The internet is invaluable in the hospitality industry
IN the age of the global traveller where everything from air-tickets to hotel rooms are booked online, the internet is our modern-day equivalent of “word-of-mouth†communication, where a single review of a business may become the deciding factor on whether another customer patronises your busine
Opiyo Oloya
IN the age of the global traveller where everything from air-tickets to hotel rooms are booked online, the internet is our modern-day equivalent of “word-of-mouth†communication, where a single review of a business may become the deciding factor on whether another customer patronises your business or not, especially if you are in the hotel hospitality business.
There is nothing scientific or even remotely objective about these personal opinions of likes and dislikes, but, boy, they carry a hefty punch to drum or dry up a business! For instance, take the latest internet ratings of hotels around the globe by ordinary reviewers on Expedia, a one-stop internet travel website for flights, transportation, and hotels.
Expedia claims to have received as many as 570,116 new travellers’ opinions on hotels across the world in 2009. These opinions “reviewed more than 114,000 hotels and resorts, giving each one a numerical score.†It further claims that “these scores are completely independent of advertisers and partnersâ€. A total of 2525 hotels from Africa, Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, South America, North America, and Asia made the cut of what Expedia calls the Insiders’ Select 2010.
So where do Africa’s hotels rate on this unscientific survey of travellers’ personal and subjective opinions? Altogether, 82 hotels from 10 African countries, a meagre 3 percent of the selected hotels worldwide, made the list of global hotels selected by Expedia. Of the lot, fully 30 hotels or 36 percent are based in South Africa.
The remaining accolades went to Egypt (22 hotels) and Morocco (14 hotels). Tunisia, Mauritius, Tanzania, Seychelles, Namibia, Ghana and Mozambique chalked up the rest. Furthermore, there were some surprising elements in the survey. For instance, the second overall global pick was South Africa’s based Hide Away Guest House located in the small town of Knysna, east of Cape Town between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean, beating all the hotels in North America, Asia and the Caribbean. Only Galaxy Iraklio Hotel located in the town of Heraklion, Greece came on top at the number one spot. Meanwhile, Zamani Zanzibar Kempinski in Zanzibar which rated 117th globally held the second spot after Hideaway Guest House as Africa’s top-rated hotel. Other hotels of note in Africa according to the ratings were Radisson SAS Resort and Thalassa in Tunisia (ranked 175th), Mandela Rhodes Place, South Africa (ranked 184th), and Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor Hotel, Egypt (ranked 233rd). Now, here is the thing. One could easily dismiss these surveys as whimsical and totally overrated as the Miss Universe Pageant which rate young female contestants to determine who wears the crown. One could also dismiss them as useless gimmicks that are susceptible to manipulation by self-promoting hotels using multiple ghost reviewers. Except that the savvy global travellers pay attention to them, can distinguish real reviews from fake ones, and based on what the buzz is, will tend to go to those businesses that have been frequently reviewed and recommended.
For example, a quick read of what the patrons who stayed at the Hide Away Guest House are saying gives a flavour of why it may have made it to the top of Expedia’s survey list. A traveller from Florida wrote: “We had a wonderful stay at the Hide Away… The rooms were clean and comfortable with a beautiful view from our porch overlooking the lagoon. The owners were very efficient and accommodating, resulting in a very pleasant stay.â€
Another guest from Leeds, UK, who stayed in February this year wrote: “The hosts Cecil and Colleen are wonderful, they made us feel so comfortable in their home and more than welcome.†Meanwhile, travellers to Zamani Zanzibar were equally effusive in their appreciations of the hotel. A honeymooning couple wrote: “We were disappointed by the first hotel, and decided to move to Zamani. They brought us wine and flowers every night, the room was absolutely spectacular… †For whatever it is worth for those in the hospitality business, based on the Expedia report, and reviews on other popular websites like Tripadvisor or Hotels, there is a trend emerging on why one hotel might be rated higher than another with roughly the same amenities. It all comes down to the unquantifiable thing known as the “good vibeâ€, also known as the good treatment of guests. This may sound so pedestrian, as old as the hotel business itself. But, frankly, nobody wants to spend a single dollar in a hotel only to be abused, cheated, and thrown out like a piece of dirty rag.
Invariably, you might have small hotel rooms, yet if the service is professional, friendly and, above all, sensitive to the needs of the guest, you could generate the buzz, and returning customers.
For the hotel in Kampala, Nairobi, Kigali, Bujumbura, Lagos and elsewhere in Africa that did not make the cut in the Expedia Insiders’ Select list, there are certain tips to generate internet traffic. First, one needs to develop a signature service. The Sheraton Kampala, for example, receives guests with a cold glass of passion fruit juice. Serena Hotel next door quickly places flowers in the guest room, making you feel like a million dollar.
Meanwhile, for brunch, Edward and Mary Nsubuga of Edma Country Club outside Kampala, treat you like a beloved member of the family. They all work hard to make one feel like a valued guest.
Secondly, Africa’s numerous hotels need to learn to work the internet. By that I mean it is important to have a web presence.
A website that advertises the hotel’s amenities will always generate some traffic. Furthermore, as part of guest hospitality, hotels should find ways to get guests to review their services on the internet, say, on Expedia or Tripadvisor. It may not look like much investment, but, over time, it could bring new guests.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca
IN the age of the global traveller where everything from air-tickets to hotel rooms are booked online, the internet is our modern-day equivalent of “word-of-mouth†communication, where a single review of a business may become the deciding factor on whether another customer patronises your business or not, especially if you are in the hotel hospitality business.
There is nothing scientific or even remotely objective about these personal opinions of likes and dislikes, but, boy, they carry a hefty punch to drum or dry up a business! For instance, take the latest internet ratings of hotels around the globe by ordinary reviewers on Expedia, a one-stop internet travel website for flights, transportation, and hotels.
Expedia claims to have received as many as 570,116 new travellers’ opinions on hotels across the world in 2009. These opinions “reviewed more than 114,000 hotels and resorts, giving each one a numerical score.†It further claims that “these scores are completely independent of advertisers and partnersâ€. A total of 2525 hotels from Africa, Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, South America, North America, and Asia made the cut of what Expedia calls the Insiders’ Select 2010.
So where do Africa’s hotels rate on this unscientific survey of travellers’ personal and subjective opinions? Altogether, 82 hotels from 10 African countries, a meagre 3 percent of the selected hotels worldwide, made the list of global hotels selected by Expedia. Of the lot, fully 30 hotels or 36 percent are based in South Africa.
The remaining accolades went to Egypt (22 hotels) and Morocco (14 hotels). Tunisia, Mauritius, Tanzania, Seychelles, Namibia, Ghana and Mozambique chalked up the rest. Furthermore, there were some surprising elements in the survey. For instance, the second overall global pick was South Africa’s based Hide Away Guest House located in the small town of Knysna, east of Cape Town between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean, beating all the hotels in North America, Asia and the Caribbean. Only Galaxy Iraklio Hotel located in the town of Heraklion, Greece came on top at the number one spot. Meanwhile, Zamani Zanzibar Kempinski in Zanzibar which rated 117th globally held the second spot after Hideaway Guest House as Africa’s top-rated hotel. Other hotels of note in Africa according to the ratings were Radisson SAS Resort and Thalassa in Tunisia (ranked 175th), Mandela Rhodes Place, South Africa (ranked 184th), and Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor Hotel, Egypt (ranked 233rd). Now, here is the thing. One could easily dismiss these surveys as whimsical and totally overrated as the Miss Universe Pageant which rate young female contestants to determine who wears the crown. One could also dismiss them as useless gimmicks that are susceptible to manipulation by self-promoting hotels using multiple ghost reviewers. Except that the savvy global travellers pay attention to them, can distinguish real reviews from fake ones, and based on what the buzz is, will tend to go to those businesses that have been frequently reviewed and recommended.
For example, a quick read of what the patrons who stayed at the Hide Away Guest House are saying gives a flavour of why it may have made it to the top of Expedia’s survey list. A traveller from Florida wrote: “We had a wonderful stay at the Hide Away… The rooms were clean and comfortable with a beautiful view from our porch overlooking the lagoon. The owners were very efficient and accommodating, resulting in a very pleasant stay.â€
Another guest from Leeds, UK, who stayed in February this year wrote: “The hosts Cecil and Colleen are wonderful, they made us feel so comfortable in their home and more than welcome.†Meanwhile, travellers to Zamani Zanzibar were equally effusive in their appreciations of the hotel. A honeymooning couple wrote: “We were disappointed by the first hotel, and decided to move to Zamani. They brought us wine and flowers every night, the room was absolutely spectacular… †For whatever it is worth for those in the hospitality business, based on the Expedia report, and reviews on other popular websites like Tripadvisor or Hotels, there is a trend emerging on why one hotel might be rated higher than another with roughly the same amenities. It all comes down to the unquantifiable thing known as the “good vibeâ€, also known as the good treatment of guests. This may sound so pedestrian, as old as the hotel business itself. But, frankly, nobody wants to spend a single dollar in a hotel only to be abused, cheated, and thrown out like a piece of dirty rag.
Invariably, you might have small hotel rooms, yet if the service is professional, friendly and, above all, sensitive to the needs of the guest, you could generate the buzz, and returning customers.
For the hotel in Kampala, Nairobi, Kigali, Bujumbura, Lagos and elsewhere in Africa that did not make the cut in the Expedia Insiders’ Select list, there are certain tips to generate internet traffic. First, one needs to develop a signature service. The Sheraton Kampala, for example, receives guests with a cold glass of passion fruit juice. Serena Hotel next door quickly places flowers in the guest room, making you feel like a million dollar.
Meanwhile, for brunch, Edward and Mary Nsubuga of Edma Country Club outside Kampala, treat you like a beloved member of the family. They all work hard to make one feel like a valued guest.
Secondly, Africa’s numerous hotels need to learn to work the internet. By that I mean it is important to have a web presence.
A website that advertises the hotel’s amenities will always generate some traffic. Furthermore, as part of guest hospitality, hotels should find ways to get guests to review their services on the internet, say, on Expedia or Tripadvisor. It may not look like much investment, but, over time, it could bring new guests.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca