Every day I am amazed at just how little attention is paid
by some hospitality operators to how their businesses are
portrayed.
Often it's the small details that let down the whole
enterprise - the out of date brochure with photographs
taken years ago, the badly written A-board or the old
fashioned sign (probably broken).
Research indicates that you have about 20 seconds to make a
first impression. In that time your prospect has had a
chance to view your product and weigh up in his or her mind
whether or not it meets their expectations.
Address these 10 aspects of your business and you will
certainly be on the way to boosting your image:
1 Colour
Colour is energy and it affects our mood and influences our
behaviour.
Angela Wright is a colour psychologist and she used to run
a hotel 'We quickly learned how to use colour. Blue never
works in a restaurant. A little bit of red in the bar
worked well. Green seemed to work pretty much anywhere. Too
much yellow in a bedroom and you'd have bad-tempered
guests'.
In looking at how colour is used in print or decoration it
is not enough to just refer to blue or red, since there is
no such thing as a universally attractive colour. It is the
variations in each colour that are important since two
variations of the same colour can have completely different
effects. Our response is not to one colour but to colours
in combination. Choose a palette of colours and stick to it.
2 Photography
Nearly everyone has a digital camera and thinks that they
can save money by taking their own images. But photography
is an art and great photos will repay your investment for
years to come.
Just look on any of the third party hotel internet sites
(Booking.com, LateRooms.com etc) and you will see hotels
trying to boost weekend occupancy by showing images of
their conference rooms. Bizarre!
3 Names
If your business is already running then the name is
usually OK unless it had terrible reputation and you are
changing markets. Who can say that VW made the right
decision to stick with the Skoda name?
Remember that your reputation comes from how you run your
business, not from the name. Who would have thought that a
hotel called 'Holiday Inn' would become one of the most
successful brands in the corporate market? However do make
sure that you avoid any negative connotations.
4 Typography
To have a coherent image your typography must have a unique
personality. Although it may seem simple to 'just choose a
typeface' there are so many options for getting it wrong
that you will soon recognise a page layout that has been
set up by an expert. Have a graphic designer give you a
sample design template to use as a standard and then make
sure that this is followed each time you produce a piece of
print.
5 Logo
A logotype is set of words in a determined type font.
Legibility is imperative, as is its use on signs, letters
and T-shirts. Logos need to be distinctive but also
durable. You can use recognised typefaces or design
something entirely new and individual. Whatever you use, it
needs to express your positioning and your personality. The
colours you use will also be an expression of the palette
that you chose to represent your hotel.
6 Paper
Your use of certain types of paper is an expression of what
you are trying to achieve with your target market. For
instance, using a piece of flimsy 80gsm paper will not be a
very good advertisement for a gourmet dinner at $100 per
person. Look at the competition and see where you fit.
Brochures that are 12 pages and have tissue paper
interleaves might give a misleading impression about your
great value budget hotel!
7 Wording
Every hotel has to develop its own personality and the
words you use reflect this. Whenever you write text keep
the copy simple and direct. Humour is always interesting
but can be a little aggravating if you try too hard. Quirky
works well if it is done well, but only if it reflects you
and your business.
But do be careful. I received a mailing from Virgin Media
(a cable company) that said '...it's a doddle for one of
our nice engineer types to pop round and make it happen.'
Oh that it were true!
8 Outside
The outside is what prospects see first so, if it puts them
off, they will never know what the inside is like.
There are many different types of signage material. Plastic
suits fast food outlets and traditional wooden signs suit
pubs and country house hotels. Keep the wording simple and
to the point and make sure that these words are readable
from the road and well lit at night.
9 Inside
Once clients or guests are inside you don't want to destroy
the image that they have already built up about your venue.
This is where your colour palette comes in and needs to
guide every decision you make about the soft furnishings
that you use.
Ensure you constantly check out the atmosphere to make sure
that it is warm enough, smells good and is not too noisy.
10 Consistency
Consistency in communication builds value. For instance,
your recruitment adverts need to have the same style as
your promotions. Any and every communication from you needs
to be instantly recognisable as being from you, either in
the consistent use of your colour or the way that the words
are laid out.
Make considered choices about all these 10 aspects and your
business will definitely prosper.
----------------------------------------------------
Michael Cockman is a marketing mentor to the hospitality
industry. To find out how Michael's fixed-price graphic
design service including logos, stationery, brochures,
menus and signage could benefit your business go to =>
http://www.HPSCreativeDesign.com
Contact:
Michael Cockman
Hotel Profit Systems
7 Chancerygate Business Centre
Transport Way
Oxford OX4 6HE, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1865 772394
michael@HotelProfitSystems.com
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