It’s no longer easy to stand out from the competition as a hotel these days. Prices have become significantly more transparent and competitive through the internet. Accordingly, it’s difficult to stand out in the same price category by offering special amenities or services. But sometimes it’s the small things like the SMS for a few cents that can make the difference.
SMS are a cost-effective way to offer customers a small added value. For example, an SMS can be sent on the day of arrival that welcomes the guest and provides them with additional information such as check-in times.
„We look forward to your visit and wish you a pleasant journey. Your room is available from 12:00. If you have any questions, please contact us at 01234-456789. Your hotel„
Some hotels even go a step further and automatically send the guest a „SMS to their room“ a few minutes after check-in via an SMS gateway, in which a pleasant stay is requested and offers are highlighted. Of course, such services could also be provided in person by phone, but unfortunately there is often not enough time for that, and the costs far exceed the cost of sending an SMS, which can already be sent for 1.6 cents.
„We would like to welcome you once again to our hotel. We hope the room meets your expectations and that you have a pleasant stay at our hotel. Our reception team is available 24/7 via the short number 1000 with your room phone or 01234-456789 from your mobile phone. Your hotel. PS: A Tatar from Red Snapper will be served in the restaurant today.„
But even in the booking process, SMS can still be helpful. Booking confirmations by email are often hardly noticed, probably also due to the abundance of information. If you send the booking by SMS, errors in the booking are more likely to be noticed quickly, since an SMS is practically always read to the end. This allows problems to be detected in time, and the customer also saves on printing the booking confirmation.
„We hereby confirm your reservation at the hotel ABC, Twin-Room. Arrival on 01.01.2013. Departure on 02.01.2013. If you have any questions about your reservation, we are happy to assist you at 01234-456789. We thank you for your reservation and look forward to your stay.”.„
Sending such SMS messages is relatively easy to implement. Services like Lox24 offer cloud SMS, so that your own system only needs an internet connection. The SMS delivery can then be automatically integrated into your own booking system, and instead of or in addition to email, an SMS is simply sent via the gateway. Smaller hotels that shy away from the effort of such an implementation can also send SMS via the website or Outlook.