Independent hotels succeed against the odds. Yours can too.

All hotels have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years; pandemic, labor shortages, inflation, gas prices and competition from franchise brands moving into local markets. How do some independent hotels seem to rise above it all and succeed?

Success for any independent hotel owner comes with fundamental decision making to ensure a stable business base 52 weeks/year. This creates a manageable cash flow and utilizes labor more efficiently. Many hotel owners enjoyed the return of travel this summer as pent-up demand soared, but we are all far from stability. Winter is coming. The most successful independent hotels simply implement a few basics on a daily basis and understand it’s a long game;

Build business with a focus on “essential travel”, which is not the same as corporate travelers with large expense accounts that frequent Marriotts and Hiltons. Most corporate travel is not mandatory and has become an expendable budget item, while essential travel will have to continue. Look for essential traveler segments in your local market area;

• Construction
• Industrial
• Health Care
• Education
• Government
• Transportation
• Energy

Automate as much as possible. On any given day the impact is small but as days turn into months, year-end results can be enormous;

• Maximize the labor you have and minimize inefficiencies with housekeeping technology.
• Eliminate overbookings with automated PMS + channel manager and spend less time on reservation management pricing your channels.
• Consider an automated check in solution.

Reviews are the #1 fastest way to RevPAR growth. Again, this is a long game decision to make about your property. Invest in a few improvements now to increase your review score, and the results will brighten your future.

• By simply achieving a 4/5 on Google, hotels can increase rates 10-15%.
• Good reviews happen when guest expectations are met for cleanliness, good service and an experience that meets (or better yet exceeds) your hotel segment.
• With good reviews, you will sell fewer rooms at higher rates.

Independent hotel owners can increase revenue and reduce costs.