A Holiday Season Preparation Guide for the Hospitality Industry

Posted on: November 21, 2018 by RMS Hospitality

The holidays are already here and travelers are scrambling to get last-minute plans settled before they head out to visit friends and family. Highways will be busier, hotels will be fuller and airports will be slammed. In fact, experts are expecting bigger-than-usual numbers expected for holiday travel this year.

With this in mind, those working in and running the hospitality industry—from restaurants to coffee shops to hotels—need to be active in preparing for a busier season. Here are some ways hotels and restaurants can stay ready for the holidays.

Plan Early and Often

While at other times of the year the hospitality industry may be able to take it easy and go with the flow, such as in slow seasons, the holidays are not a time to try this method out. Before the crowds start heading into hotels and restaurants for the holidays, these places need to have hospitality insurance already set to protect against the many liabilities that come with a busier season. The more people that come through the doors, the more slips and falls that could happen, for instance.

Also, employers need to make sure they staff up as full as they can from Veteran’s Day through New Year’s weekend and make a strict policy for taking time off during this time. One way to encourage this is to have employees put their time off requests in by a certain date. Managers should also be aware of the health and wellness of employees during this time of year and make sure that adequate breaks are given and that enough people are working to give everyone a rest when they need it. Having a plan to keep people fresh and alert, as well as looking into insurance for restaurants will keep things prepared.

Stay Mobile

In today’s consumer world, phones, tablets and email marketing have the power to drive sales and boost foot traffic. Whether it’s a restaurant looking to keep things busy during the holidays or a hotel looking to rent out their rooms through the end of the year, having a good online presence is key.

Some ideas for this include getting involved on social media channels by posting engaging visual content and connecting with regular or potential customers. Inspire user-generated content by asking guests to post pics on Facebook or tag someone on Instagram. Reach out to customers with great holiday deals on room rates or special holiday packages via email or offer up limited time specials at restaurants when people come in during certain times of the month. Either way, engaging people online and through apps continues to prove its worth in gold.

Be Vocal

With the implementation of smart speakers, such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa, there’s now a huge push to apply voice search to sales and marketing strategies. This growing trend is taking over practically every corner of the hospitality and commerce worlds. Google is even predicting a 30% jump in voice searches, in regards to its overall search rate statistics, by 2020. Voice searches are longer and more detailed, and usually ping SEO-heavy results found on Google. With this now a reality, hotels and restaurants need to improve their efforts to make their presence known on search engines with smart SEO-driven content and landing page work. This will allow them to show up on searches better and put them in a position to be targeted by potential customers and guests.

Get Noticed

Outside of getting high-tech, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and hotels can create a welcoming and festive atmosphere by sprucing up their locations with holiday décor. Those in the hospitality industry can make things special for the holiday season by enhancing the décor and adding seasonal touches on tables, in waiting areas, check-in desks, etc. It would even help to have an in-house band play holiday hits on special nights or have some more fun with it and host a karaoke or open mic night.

About RMS Hospitality Group

At RMS Hospitality Group, our expertly crafted policies are written specifically for the hospitality industry. We offer custom tailored solutions to meet any venue’s specific needs. For  more information, contact our knowledgeable experts today at (888) 359-8390.

Posted in: blog Restaurant Insurance

Tagged: Holiday Season Holidays 2018 Hospitality Insurance Hospitality Insurance Program Insurance for Restaurants