Discover how to increase your accommodation bookings by following these 9 simple steps.

Simply implementing at least 3 of the following 9 ideas and watch how they will improve your customer care and service. We will share with you some imaginative ways to ensure high levels of guest satisfaction so that all your guests will want to keep coming back to stay with you time and time again. After all, it is this that is the key to your business success.

Why is repeat business so important?

There are two aspects to this. The first is relationship building between your business and your guests. If a customer returns to stay with you, you already know them, their requirements and any special needs they may have. From the guest's point of view, they already know that your premises and your service will meet their expectations and they will feel more comfortable right from the start of the process. It is the best way to fill your accommodation and make running your business a pleasure as it will increase the pride and satisfaction you have as the business owner, through ensuring excellence in all aspects of your service.

The second reason that repeat business is so important to your business is the financial aspect. Your business is taking bookings without any advertising or marketing spend. If you can increase this by spending a little time implementing a few simple and inexpensive ideas you will be on the way to increased Net Profit. There are other bookings that you will receive with out any advertising costs. These are bookings made by the guest who has heard word of mouth how good your accommodation is.

Both repeat business and word of mouth are excellent indicators that your business is meeting the expectations of your guests. These are figures that you can look at on a regular basis and compare as you make improvements in your facilities or systems.

How do I work out the percentage of Repeat Business?

Repeat business is an excellent indicator of the success of your business and you should aim for a repeat business of 60% of total stays and word of mouth above 10% of total stays.

Firstly you must ask all your guests where they heard about you. This is either a polite question on the phone at the time of enquiry and booking or in a simple question on your booking forms. Secondly you must record this information in a clear manner that you can return to it later to review the data. The information can be recorded in a separate file, on the computer or just in a column in your phone book or diary. It does not matter as long as you collect the information and then at regular intervals (monthly is ideal) calculate the percentage of repeat business.

I can not stress strongly enough how important this is both to ask the question and to record the answers. This is such a simple but vital step and will repay your time many times over.

From this data you will be able to calculate the percentage of repeat business and word of mouth recommendations that your business receives. You will also be able to see which advertising you do, produces the greatest response and ultimately the most bookings. This will lead to a clearer more business like approach to advertising in the future and makes an excellent beginning of a marketing plan.

Percentage Repeat Business = Repeat units booked / Total units booked X 100

(Units can be either nights or weeks. Which ever is the most relevant to your business.

Discover 9 simple steps to increase your repeat busines.

Below are a list of some simple ideas and procedures that you should consider putting in place to increase your repeat business. These are within the reach of everyone who has had the motivation to start their own business. By following and implementing these nine simple steps you will not only increase your business but project a professional image to all your guests.

1. Always keep your accommodation spotlessly clean.

Cleanliness is the number one top priority of all your guests. This is an undisputed fact.

Guests expect absolutely pristine accommodation and will not settle for sub standard. It does not matter if you have the most beautiful furniture and amazing views, these are all secondary to cleanliness. This is something that we must all take great pride in and should be done to the same high standard every single time, no shortcuts and no excuses.

To make it easier and more efficient it makes sense to put aside a few hours over the next two weeks to write your business procedures for cleaning. This is worth doing even if you are the cook, bottle wash, cleaner and receptionist all rolled into one. It will give you a handy prompt to get the job done effectively and to your own high standards. It will only take 4 hours to complete even for larger establishments.

You must put in place a written statement of how your accommodation is cleaned. This will include a page for a standard refresh when people are staying and need a quick clean and tidy, replace towels and top up consumables. Through to a full clean which is done when every guest departs your accommodation.

Write down how you want it done from what cleaning products used where, right down to where and how the towels and flannels should be left in preparation for the guests arrival.

You should write the daily cleaning procedures down step by step in bullet point fashion and when new members of staff arrive, hand them a copy and these now become your business standards. It can be a great idea to laminate these and put them on the wall in an appropriate place. Just a polite prompt to keep up the standards.

You will also need a check list of extra jobs such a remove and clean shower heads, vacuum the bathroom extractor fans, turn over the mattresses, de-scale the kettles and any other jobs that fit this category.

Other items done by external contractors such as window cleaning and sanitary waste bins should also be written down.

Remember that if you employ cleaners you must give them a full induction and training on how you want the job done, with what products and how long it should take. You must also do simple risk assessments and have the information on the health and safety requirements available.

If you have gathered all this information and are starting to produce these working procedures and risk assessments, it would be a great time to start compiling your business procedures file if you don't already have one.

Do not assume that other people will already know how to clean, let alone to your high standards. You must tell them, show them and regularly remind them. Also let them know how vital it is to the guests, that it is their number one requirement and how this will be reflected in the business overall. It really is top priority.

2. Simple things can quickly enhance your accommodation.

If you feel that you are not confident in the presentation of your rooms, don't be afraid simply do something about it. Start by asking a friend that you feel comfortable with what he/ she would do. Explain that you are not looking for a full design service but some simple suggestions that would add to the experience of staying. You will be amazed that it may only be simple things that will make all the difference in the world. You do not need to do a complete redecoration but perhaps just add a magazine rack or more books.

It's the attention to detail that will really get you noticed and remembered.

Small simple things such as fresh flowers, a wide selection of books to read, videos to hire or a well stocked toy box and attractively presented Welcome Basket ready for your guests on arrival, will greatly add to their experience.

These items often cost very little and just need your imagination. So if it is spring, pick some lovely flowers from your garden. If you need some more books go to the second hand shop and don't forget Oxfam books are excellent, and Woolworths would be my first port of call to stock up on colouring books and things for the toy box.

You can easily and quickly enhance your accommodation by upgrading the quality of your pillows, bed linen and towels. You can hang art work by professional local artists but even simpler than this is to move your pictures around to give a fresh look to the rooms.

Just spend an afternoon in the local town to see what might add that little something extra. Think about what you might like if you were staying there, especially on a rainy day. Place books and magazines of local interest and hobbies in the rooms.

It is also highly recommended to have a quality guest book (provide a pen) for your guests to leave comments in. Other guests will gather ideas of things to do from this book and will feel excited about their stay from the start.

This will give what you are aiming for, a truly memorable 'guests experience', one that they can happily tell their friends about!

3. Always try to greet your guests personally.

Before your guests arrive you must check that the accommodation is ready, well aired and warm in winter. Leave some lamps on inside the accommodation and a good light on outside if it is going to be dark when they arrive. This is an easy step and makes for a better welcome.

Greet your guests with a warm smile and polite conversation such as " We are expecting you" and some questions such as "was your journey pleasant ". If possible make a point of showing your guests to their excellently prepared accommodation.

When you show your guests into their accommodation, make sure you show them where every thing is and where to find any instructions that they may need. This will lead to fewer calls asking about items that could easily be pointing out whilst showing them in, Your guests will feel really welcome and at ease from the start of their stay.

Having a well prepared Welcome basket ready is such a simple thing to do and has such an impact on your guests. Imagine arriving from a long journey to find everything you need to make a lovely cup of tea and have a biscuit or cake before unpacking. What a pleasure.

Some simple things such as extra loo paper, washing up liquid, dish cloths and tea towels also help make your guests stay run more smoothly. It makes sense to have a few tooth brushes and small tubes of paste available for guests to purchase, as it is quite often that these are left behind, especially by children.

What you put in your accommodation depends on your business. If you are a Bed and Breakfast then you would simply put in a well stocked hospitality tray. If you are providing self catering, then a welcome basket would be your best option.

4. Make a well presented and informative information pack.

An information pack should be available in every separate unit or bedroom. Your guests can read over this in their own time. It is vital that the information is correct and up to date at all times.

The list should include:

Even people who do complain will stay with you again if you deal with the complaint in a professional manner.

7. Send your guests a Thank You Card.

This may sound like a strange thing to do but it works. Thank your guest for choosing to stay with you, they could have stayed with your competitors. This thank you card may be a postcard of your local town or a simple card from the card shop. If you can have some made of your accommodation, it would be even better.

For your top customers who use you regularly it would be unnecessary to send them a card each time they stay. This could end up weekly. So don't over do it, and send a Christmas card instead. It is very easy and extremely important to say thank you, because if these guests don't stay with you next time you are losing important business.

You want all your guests to come back again and again. With this card they may keep it or show it to a friend but again you have made you guests feel valued.

8. Stay in touch with your guests.

Staying in touch with your guests will mean that when they are looking for accommodation you will be the first one that they remember.

There are many good reasons to contact your past guests. You could send out a simple letter with any special offers for the coming season for guests who have already stayed with you. You could let them know of any improvements that you have made in the last 12 months. Perhaps a list of late availability that you are sure will interest them.

It makes perfect sense to tell them that you will give them a special rate and are offering it to them first as they are a valued customer. This is bound to make them feel special and more likely to act. You can offer preferential treatment if they act now.

A letter is far more personal and will produce greater result than an advert in the local paper or national magazine. It is also much less expensive!! If you use email in your business you can use this to communicate to your guests. (remember to include a remove me from your list link).

Do not to over do it. An email every week will send people crazy. However, a letter each Autumn saying what has happened this year and your new prices for next year with special offers really does work.

9. Prepare yourself for when your guests do return.

One way to provide extra service and ensure complete preparation is to allocate a day and a time when you ring your guests who are due to arrive in the next week. This phone call makes an ideal opportunity to check the booking details are correct and that you have a list of any special requirements needed. It is also a relationship building exercise and makes their stay with you even more welcoming. Make sure you choose the time to call wisely, for example early evenings are not good for people with small children.

This phone call may not always be possible. If this is the case you can still take a little time to prepare for arrivals and remember your guest's names. If they are on Business, make sure that you have the correct company name. Do your guests have small children? What was the reason for staying before? These simple questions can be recorded so that you have easy access next time this guest stays. If you are interested in your guests they will want to stay again.

In Conclusion.

We hope that you have found these points useful. It is important to know that when you implement them you will see an increasing your repeat business. You must implement and continue to use these systems to see the results that you desire and deserve. To start with, we suggest that you do a quick assessment of where you are today and what percentage of repeat business you already have. Do you even have the information to do this? if not, you now know how and can make a start today.

For some of these suggestions, they are the start of your business procedures file and should be recorded as such. For others, they are giving you vital information about your business which should be recorded and reviewed regularly to see the best results. They can become part of your business plan in the future. It is always satisfying to go back and compare and see just how much you have improved.

All of these points will help you have a higher repeat business and cut down on your advertising costs. They will make your business run smoother, more efficiently and be more fun to run.

Good luck and remember, to see the benefits you must take action today.

By Liz Beaumont