Public Relation is not only about developing relations with the media. There are multiple techniques that can be used to reach your target audience. In these modern times, there are multiple avenues available to reach out to the people whom you are looking to cater to. These people or the prospective customers respond better to a well meant and well managed dialogue, interaction and a good communication. The hospitality industry is no different from other industries. In fact, here you have to have a personal touch to the communication so that a long term relation can be formed and maintained.
There are certain hospitality firms that may make the mistake of not giving PR the due consideration. They spend money for advertisements but fail to appreciate the significance of a clever and precise communication that highlights the uniqueness of the brand, how it is different from others and the basic message that it wants to send out. Hospitality PR is all about focusing on your target audience and providing them with the kind of updated information they are seeking and to lead them to the proper place.
Image and reputation is important in all the industries but in the hospitality industry all the more so. There is a thin line that differentiates between the good and the bad here. And all the stake holders have to tread that thin line very carefully. Hospitality firms may include hotels, exotic resorts and also world class spas. To maintain and attract more customers to their folds, Hospitality PR plays an important role. If there is a clearly defined and a committed hospitality public relations plan in place, then there is a greater chance of getting a long term reward in the form of loyalty of the customers and simultaneously a well built image. These days’ reactions are instantaneous and reach out very fast. Online sharing of ideas has made this possible. This can either enhance your image or kill it.
People rank very high in the hospitality industry. Their levels of expectation are sometimes very high and are at times difficult to match too. But then what is the Hospitality PR for if you cannot bring the most stringent of customer to its fold? It is a very common phrase that Customer is always Right. It may not be at all times but then hospitality is all about taking each customer’s choice into consideration. If the hospitality staff fail to do that it puts the organization into a bad light.
Adopting Hospitality PR is all about a proper and clear communication between the two stakeholders. This is one of the aspects that have to be continually addressed by the employers as well as the staff. Clarity in communication is one of the most significant issues as the customers are not only paying for the food and the amenities but also the service that they are being offered. And providing service is also a better part communication than skills.
When we talk of Hospitality communication we are broadly speaking about two important areas i.e. the customer service and the other being the back office management. It includes the interaction between the management and the staff working behind the scenes. There should be a free flow of communication between the two for effective implementation of ideas.
In order to be effectively used, the hospitality public relations plan has to continually update. It should be made in such a manner that it can be adapted at all times and in all situations. Getting a prompt and precise service is a thing which the guests look forward to and if you succeed in giving them just that then be assured that their loyalty will bring them back to you again and again. Most of the times the guests have simple needs like extra towels in their rooms etc; this should be kept just that simple and not unnecessarily complicate the matter. And if this is done immediately, it gives them great satisfaction because their time is of utmost importance.
Apart from there are multiple other tools that can create a good image of the organization and which can be used for hospitality PR. One of the most commonly used is the Media publicity via various social media platforms. This simply means building up a relation with the journalists. The main aim behind this exercise is to get your hotel mentioned in travel articles and business articles. This in a way gives a direct endorsement form a third party and there are always some things which interest the press. And if you think your organization has that zing then you should surely go for media publicity. Then there are others like newsletters and organizing special events. Special events can include anything from charity events to a grand ground breaking ceremony or a film event too. With the increasing use of internet, there is also the blogs and podcasts which can be a strong medium to send across your message.
If you have an email database then one of the best PR activities would be to send across mails to your customers to know their views about your hotel, the service staff, food or for that matter anything related to the hospitality service. Let them also know about the special packages that are being promoted by your hotel. You could also ask them as to what new things or amenities do they want to see in the hotel the next time they visit it. There are plenty of questions that can be asked which will keep your hotel in their minds and will inadvertently do your publicity for you.
The main focus these days is to interact with the consumers as part of the PR strategy. One of the ways to do this is also the development of the website. But then it won’t help if the website is not updated and it does not bring the customer back to it again. It should be a virtual experience which compels the customer to visit it again and again. This will help in building up the loyalty towards your hotel and a dedicated client.
Thus, Public Relation is all about building relations and connecting with your target audience. It hardly matters whether you own a big or a small property, what matters is how you reach out to the people out there and get them to come to you. Without effective PR, you can hardly think of getting ahead and earning your share of profit.