5 Tips for Boutique Hotels Marketing to Remote Workers
Here's how to adapt your business for remote workers and digital nomads.
It’s 2021, and remote work has become one of the biggest mega-trends to prevail post-pandemic. As teams realise the benefits of remote work, it’s predicted at least 70% of the workforce will be remote by 2025 - which means office workers will no longer need to be in metropolitan areas to keep their jobs. In fact, they could be anywhere in the world.
While the workforce has changed quickly, the hospitality market has failed to adapt. However, there are a few steps you can take as a boutique hotel business to keep up with remote work travelers.
1. Fast and Reliable WiFi, everywhere
This is a non-negotiable. Without it, you cannot appeal to remote workers. If the internet drops during an important board meeting or job interview, you may have cost your guest a client, or a job - this is the impetus for an awful review.
How to Implement: We recommend a speed of around 200 MBPS with extenders on every floor, as well as having a backup internet with a different provider. If you’re in a remote location where outages are common, we recommend a generator and/or a solar system for ensuring you have consistent power, too.
2. Flexible Pricing
A quick equation for you: would you prefer having 40 guests staying for 1 night, and paying $150 per night at 60% occupancy (RevPar: $90), or 10 guests paying $2500 per month at 100% occupancy (RevPar: $82)? Consider the fact that with the 10 guests - you will have minimal operational expenses, and there will be far fewer OTA marketing fees.
How to Implement: At Outsite, we implement dynamic pricing for a our Partners to ensure they’re attracting long term guests - not short stay customers.
3. Work Friendly Amenities
In an office, you have an ergonomic chair, desk and screen provided. However, in hotels, none of those are available to you. If you can implement the bare minimum of a desk and chair in the room, your guests are now able to take video calls in a private space. This is a huge value add for remote workers.
How to Implement: Do you have a breakfast area, or lobby? Can you consider making that more work friendly? Add desks, ensure the temperature is comfortable, and the atmosphere is calm. This is a common tactic used by forward thinking hotels, too.
4. Remote workers = Extended stays = Well-used Kitchens
Remote workers stay between a week, and several months. It’s unlikely they will order takeout for every meal, and you’ll need to facilitate cooking at home. Big kitchens and small kitchenettes make this easy for guests. Want them to eat at your restaurant? Consider whether this operation is really making you money - you may make more profit from turning this into a public facing coworking space.
How To Implement: Consider how you can change your staff kitchen into an asset for guests - can you improve appliances, add signs, and make it into a warm and inviting space?
5. Retrain reception staff to be Community Managers
This generation prefers self check-in to filling papers on reception - this can all be done digitally now, so save yourself time and resources by ensuring it’s done online.
How To Implement: Keep your reception staff, but ensure they know how to make guests feel welcomed, and know how to organise group activities - whether it’s surfing or house dinners. At Outsite, we provide training for all Community Managers, and have specific tools in each location for making sure guests socialise.
