Hotels are one of the places in the world that can give a person experiences that are unforgettable. The sole purpose of a hotel is to accommodate a person in a way that is best that it possibly can while a person is able to relax and enjoy himself or herself without having worries of cleaning up. When a person books a reservation to stay in a hotel, they usually try to get more from the hotel. They are most likely to first look at the cost and compare it to other hotels in the surroundings. Secondly, whether the location of the hotel is where there are many shopping centers and restaurants and availability of transport in the event that a person was not able to rent a car. Lastly, it will be if it has some amenities that will make the stay of a person be comfortable. All the above is what hotels have been offering for a number of years. Nowadays customers are looking for more than the maid services and the beds that are comfortable. This paper is going to look at how the value proposition in the hotel industry has evolved for changes in the behavior of guests across generations.
There are hotels that are in dire need of value proposition and will help in increasing the choice and satisfaction of the customers. A value proposition is the hotels being able to deliver not only on customer service but also on the services that customers may desire or want which can go beyond their expectations and needs (Burritt & Kilara, 2016). Many hotels offer similar things like cleaning rooms, parking that is complementary, offering Wi-Fi for free, and services for rooms which are at times are overpriced. There are ways that hotels can use in the creation of a value proposition that is favorable. All that the hotels need to do is to understand the needs of the customers which are different. The customers are not the same which makes them want things that are different. It is important for hotels to try putting themselves in positions that they will be able to exceed the accommodations that are basic to the customers that they usually serve. The hotel industry needs to be clear on the things they can be able to do for the customers and always keep in mind why they qualify to be the best choice when they are compared to competitors.
The hotel industry is diverse and can change at any given time depending on the season. For hotels to be able to stay ahead of the competition, a SWOT analysis is needed (Valentin, 2005). When a SWOT analysis is conducted a hotel will be able to know how value proposition has evolved when it comes to the changes in behavior of the guests across all generation. Years back, when a person booked a hotel, it was all concerned with having a place for a person to rest and for taking a shower. Nowadays, travelers want an experience for a vacation that is ultimate. There are a number of incentives like upgrading the hotels in what they have been offering in the past which are no longer enough. Items like coffee makers in a room when there is an inclusion of a continental breakfast that is free and a courtesy call for waking up or checking out are minimal when it comes to reserving a hotel room. Customers need and want more and hoteliers have been creative with ideas that are new for their customers to get the best experience.
When it comes to value propositions, hotels have come a long way. The expectations of customers are different because people are not the same. In the hotels’ industry clients are of different types and the following are some of the ways that hotels have been able to use value proposition for addressing the needs of customers in the past years. For the people who travel frequently, incentives like loyalty programs have been introduced in the past years as a way of appreciating the clients for choosing them most of the times. This is done by adding a merit system so that they can be able to earn night stays for free or a room which is upgraded because of their loyalty. In the past, there were no things like Wi-Fi in hotels. The hotel industry has come to realize that accessing the internet is important just like getting a bed that is comfortable. The requirement of being online even when a person is on vacation is essential for business people and also the leisure travelers. Most of the hotels nowadays are offering Wi-Fi because they know many of the guests expects them to have the service because it is nowadays a norm (Olsen & Connolly, 2000). For the people taking family vacations together with their children, they expect the environment to be family friendly.
For hotels to be able to retain repeat customers, value proposition needs to be tailored to the customers that they serve. This does not matter if a hotel is an economy or luxury hotel, customer’s value things like location, prices, and the room quality. What can grasp the attention is the amenities that the hotel offers, programs which will show appreciation and partner with other businesses that will give customers discounts (“North Americans feel better about hotels than ever. The goodwill is unlikely to last”, 2016). Hotels will be able to achieve relationships that are sustainable and long-term through value proposition with the customers that are currently in a hotel, the present ones and the ones who will come in the future. The major responsibility of the hotels is to understand what the customers want and use a strategy that can be personalized by each of the customers.
- Burritt, K., & Kilara, T. (2016). Learning from Customer Centricity in Other Industries A Primer.
- North Americans feel better about hotels than ever. The goodwill is unlikely to last. (2016). Hotels &Motels; Customer Satisfaction; Timesharing.
- Olsen, M. D., & Connolly, D. J. (2000). Experience-based travel: How technology is changing the hospitality industry. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 30-40.
- Valentin, E. K. (2005). Away with SWOT analysis: use defensive/offensive evaluation instead. The Journal of Applied Business Research, 21(2), 91-105.