Tastes are changing. More and more, travelers are opting to stay in accommodations that offer authentic experiences and unique opportunities. In effect, they’re looking to stay like a local, which often runs contrary to the corporate, cookie-cutter branding that traditional hotels are unfortunately bound to.
Hotels should focus on marketing their properties as local, historic, distinct, or somehow emblematic of their location. As the best Airbnb hosts do, hotels could offer helpful tips and insights on things to do in the near vicinity — not in an elegant brochure, but rather in a simple, friendly, bullet-pointed email that feels more like personalized advice.
In that same regard, hosts could benefit from personalizing their concierge service. When a client books an Airbnb, they have a profile of the host and a number of the reviews. As the industry currently stands, when someone books a hotel, they have no such information on the hotel staff. Consider assigning guests to ‘hosts’ who send automated welcome emails and serve as the guest’s trusted point of contact.