Thank you Breakfast Diva! Very good points from you and others. MUCH APPRECIATED and food for thought - no pun intended.
I could do vouchers and have thought about it. However, In my recent survey, I am getting comments that it is discounts that will bring guests back. And when rating the value of the room, I am getting good - not excellent. Compared to others in my area, I am average in rate - not the highest and not the lowest.
I believe we have a great Inn, very spacious suites, new mattresses, keep the linens nice, keep it very clean, but I honestly can not afford lower rates. Taxes kill me.
If I am going to supply a breakfast of some sort, add shampoos to the inventory, etc. Will it really bring me more traffic??? We do have microwaves, toasters, small fridges, I can add the shampoo, but I have no way to clean up breakfast even if it were delivered. I am trying to see the ROI - UGH.......
If you don't have a kitchen and you only clean guest suites when they leave, forget food altogether. I wouldn't even have toasters, micros & fridges if you are not in the rooms daily cleaning up.
Just having guests take cookies to the rooms leaves a trail all thru the house! I can't imagine if they were all cooking Hungry Man dinners in the micro!
Yeah, shampoo is not gonna bring them back if they want discounts! However, keep in mind guests will SAY one thing and respond to something completely different. If they're saying discounts it may mean they don't see the value in what you're offering. Rather than discount offer the breakfast basket for free. Include daily cleaning. For a discount to work it usually has to be substantial (if they're saying it's discounting that will bring them back).
I'm guessing you have outside employment and that's why the charge for cleaning. Paying someone won't work then because it will cost way more than you save. But I would stop stating there's a charge and just don't clean until they leave.
The breakfast could be easy muffins, yogurt, boxed cereal and milk. Throw in a hard boiled egg or two. You won't spend as much on that as you would on a discount and you get the value box ticked.
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