Most Guests Don't Know This: How To Make The Most Of Your Hotel Stay

Most people don’t fully maximize their hotel stay. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the most common one is that many guests don’t know. It is enough for them that they can enjoy a few nights (or perhaps just a weekend) in a place other than their home. However, hoteliers are encouraging their guests to maximize their stay with some of these tips.

Book on your birthday: Most hotel chains provide a complimentary champagne or even just a bouquet of flowers when they know it’s their guest’s birthday. Do note that they also check if the guest is telling the truth. This is done through a simple ID verification. However, booking during this time will add an extra oomph to the guest’s stay.

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Use the hotel spa: Guests always pass by the spa without trying out its services. This is a shame since many hotels take the time to really indulge their guests with exquisite spa services. Guests can ask the concierge if room service is available. Even for hotels that do not have an in-house spa, guests can relax and unwind with a nice warm bath and cucumber slices over the eyes as they lounge in their fluffy bathrobes.

Sample the hotel bar: Every hotel comes with their own bar. The good ones even hire the best bartenders to make unique drinks. Guests should try asking their local bartender for the house special. Guests are often surprised how these concoctions are better than what they can sample outside.

Ask for a tour: Guests rarely ask for this but is actually part of every hotel’s services. It is not enough that guests can browse the website, hotels encourage their guests to ask for a guided tour. This way, they can fully see all the amenities and features.

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Another great way to maximize one’s stay is to get a really good night’s sleep. Hotel beds are made for comfort and relaxation. This is why more people are choosing hotels as their mini-vacation destination.

John Jefferis is a highly-respected hotelier. For more on the hospitality industry, like this Facebook page.

Edible Resorts: A New Tasty Trend In The Hospitality Industry

In choosing a hotel or accommodation, consumers consider many factors. The most common are the location, price, and their or others’ previous experiences with the hotel. But the demographics of travelers is continually evolving, and so are their preferences in choosing which hotel to stay in.

Now, travelers are looking for places where they can have new experiences; some examples are culture and cuisine.

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This is why travelers have hotels that offer farm-to-table and ocean-to-plate dining high on their list. Not only do they enjoy the place, they get to try local produce and food choices. What hotels and resorts typically do is work with local partners, harvesting and bringing in their crops to either use as ingredients or market to customers.

But this has leveled up in recent years. Instead of sourcing produce from outside, some hotels and resorts grow their own plants – giving rise to edible resorts.

In Cikat, Croatia, the Bellevue Hotel has transformed their once-vacant and redundant roof spaces into attractive and useful fragrant herb gardens. As soon as the guests wake up, they can watch the kitchen staff harvest the herbs, which are then used in the restaurant.

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In the Kittitian Hills in St. Kitts, they added organic plant nurseries and arable landscapes around their golf course, where goats are also free to roam around and graze. The produce are brought to the restaurant, sold at the farm, or given to those in need within their community.

For more interesting reads about the hotel industry, visit this John Jefferis blog.

The Business Of Smiles: How Hotels Thrive On Customer Service

No other industry relies more on customer service than the hotel sector. It can be argued that an excellent staff - and consequently how they make guests feel - can make or break a chain. Customer service in hotel management is critical because it can directly impact revenue generated. Several financial market studies reveal that guests place a premium in exemplary customer service, more so than other factors such as food, ambiance, and sleeping facilities. Listed below are some ways hotels thrive on providing their customers with a positive experience.

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Repeat client pool: Satisfied customers appreciate an energetic staff. Businesses are aware that customers typically leave feedback on popular media channels about their experience. If most of the reviews are negative, hotels often do not get repeat guests or even new ones. Hospitality outlets need to be mindful of this.

Keep the realism: Hotels should always be upfront about their chains. Hotels that are not five-stars should not label themselves as such. This only sets unrealistic expectations for the customer. They become disappointed, even if the service and amenities themselves were great. Remember that it is better to overdeliver than underperform.

Deliver on promises: That said, hotels need to keep their guests happy. This is done by assuring clients consistent and efficient service. Aside from proper representation, managers should take extra precautions to deliver on all proclaimed promises. This is ideal for repeat business and referral purposes.

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If - for whatever reason - a guest has a bad experience in a hotel, it is proper to understand how and why this happened. Feedback, even a negative one, is essential to maintaining a good hotel chain. Managers are asked to be understanding and diligent with complaints. Guests are usually more responsive when they feel their experience and feedback is important.

Learn from the expertise of trusted hotelier, John Jefferis by following this Facebook page.

Level-up your Tobago Vacation with Coco Reef Resort and Spa

Accommodation is an important part of any vacation. Mediocre lodging can ruin plans for a relaxing time out of town. On the other hand, stellar services can make a trip truly memorable. Coco Reef Resort and Spa is a place that has earned the loyalty of tourists whenever they stay in Tobago.

The award-winning resort is located a mile away from the airport, in the western town of Crown Point, close to Store Bay and Pigeon Point beaches. Despite its proximity to Tobago’s best beaches, the resort is known for its spacious and relaxing rooms, mostly with sea views. Visitors can also enjoy the well-manicured gardens, ocean view, and the refreshing sea air from the resort’s beachfront lounge.

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With a gym and a spa, guests can enjoy first-class service from the resort staff. Those who are looking for activities under the sun can sign up for water sports or have a chill day hanging by the pool. The resort also has a private white sand beach best for families, especially those with little kids.

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Tourism in Tobago is a fast-growing industry. Sites like Coco Reef that showcase the nation’s natural wonders draw in more tourists, who become frequent visitors through the years. This proves that excellent service makes people feel at home.

Top Caribbean Hotelier John Jefferis is the chairman and sole shareholder of the Palm Reed Hotel Development Company Limited and the Island Resorts International Limited. He is also a multi-awarded personality in the hotel industry, receiving the prestigious recognitions Caribbean Hotelier of the Year in 1990 and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000. For more articles on the hospitality business, visit this blog.

Online booking systems: Central to hotel reservations in modern times

A hotel or resort can no longer underestimate the importance of an online booking system. A big percentage of hotel reservations in the industry is made over the internet compared to traditional reservations via phone. Hotels that wish to expand their reach internationally should understand how an online platform provides convenience and accessibility to travelers from abroad. 

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An online booking system enhances customer service because it is open 24/7 to accept reservations. While the same is true for a 24-hour hotline, an online platform is more convenient because people are most likely to be in front of their office computers or have their mobile devices on them. Moreover, it skips the hassle of phone calls being queued when all operators are busy. 

An effective website and booking engine can also be designed to package promotions or deals on the dates the guest chooses. This creates opportunities for additional revenues. Other offers such as a pickup or limousine service can also be prompted. 

Lastly, by encouraging the majority of reservations to be done online, management can better track and analyze customer data in a structured system. This enables the marketing team to tailor fit loyalty programs to induce repeat business. 

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 John Jefferis, a distinguished hotelier with over 40 years of experience, is also the owner and chairman of Coco Reef Resorts. For more blogs about hotel management, follow this link.

The Importance Of Online Customer Reviews In The Hotel Industry

As consumers are spending more time on the internet either through their mobile phones or laptops, the proliferation of online reviews is inevitable.  Especially since these customers are given various channels to do so, such as social media and travel websites.

For a time, however, hotels ignored, dreaded, or even abhorred, these kinds of feedback.  It even got to a point where TripAdvisor was bombarded with lawsuits left and right.  Hotels alleged the travel review site published false and misleading comments.

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But that is all in the past now as hotels finally accept that online customer reviews are essential to operations and management.  The simple reason for this is economics.

It is estimated that by the end of the year, the global hotel industry would have generated $550 billion in revenue.  There is abundance in the market; the challenge for hotels then is to create various effective channels to tap into this market.

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Different market studies have shown that around half of consumers will not book a hotel that does not have online reviews. These studies have also illustrated that 59 percent of hotel customers who peruse online reviews are more likely to make room reservations.

While traditional marketing channels are effective in raising client bookings, analyzing and integrating online review websites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp can help hotels grow their business.  

John Jefferis is a multi-awarded hotelier and the founder of one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular tourist destinations, Coco Reef Resorts.  To read more about his credentials and accomplishments, check out this Facebook page.

The culinary traveler in the Caribbean

One of the most pleasurable parts of traveling is being able to experience a place's culinary offerings. And while the Caribbean Islands are known for their gorgeous beaches, laid-back, relaxing vibe, and luxurious resorts, the local cuisine is also worthy of praise. 

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Naturally, since the Caribbean is a network of islands, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some of their best dishes are made with the sea's freshest bounty. Conch fritters are a delectable Bahamian dish, salted codfish, and roasted breadfruit are a favorite in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, while Barbados natives swear by their crispy, battered fried flying fish cutters, served on fluffy salt bread with lettuce on the side. 

Aside from the aforementioned salt bread, the Caribbean also boasts a variety of mouthwatering bread and pastries. For instance, there's the roti from Trinidad and Tobago that's best eaten dipped in curry sauce, the popular Jamaican patty, which is essentially like the empanada with a yellow pastry that has a hint of turmeric, and endless filling options, and the typical Jamaican breakfast mélange of ackee fruit served with Johnny cakes and bammy, a local flatbread made from cassava. 

Other must-tries for the gourmet traveler is Aruba's keshi yena a gooey, messy, and cheesy delight made out of Gouda cheese shell that's stuffed with chicken, vegetables, and eggs, the Puerto Rican mofongo, a plantain and pork cracklings mash, and callaloo, a green stew of water spinach, amaranth, and okra, mixed with seafood, coconut milk, and chili. 

The Caribbean's beaches may have all the acclaim, deservedly so, but with the vast assortment of local dishes to choose from, culinary adventurers looking for a good meal will definitely be singing the islands' praises.

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 As the Bermuda-based chairman of Coco Reef Resort in Bermuda and Tobago, John Jefferis knows all about the area's hotel and tourism industry. Follow this Twitter account for updates and insights on travel and tourism in the Caribbean.