How to Profit from Customization

How to Profit from Customization
JB Interesting the word "customization and customer" If you read this article, can you please share ways in which we as innkeepers can put this into practice? I think one of the key reasons many of our customers enjoy a B&B experience is the personalization, being treated with a personal touch, interaction, etc vs hired help at a hotel. Hotels use the principal "one size fits all" but should we? What can we do to be more personal and customize?

Actually, it's one of my biggest complaints when it comes to hotels. They should be collecting so much data, but they don't. In our case we do remember the requirements of certain repeat guests. I have one couple that needs a restaurant that is French but has several boring dishes on the menu. They don't eat things like duck or deer, so they need restaurant recommendations that have chicken, fish, beef and pork.
In some cases we have a note for a guest who may need an extra towel in the room or won't eat certain items.
BUT... where I think we are going is towards a world where we have more and more customized product for those with the money to afford it. To give you an example... I had a guest spend $600 to have a taxi driver do a complete day-trip for them to a city 2.5 hours away. Picked them up at the house, drove them there, drove them around town, worked as tour guide and drove them back in the evening. I this there is a whole world of these people who will pay for the experience and yet you see tour companies saying "minimum 10 people" instead of simply putting a minimum price, like $200 minimum for a tour for up to 10 people and $15 extra over 10. There are people who will pay that $200 just to have a private knowledgeable guide.
Heck, I'm seeing people paying $150 for a taxi to take them from the airport to the city they are staying in, to avoid taking the city bus ($1) and an inter-city bus ($4). Yes.... that's right, it's $1 for the city bus and then an hour and a half on the inter-city bus is just $4. And people instead are taking a taxi for $150!

we have notes on our software - ie one chap is VERY tall always make sure he has a king room with no footboard - but in the UK with freedom of information we have to be careful of what we put as they can request to see it at any time - plus I think too much is a little bit stalkerie ie he likes earl grey tea is one thing but there are limits.

I think that the biggest customization in most b&bs is our breakfast, especially for special diets. It's also the thing we bellyache about the most.
I make notes in our system about the breakfasts/foods they were served and if there were any parts of it they didn't eat. They won't get served the same thing next time. I also notate their breakfast time and beverage. When they return, they think that I actually remember these things! I also make notes of some topics of conversation we had (number of kids, what kind of work they do, etc).
Face it, customization takes more time, energy, sometimes money and thought. It's not easy, but it's worth it.
When I was developing our small wedding/elopement biz, I really wanted our couples to be able to customize what they wanted so they could have the ease of having us do all the leg work, but let them create an individual experience and not just a cookie cutter one. As the article mentions, you can't give them too much choice. It's worked well for us.
It's definitely more work, but I think there are more benefits also.

The profit is definitely in the repeat business. I know a lot of folks want online bookings only but I tell guests, "just call, I've got your info so you don't have to type it in."
Some folks just make their Rez online but I'll include a message in the email saying we're looking forward to seeing them again. Are they still not eating xyz?
We used to have guests who managed a boutique hotel. When I would bring them their glass of water with lemon but no ice he would laugh and say, "gotta love the CMS!" Altho, he was wrong. I did actually remember what they liked.
I think working with other small, local businesses to provide a "unique" experience is also a way to maximize the profit for the stay at your place. It gives the guest a reason to pick you.

I had a lady who lived in a CITY but but came to ride the rail-trail. She was fearful of riding by herself - so I went with her. (Being small and early on in business helped) She came sooooo many times. We also figured out she liked to sit on the porch reading and wanted oatmeal. So I started setting up a table on the porch with oatmeal, a dish of brown sugar, a dish of blueberries, etc just like the dining room.
My first guest ever was surprised on her second visit that I remembered and had a fiber-fill pillow for her (in a different color pillowcase for ID purposes) because she could not have feathers near her face.
One thing I like about speaking with the guests (I call for credit card number rather than input online - many of them really like this) is I find out why they are coming so can suggest routes, places to visit on the way, and can sometimes do something small based on what they talked about. A GUEST told us DH had post-polio syndrome and because we now knew about it, we were able to tell a guest SHE had it - lifted the weight of the world from her shoulders - and told her abut a post-polio clinic. (She came back to tell us she not only had post-polio but also MS. But now her problems had a name.)
I totally believe these are part of why people come back. Some of my guest have formed an attachment for things in town and still send checks to the Chapel and the Lord's Pantry.

Madeleine said:

The profit is definitely in the repeat business. I know a lot of folks want online bookings only but I tell guests, "just call, I've got your info so you don't have to type it in."
Some folks just make their Rez online but I'll include a message in the email saying we're looking forward to seeing them again. Are they still not eating xyz?
We used to have guests who managed a boutique hotel. When I would bring them their glass of water with lemon but no ice he would laugh and say, "gotta love the CMS!" Altho, he was wrong. I did actually remember what they liked.
I think working with other small, local businesses to provide a "unique" experience is also a way to maximize the profit for the stay at your place. It gives the guest a reason to pick you..

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We've had a couple repeat guests, but we have one right now that brought us a terrarium. A really nice gift.
They bring their own food and just want to sit on the porch. The live in the big city and come for the ocean air.
He watches out for the coffee pot to make sure it's filled with water. Every evening at 5, they need ice for their cocktails.
I have a feeling they will come back for years.

Joey Camb said:

we have notes on our software - ie one chap is VERY tall always make sure he has a king room with no footboard - but in the UK with freedom of information we have to be careful of what we put as they can request to see it at any time - plus I think too much is a little bit stalkerie ie he likes earl grey tea is one thing but there are limits..

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If a guest tells us they are GF or allergic to any item, then it's noted in their reservation. Beyond that I do not list what I feed them or notes about their family, etc. The ones we are very friendly with, we remember all of this. One reason I don't bother with what I fed them is that I have favorite items and if they get it again, I can't worry about that. With so many guests coming with restrictions, I make what I can that day and if a guest had it before, then so be it. They don't get it during that same visit twice however. They obviously like my food and the time they had or they wouldn't have come back. I don't want to worry myself about ever feeding someone the same thing twice. Now I do remember the favorite items of a couple of guests and if they are coming I try to fit those in, but again I have too much to deal with on a daily basis in the kitchen to set myself up for being upset that I might feed someone the same thing again or that they loved it and I need to do it when I might have just done it the day before or that they picked the red peppers out of the frittata. Too much to stress about. Kudos to those of you who do though.

Efficient customization is the result of what happens on the front end of a user experience. We have three points in the funnel to gather information. We work hard to make those points as beneficial as we can for both us and the customer.
What this means? Very few unpleasant surprises at breakfast for the chef. Often very pleasant surprises for the gluten free or dairy free or no meat guest, who is getting a planned customization.
Our destination is not as conducive to managing other customizations since we are not a weekend getaway with lots of return guests. We do have return guests, but the cycle is often quite long, 1 to 3 years.

MtnKeeper said:

Joey Camb said:

we have notes on our software - ie one chap is VERY tall always make sure he has a king room with no footboard - but in the UK with freedom of information we have to be careful of what we put as they can request to see it at any time - plus I think too much is a little bit stalkerie ie he likes earl grey tea is one thing but there are limits..

Click to expand...

If a guest tells us they are GF or allergic to any item, then it's noted in their reservation. Beyond that I do not list what I feed them or notes about their family, etc. The ones we are very friendly with, we remember all of this. One reason I don't bother with what I fed them is that I have favorite items and if they get it again, I can't worry about that. With so many guests coming with restrictions, I make what I can that day and if a guest had it before, then so be it. They don't get it during that same visit twice however. They obviously like my food and the time they had or they wouldn't have come back. I don't want to worry myself about ever feeding someone the same thing twice. Now I do remember the favorite items of a couple of guests and if they are coming I try to fit those in, but again I have too much to deal with on a daily basis in the kitchen to set myself up for being upset that I might feed someone the same thing again or that they loved it and I need to do it when I might have just done it the day before or that they picked the red peppers out of the frittata. Too much to stress about. Kudos to those of you who do though.
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I had to repeat my baked oatmeal on a 4-night stay because one brother did not get here the first night and was wanting it. The others quickly agreed - make it again because it was awesome. Woohoo

Breakfast Diva said:

I think that the biggest customization in most b&bs is our breakfast, especially for special diets. It's also the thing we bellyache about the most.
I make notes in our system about the breakfasts/foods they were served and if there were any parts of it they didn't eat. They won't get served the same thing next time. I also notate their breakfast time and beverage. When they return, they think that I actually remember these things! I also make notes of some topics of conversation we had (number of kids, what kind of work they do, etc).
Face it, customization takes more time, energy, sometimes money and thought. It's not easy, but it's worth it.
When I was developing our small wedding/elopement biz, I really wanted our couples to be able to customize what they wanted so they could have the ease of having us do all the leg work, but let them create an individual experience and not just a cookie cutter one. As the article mentions, you can't give them too much choice. It's worked well for us.
It's definitely more work, but I think there are more benefits also..

Click to expand...

We do this also. It does help . We also keep track of where they went, when they come here. So the next time we can suggest other place for them to visit if they wish. If they say the children are having a baby we mark that down. So the next time we can remark on their new grandchild. Does it bring us a lot of repeats .. No not really.