hotels - MyMarston`s

Segmented support:
HOTELS
Introduction
This support will be suitable for any
establishments that offer letting bedrooms.
Their size may differ but there will be relevant
elements of support for each.
Should any of the outlets have an
established pub trade attached to them,
other segment support may be suitable.
Consumer Groups
This will largely depend on the type of clientele the
hotel is trying to attract and its location. In some
instances the clientele may always be leisure
customers and in others, business customers.
Many, however, will have a mix of both types of
customers, differing from times of the year and
days of the week.
Leisure customers will be from across most social
backgrounds and differ in age profiles, they may tend
to be couples or groups of friends as
opposed to small family units.
Business customers will vary from contractors who
simply require a value for money ‘roof over their head’
to professionals that may require a little more from
their stay.
Key Consumer Drivers
• Location
• Clean establishment
• Good quality facilities
• Value for money
• Suitable noise levels
• Good food and drink
• Design and ambience of hotel
• Depending on target customers, various add ons
– TV, bottled water, tea and coffee
Segmented Support: HOTELS
INTRODUCTION
mymarstons.co.uk
WET OFFER
beers and minerals
Draught Lager
Where throughputs are low then you should reduce
the number of products that you have available,
as a rule you should be selling 11 gallons within
three days. If you only sell one or two products then
ensure that these are recognised brands such as
Foster’s or Stella Artois.
If you have a demand for Guinness, yet fall below
the required throughputs, then Guinness Surger
may be an option – cans of Guinness served into
a pint glass and then placed on the surge plate to
bring the drink to life. Speak to your BDM about
ordering a Guinness Surger.
Cask Ale
fastcask™ allows outlets that have previously
struggled to sell cask ale, for space or staff
experience reasons, to now implement a credible
cask ale offering where throughputs and demand
support this – a firkin needs to be sold through
within three days to maintain quality.
Available in the brands below, fastcask™ beers
can be prepared ready for sale much quicker than
standard cask ale with very little experience required
from staff to deliver good quality cask ale:
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2
Marston’s EPA
Marston’s Pedigree
Wychwood Hobgoblin
Jennings Cumberland Ale
Brakspear Bitter
…and one guest beer every month.
Minerals
You may want to consider providing complimentary
bottled water in the bedrooms. If this is a route you
decide upon, then PET bottles will provide a cheaper
alternative than glass.
As part of your breakfast offering you may want to
offer fruit juices to your consumers; decanting Tetra
Pak cartons into glass jugs looks good and is a cost
effective way of serving these compared to individual
bottles. Consider offering:
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Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Pineapple Juice
Grapefruit Juice
Cranberry Juice
Hot Drinks
You may also wish to provide tea and coffee in your
letting bedrooms. A range of single serve teabags,
coffee, hot chocolates and UHT milk can be ordered
through our preferred food supplier 3663.
d support:
Segmente
ION
DESTINAT
Extras
F OOD
Introduction
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major part in this
If you have another type of business
attached to your hotel, refer to our
other segment guides for details on
a wider range of suitable drinks, as
well as suggestions on offers and
promotions that you could run.
s and
r Groups
Consume
to be older couple
customers tend
babies
• Weekday
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• At weekends
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r Drivers
Key Consume
• Value for money
food
• Good quality
y
• Family friendl
• Key food trends iment food. Suitable to all ages
• Drinks to compl
service
• Speed of
ambience
• Décor and
INATI
Support: DEST
Segmented
ON
INTRODUCTI
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ON FOOD
mymarstons.co.uk
3
FOOD OFFER
menus, service and requirements
Key Features
This food offer is to suit business guests and
tourists, these people are unlikely to be in the
hotel all day, but will expect a breakfast and maybe
an evening meal.
Recommended Food Offer
There is a great opportunity for hotels to
offer fried breakfasts, and/or continental buffets.
Evening meals would also be a great offer, but do
try to stick to traditional dishes which are cooked
straight from the freezer to prevent wastage. You
should include dishes such as;
• Lasagne and Garlic Bread
• Steak and Chips
• Pie and Chips
• Scampi and Chips
• Fish and Chips
Creating a Menu
There are a number of tools available on
mymarstons.co.uk to help you create and
manage your menu:
• Online stock taking and dish costing system. Marston’s believe that stock taking
and dish costing are vital tools to help you run
a successful business. Our online system will
help you manage both processes in one place
• HOW TO GUIDES on costing a menu
and stock taking. Dish costing and stock
taking may seem like daunting tasks especially
if this is one of your weaker areas. Make use
of our HOW TO GUIDES to help you
manage and understand the processes at
hand, as both exercises are extremely
beneficial to the success of your business
• Online Print Shop for printing menus, posters and banners. Our Online Print
Shop is our easy to use creative design
service exclusive to mymarstons.co.uk
customers. There is a great range of menu
designs and matching POS to choose from
• Know Your Cuts of Meat information
guide. If you are looking for inspiration and
ideas or wanting to use some different cuts of
meat, our interactive tool may be of interest to
you
• Recipe bank. If you want to add some new
dishes to your specials board or need some
ideas for dishes when refreshing your menu,
the onlne recipe bank could be a great asset
to you.
You can also benefit from the competitive rates on
food that Marston’s enjoy through our relationship
with 3663.
Structure
A breakfast menu should have approximately 4-8
dishes on it, while a traditional evening meal menu
should have 7-10 mains, 2-4 desserts and the
option of adding 3-5 starters or side orders.
Extras
You may also have a demand for lunch time
sandwich offers, for professionals using your
establishment for business meetings. If you have
function rooms, offer a package deal including
food and refreshments to maximise your profits.
4
Segmented Support: HOTELS
FOOD OFFER
Pricing
You should aim to achieve a minimum of 55% from
your menu. Refer to our HOW TO GUIDE on
costing a menu and use our online dish coster via
mymarstons.co.uk
Promotion
In a hotel, your food offer should be promoted via
external boards or chalkboards as well as internal
posters, table talkers and printed menus. Take
advantage of the Marston’s Online Print Shop to
create your point of sale.
Skills
We recommend that anyone wishing to run a food
offer should have their basic food hygiene
certificate. You can complete this online through
the e-learning link on mymarstons.co.uk. The
certification normally costs £25, but through
Marston’s you will benefit from a preferential rate
of £15.60. In addition, previous food experience
would be beneficial.
Equipment
Before you take on a new food offering, ensure
you have the correct equipment for the job. To run
a traditional food menu, you will generally require;
a grill, fryers, oven and hob, at least two
microwaves, refrigeration and freezers to
accommodate stock and ambient storage for dry
goods.
Mandatory Requirements
Before running a food menu, you need to advise
your local Environmental Health Department of
your intention to start serving food - this is a
legal requirement. All food handlers must be
trained in Food Hygiene to suit their job and skill
level. For more information please visit:
www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/hygleg
Service Style
In a hotel it is most common for breakfast orders
to be taken at the table. You should make sure
that all new customers know how to order - either
by telling people when they arrive, or via some
internal messaging, i.e. such as printed
information in customer bedrooms, chalkboards,
or printed on the menu.
.mymarstons.co.uk
5
SUPPORT
marketing and digital
PR
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If you are a business where you have letting
rooms, even if these are secondary to your
food or drinks business, it is important that
you build a reputation for these
You should develop a good relationship with
the local tourist information office so that you
can be featured in their magazines, or on their
website
Talk to local churches and registry offices and
ask them to recommend your accommodation
for wedding guests. If you have a function
room to host wedding receptions and other
events, this is even more reason to get talking
to them
Invite local press to visit and review your
rooms or visit My Pub in the Paper on
mymarstons.co.uk to request a press
release to be written on your behalf
See our HOW TO GUIDE on gaining
press coverage for more information.
Advertising
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•
Advertising, whether it is in print, online or
radio can be costly, so think hard before you
consider it
Local small publications may offer you
reduced rates, so approach these first
Please learve
us you
win a
and you could
wine*
bottle of house
Direct Mail / Leaflets
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6
ge
Sowerby Brid
Segmented Support: HOTELS
SUPPORT
Building up a list of customers can be really
valuable to hotels. You can target people for
repeat visits as well as sending them offers
that they can recommend to friends
Create leaflets that you can leave in churches,
community centres, bridal shops and other
places where customers may be holding an
event that requires overnight accommodation.
Visit our Online Print Shop for a range of flier
templates.
Managing Room Rates
REVPAR (Revenue per available room) is a
commonly used performance metric that assists in
understanding and maximising room revenue.
Put simply, it demonstrates how much cash you
are taking for every room you have available and
gives you a target to achieve – what that target is
will very much depend on your own outlet.
To calculate daily REVPAR: Average daily room
rate x Occupancy percentage
As a calculation it is more accurate than just an
occupancy percentage or an average room rate
alone, as they do not demonstrate how all of your
rooms are working for you.
To get the highest REVPAR for your business, you
should use your own website and sites such as
BOOKING.COM or LateRooms.com. Make sure you ‘flex’
your rates at different times to maximise the
opportunity of getting the best occupancy you
can.
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The Hobbit |
Consider publications that promote tourism in
the area or target business customers.
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Benchmark yourself against competitors to
see what others are charging
Consider seasonal events that may positively
or negatively influence trade
Consider timed pricing strategies – a few
months before a booking date, do you offer a
discounted price to get your rooms sold or do
you offer a discount the closer to the booking
date you get?
Digital Support
Pub Finder
Our tenanted pubs should be on our pub finder
website with correct details and a good quality
photo.
Beds at the Inn
All our tenanted and free trade customers should
utilise their free place on bedsattheinn.co.uk to
advertise their letting rooms.
Website
A hotel should have a website that reflects the
quality of the rooms, atmosphere, facilities and the
hotel itself. You should also have a website
address including the hotel name and town if
available, such as sleepyowlbuxton.co.uk. Your
website should include:
• An accommodation page including information
about the type of rooms you offer, facilities,
tariffs, images, breakfast options, etc
• An integrated booking system such as
.com that allows users to book a room
within the hotel website and on other external
websites such as Expedia.co.uk
• Encourage customers to book a room by
adding ratings or awards you have received,
as well as customer reviews and comments
• A local interest or tourist section including
what there is to do around the local area,
guides, walks, places of interest and
recommendations
• Any function packages you offer for special
occasions such as weddings or birthdays
• Special offers on drinks, food, rooms or
combined
• A food and drinks page with the standard
menu, specials and drinks available.
Marston’s can help provide you with your own
website for just £8 per month plus VAT - visit
mymarstons.co.uk and search for the website
builder. See our web builder HOW TO GUIDE
for more information.
Other Sites
• Encourage bloggers to visit and write about
the hotel
• Try to become a recommended hotel for
tourist websites and local businesses
• Claim your business listing on Google and
tripadvisor.co.uk for user reviews
• Use booking agents such as
.com,
BOOKING.COM and LateRooms.com to allow
customers to book rooms through other
websites, not just your own.
Social Media
A facebook and twitter account would be the
most popular type of social media for a hotel.
Create a page on facebook, get a web address for
the page and add your facebook web address to
customer comment cards and all other marketing
material. Your facebook page should include:
• An integrated booking agent such as
.com, enabling customers to book
rooms via facebook
• Other local pages and businesses in the area.
their pages to interact with them
• Special offers for your rooms
• Reviews from customers, incorporating them
using your booking system
• Albums of functions you have hosted such as
weddings and birthday parties.
Your twitter account should include:
• Your hotel details and facilities
• A picture of your hotel as your main account
profile picture
• Special offers with promotional codes to
quote upon booking
• Reviews and recommendations from followers
• Other local businesses and interesting people.
Follow them to connect and interact with
them.
Refer to our social media HOW TO GUIDE
for more help.
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Database
E-mails are a good way to communicate with your
customers. You are most likely to gain customer
details* on review cards left in bedrooms and via
competition entries. An e-newsletter should
include details of special offers and events.
For those outlets that take their website from the
website builder, a free database system is
included. See our database HOW TO GUIDE
for more information.
*When asking for customer details you must always include an opt
out box for your customers to choose if they do not want you to
contact them. You must also ask them for their date of birth so that
you send the most appropriate deals to them in future.
mymarstons.co.uk
7
ENTERTAINMENT
and activities
Depending on the type of business attached
to the hotel, other support brochures can be
referred to for guidance on events and
activities. However, there are some key
areas that work specifically for hotels.
All events should be advertised via internal
posters and external banners or A-boards. Posters
and banners for all the recommended events and
activities are available from Print Shop.
Red Letter Days
There are some key red letter days throughout
the year where you can really drive sales through
additional activity. All events should be advertised
via internal posters and external chalkboards or
banners. Posters and banners for all the
recommended events and activities are available
from the Online Print Shop.
For outlets with letting rooms, the key dates
are as follows:
FEB Valentine’s Day
14
Why not run a dinner/nights stay and
breakfast in bed package deal? Menu
templates are available on Print Shop.
M A R Mother’s Day
How about a set menu so your customer’s
can treat their Mum, or run a competition
to win Mum a weekend stay at your hotel?
Menu templates are available on Print
Shop.
A P R Easter
You could run a set menu to encourage
families to come to your outlet over the
Easter bank holiday weekend.
M AY Bank Holidays
Both May and August present additional
AUG
opportunities to maximise stays in your
outlet. You could offer buy two nights get
a third free, or a discounted evening meal
with every booking.
J U N Father’s Day
How about a set menu so customers can
treat their Dad?
OCT Halloween
31
Not just for the kids! Why not make some
Halloween themed specials such as
Pumpkin Pie or Bangers a Mash with a
Hobgoblin gravy? Look out for POS kits linked
to drinks deals such as Hobgoblin.
DEC Christmas
25
Run a set menu and overnight stay deal for
Christmas parties. Or you could hire out your
function room for groups of parties, laying on
food and entertainment. Menu templates are
available on Print Shop.
DEC New Year’s Eve
31
Hire out your function room for groups of
parties, laying on food and entertainment, with
a discounted rate on overnight stays.
Throughout the year there will be some other key
events that you can get involved in such as extra bank
holidays and festivals. For more details, refer to your
free wall planner.
Why not encourage guests to stay longer during the school holidays with a fixed price
for a week, or a children stay free offer?
Merchandising Dos and Don’ts
Do
• Make sure chalkboards are clear and concise
• Change posters regularly to keep customers
interested
• Promote your best offers and events outside via
banners, boards or chalkboards
• Put posters in frames to make them look more
professional.
Don’t
• Leave your chalkboards or poster frames blank customers will assume there’s nothing going on
• Stick posters to walls or windows
• Leave out of date messages up
• Use poster frames for public information notices
– these should go on a pin board.
*All information correct at time of going to print.
mymarstons.co.uk
MBPC/SEG/HOTELS/v1