2: New Rates and Packages
Once in ‘Standard Rates, Extras and Promotions’, in the top right-hand corner, select ‘New Rates and Packages’. Here we can create new rates for either a new room or an existing room.
Step 3: Fill Out the Rate Description
Fill out the rate descriptions with your preferred description and room type.
An important step is to publish to ‘External Sites’ or ‘All’. this will push the rate out to your online channels.
Web sort refers to the order in which room is listed on your selected channels i.e. selecting number one will put that room at the top of your online channels for your property.
Step 4: Set Room Rates and Periods
Add a new period and select the date on which you want the new rates to come into effect. Next, enter the new room rate, and ensure the Rack Rate is the same as the new room rate. The Rack rate needs this information to push out the new rates through your channel manager.
Add additional details such as Guests Included, Extra Adults and Cancelation Policy as you wish.
Step 5: Set Room Rates Extras
Select extras you want to include in your room rate. If you don’t want to include any extras, leave the boxes on the right unmarked.
Be sure to save changes after extra have been set.
Step 6: Go to Dynamic Rates
Here you will be able to see the new room package you have created. Also, change any overnight rates such as a weekend reaching full occupancy. Changed rates will be highlighted with a light blue box.
Congratulations, you have successfully created new room rates in GuestPoint and pushed them out to your online channels!
Management Tips & Tricks
Protect Your Business: Spot Red Flags and Fake Reviews
Fake reviews can be extremely damaging for hotels and motels as they can affect their reputation and ultimately impact their bottom line. In today’s digital age, online reviews are one of the most significant factors that potential customers consider when choosing a hotel or motel to stay at. If a business has a large number of negative reviews, it can discourage potential customers from choosing to stay there. Therefore, properties rely heavily on maintaining an excellent online reputation, and fake reviews can be a significant barrier to achieving this.
Why is it Important to Monitor Reviews?
Bad reviews can have a significant impact on hotel bookings. Research has shown that a large percentage of travellers read online reviews before making a booking decision, and a negative review can deter potential guests from choosing a particular hotel. In fact, a one-star increase in a hotel’s overall rating on TripAdvisor can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue. On the other hand, a one-star decrease can result in a 5-9% decrease in revenue. So, hotels with poor reviews may struggle to attract guests, while those with positive reviews may see an increase in bookings and revenue.
How to Respond to Bad Reviews?
To monitor bad reviews, property managers should use online tools like Google Alerts or review management software to aggregate reviews from different sources. In responding to bad reviews, property managers should remain professional and offer a solution or an apology for any negative experiences. They should also address specific issues raised in the review and explain any steps taken to prevent similar issues in the future. However, property managers should only attempt to have fraudulent or fake reviews removed, as trying to remove legitimate negative reviews can be seen as dishonest and harm the property’s reputation.
Relief Managers
The Good Knights Motel Management
The Good Knights, Julia Atkinson and Brian Knight have been in the motel industry for over 10 years. Firstly, as relief managers then in 2016, they saw a need in the market for someone to organise relief and permanent managers for motels & caravan parks hence “The Good Knights”. Starting out with just a handful of like-minded relief managers they had met, The Good Knights now boast over 350 relief managers on their books, they have placed countless permanent managers and have dealt with 400-plus motels in their time. They pride themselves on being cost competitive, having the industry knowledge to give a fair and honest opinion to both motel owners and relief managers, understanding the market and knowing how to read it, they are super flexible and best of all they enjoy each day working with wonderful people.
If you are looking for relief or permanent managers for your motel feel free to give us a call on 0412 00 55 37 or email info@thegoodknights.com.au or visit our web page:
System Update
What’s New in the Latest GuestPoint Update
GuestPoint has recently released version 11.1. Which includes several improvements to enhance the property management experience for managers. These improvements include:
The v11.1. Update Includes:
- Enhanced Credit Card Vault security.
- Reservations tab improvements, such as saving multiple email addresses for guests, fixing errors when moving checked-in rooms, and correctly displaying dates and promotions
- Customer Tab improvements, allowing changes to be saved for cancelled and no-show bookings
- Management tab improvements, allowing the setup of WebPoint Booking templated for customers with Lite and Standard GuestPoint Licences
- Accounts Tab improvements, such as making the Send to Debtor Account button available for Non-residential Accounts and preventing crashes when emailing debtors invoices.
The v9.6.1. Update Includes:
- Enhanced Credit Card Vault Security
- Charges are now correctly marked as posted, even if there are email validation errors on the Check-in screen.
- The Room Account feature has been improved, and users can now print without errors occurring.
- The Roll Over process is now quicker to complete, making property management faster and more efficient.
- GuestPoint remains committed to providing the best possible property management experience for managers.
- To experience the benefits of the latest update, be sure to update your software to version 9.6.1.
These improvements are aimed at providing a better and more efficient property management experience for GuestPoint users. To experience the benefits of Guestpoint’s latest update, be sure to restart GuestPoint in your main sync computer, and then in any subsequent computers, to start using the latest version today!
Channel Manager
Have You Upgraded?
Don’t miss out on the benefits of GuestPoint Channel Manager! Upgrade now for instant updates and longer booking periods, all at the same price point as your previous channel manager.
If you haven’t made the switch yet, give our friendly sales team a call to find out more or sign up. Contact us today!
Want to read more articles? Click below to access more resources!
Simplify your operations, manage your revenue, and create great experiences with GuestPoint.
