Steps to follow to open your first hotel

Opening a small hotel is a dream for those who enjoy interacting with people and want to run their own business. Unfortunately, opening your own doors isn’t enough to get it right the first time. You’ll need careful research, management and financial planning to run a successful hotel. Keep all this in mind and follow our advice!

Market research involves gathering and analyzing information to identify the market and its characteristics. This work is necessary if you are to ask the right questions. Thanks to this study, you’ll be able to identify your competitors, suppliers, customers and their different expectations. You can also position yourself on price and set your strategy for attracting the maximum number of customers. In this way, you can check whether your project is viable.

Your location must meet the needs of your target group. Your catchment area must be sufficiently large, and you need to be close to shops and tourist attractions. You’ll also need to provide parking. Being close to an airport or train station is a real bonus, not to mention public transport. Your hotel needs to be well served.

Above all, don’t rush into choosing the right premises. This is a crucial decision. In fact, choosing premises that are in good condition and comply perfectly with health and safety regulations can save you months of investment in renovations.

For your launch strategy to work in a sector as competitive as the hotel industry, you absolutely must promote your establishment through a website. It will also make it easier for your future customers to find you, and will enable you to rank well in search engines. This is the ideal opportunity to define your graphic charter. Include attractive images of your rooms and suites.

And offer an online reservation system.

You need an effective marketing strategy to promote your hotel and build customer loyalty. Don’t forget to master your digital reputation, given that all reservations are now made online. Manage your social networks through community management. You can promote your establishment by developing partnerships with other players in the tourism industry: travel agencies, tourist offices, guidebooks, etc.

The welcome your travelers receive is crucial to the rest of their stay. A friendly, smiling welcome is essential. Register your customers’ arrival and deal with administrative formalities. When they leave, prepare invoices and collect payment. In addition, for a very successful welcome, inform guests about the services offered by the hotel, cultural and gastronomic activities in your town, and give them the wifi code and useful numbers. Alternatively, go digital! Simply let them scan the QR code they’ll find in their room, and they’ll have access to your digital welcome booklet on their mobile. Simple and effective!