Despite what digital marketing and tech providers may say, I believe upselling can best be accomplished when warm, welcoming, front desk colleagues have authentic, human conversations. That’s not to say that pre-arrival emails that market upsell options in advance do not serve a role, because they do. For one, whatever upselling revenue they produce is a plus, especially since it is automatically generated. Also, pre-arrival emails tee-up a conversation-starting question that a well-trained receptionist can use to open the door.
The challenge is that these days, guests who book travel in advance are inundated with pre-arrival emails explaining things like self check-in, loyalty offers, and add-on services. These are received not only from the hotel, but also from rental car companies and airlines, both of which are also offering upgrades. Plus, if the guest is a frequent traveler, they are spammed by customer satisfaction surveys still coming in from last week’s trip. As a result, the chances that these offers will be given consideration are minimal.
Besides being assured of getting the guest’s attention, humans also have other major advantages over drip campaigns. Whereas a front desk receptionist can sell very specific views, locations, and even room numbers because they know what’s available right now, pre-arrival campaigns can only sell accommodation types. Plus, these human conversations take place upon arrival, a time during which guests:
- Are likely to feel more spontaneous and indulgent after a long day of stressful travel, such as families with young children who may now see the value of a suite or a second, connecting room. Or the benefits of a view or advantageous location.
- May have had their needs change on the way. For example, a businessperson may now be meeting or traveling with colleagues and therefore might consider a suite with a separate living room.
- May already consider the original rate “paid” and are now only looking at the incremental cost difference.
- May not even be aware of upgrades if their reservation was made by a third party such as an administrative assistant, family member, or traveling companion.
Finally, humans have the advantage of being just that, human! How many of us go out to dinner and never even give the dessert menu a second thought until a well-trained server says, May I just tell you a little about the desserts that the chef is offering tonight? and then follows with an alluring description of the offering?
Now, implementing a successful program for upselling at registration requires not only training but also other considerations of leadership. Here is a list of issues from the pre-training planning meetings we at KTN have with our clients before we conduct our staff training workshops.
- What is the rate strategy? Should we consider a “flat rate to upgrade” rate strategy to make sure the “gap” between the booked rate and the upgrade option is reasonably bridgeable?
- How will we help front desk staff know which categories are open for their shift?
- If we are going to implement this for front desk staff, what about our voice reservations salespeople? Or do callers just upsell themselves? (Hint: no, they don’t!)
- What opportunities are there to upsell besides room types, such as early check-in, late check-out, and offering families a second connecting room at a discounted rate?
- How will we measure the results? Should individual results be posted?
- What about an incentive? Should it be a team incentive, individual, or a hybrid?
Finally, if the staff is not properly trained to upsell upon arrival at reception, not only will they be unsuccessful, but they may even offend high-status loyalty members and diminish the perceived value of those who pre-reserved minimum categories.
Therefore, here are some training tips from KTN’s on-site workshops and private, live webcasts to share with your team.
- First and foremost, welcome guests and establish rapport, engaging them with questions about how their travels played out and the purpose of their visit.
- Reconfirm the pre-reserved accommodation and assure the guest they have already booked a nice room. Avoid making the options they’ve already selected sound undesirable: I see you only booked one of our standard rooms. Instead say, Mr. Johnson, we have you confirmed in one of our traditional rooms, which I’m sure you will find quite comfortable… then continue on to ask if they are aware of or interested in upgrades such as below.
- It’s especially important to reassure loyalty members that special consideration has been given to the room that has already been blocked. Ms. Rodriguez, thank you for being a Palladium Level loyalty member! We were able to block a special room for you tonight.
- Ask if the guest is aware of available upgrades. This is where the pre-arrival email opens a door: Did you receive our pre-arrival email offering special opportunities to upgrade? Or Did our reservationist mention our rooms with pool views? or When you booked online, did you happen to notice our suite options?
- Present the availability of upgrades as a unique opportunity such as by saying: We’ve had one of our deluxe rooms open up this evening…
- Utilize incremental sales techniques. Once guests have booked, in their minds the original rate has already been paid. Mention only the additional amount such as For only $75 more…
- Demonstrate the value received. Rather than saying Deluxe rooms have a view, say In this room you can look out your window and see… Rather than saying The concierge floor has a club lounge, say As a guest on this floor you’ll have 24-hour access to our executive lounge, which includes… Rather than saying This is a 600 square-foot suite with a fully equipped kitchen, say Since you’re traveling with your family, you’ll love having all the extra space this suite provides.
- Convey specific advantages of the exact room or suite you are offering. Right now I can offer you room 601, which is on our highest floor so that you will have the best direct view of the (beach, mountains, city skyline…) OR I’m still showing a Parlor King Suite open for tonight, and this is a good one because you and the kids will be close to the pool area, plus you can also enjoy having two TVs in case you don’t want to watch cartoons all weekend.
- Use “rate framing” to position upgrades as an exceptionally attractive opportunity. These rooms usually run $400, but because of (special circumstance) I can offer you a special rate of $325, which is only $75 more than your rate.
- Use a digital photo frame as a visual aid to display actual photos. This can be positioned at the reception desk with a sign reading Ask us about our upgraded room options, as a slide show toggles through pictures.
- Upsell guests who arrive exceptionally early into a higher category that is ready now. Our check-in time is 4pm, but we’ll do our best to get you in earlier. However, since it’s only Noon, I did have an upgraded room that was open last night and is therefore ready now.
In summary, if you already have a pre-arrival email drip campaign, keep using it, but hold a leadership meeting to work through the issues listed at the top, then use the techniques and tactics listed herein to train your front desk reception staff to engage in successful upsell conversations.
Doug Kennedy
Kennedy Training Network (KTN)
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