"This is not my first rodeo."

The case for “been there, done that.”

Hotels and resorts will start to re-open before long and, in a way, it’s unnerving as hell. It’s kind of like we’re standing on the edge of a cliff and about to step off. 

That’s some scary territory down there – serious “we need to change what we are and how people look at us” stuff. A bigger boat is definitely in order, because that’s a big-ass shark of a challenge headed our way.

And it’s not a problem new PPC keywords or cosmetic changes to your website or nudges or teases or even Instagram alone can solve. It’s a lot more than that and gets down to some basic strategies about who you are and the overall thinking behind your marketing communications.

Which means you need somebody on the team who’s seen this movie already. There’s no substitute for experience.

It's almost like starting over - 

No matter what sort of hotel or resort you are – tropical, urban, convention, all-suites, all-inclusive, limited-service, suburban or luxury – you’re going to have to re-think a whole lot more than just your AdWords. Like who you are, how you do business and why the hell anybody ought to come by and stay for a few days. You’re going to need the kind of 360-degree thinking skills and knowledge of how hotels and hotel marketing works that one simply doesn’t pick up in their first five years in the business.

It’s going to take experience to pull the hospitality industry out of its current nose-dive, not just technology. The expertise a seasoned hand can offer was hard to get, and it’s precisely because of that experience that they can help. Someone who has stared into the abyss once or twice already will come in handy.

For example - 

If for example, you do a lot of groups business or you’re (yikes!) a convention hotel, your challenge is about as close to re-purposing as it gets in the hotel business. That calls for some creative thinking.

Here’s another example. Sadly, the younger, more junior people at companies all over the country were some of the first ones out the door when layoffs started. Many Millennials who are already saddled with college loans and not a lot of cash on hand are now out of work – so they’ll probably be travelling even less.

Your target audience just got older.

You’re going to want a message (and creative delivery of it) that resonates with that more mature, moneyed group. Somebody who can actually relate to that target is your best bet for getting that particular job done. Sorry, but most 20-somethings simply don’t know that much about how 50- and 60-somethings think and process.

The point is - 

There’s more, of course. But the point is, the expertise of Brand, advertising, public relations and marketing communications pros who can honestly say “this is not my first rodeo” and the breadth of their experience is going to . . . well, let’s just say it’s almost impossible to undervalue their contribution, as we head out into that post-Covid-19 world.

There's plenty of experienced talent out there you can call on. If you have an agency, make sure there’s a seasoned hand or two on your team. If you have anybody left in-house, think about getting some outside consulting to help out for a while. And if you use a freelancer, make sure they aren’t right out of art school. 

Because you are going to need a bigger boat.

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Take a look at the little things.

Take a look at the little things.

One of our favorite restaurants is the Tastee Diner, a local treasure here in Bethesda. The food’s good and the company is great.

And right now, like all Maryland restaurants, it’s closed.

But they’re still busy going over the place, top to bottom, painting, repairing, replacing, improving – all those things a 24-hour diner can’t do when it’s full of customers. They’ll be ready for the re-opening.

You can do that, too. With occupancy way down, this would be a great time to do a physical audit of every room in the place. Take stock. Tighten every screw, repair every scratch, replace every worn or torn in-room card. Make sure the lights all work exactly right, everything in the bathroom is perfect and there aren’t any worn spots on the carpet. Maybe even look at all the power cords for things like the lamps and the clock. Are they neatly secured or a jumble?

When was the last time you physically walked every single room in the place? Do you really think everything is perfect?

Look at the little things as a guest would. Check the details housekeeping can’t be expected to manage with a schedule of room cleaning. But things a guest would notice.

Maybe you don’t have the facilities staff on hand right now to make all the corrections you find. That doesn’t mean you can’t have the world’s best To-Do List ready when they come back.

God is in the details, as they say. Now’s a good time to take a close look at those details.

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About that 2020 marketing plan . . .

About that 2020 marketing plan . . .

It’s pretty much out the window now, isn’t it?

And 2021 went right along with it.

Your target may not look anything like it did when you wrote the thing. Or even just three months ago. You’re probably looking at more of a drive market now. And you might need to go a little heavier on business travel than you have. 

And if you’re (unfortunately) like a lot of companies, you’ve gone pretty much dark as far as marketing communications is concerned. So that climb back to where you were is going to be a steep one. And the competition is going to be stiff. 

It’s likely your media channels are going to have to be different, and your message almost certainly is going to need some modification. 

And you can plan on being expected to do all this with a smaller budget than you thought. More with less. 

So now is a really good time to sit down (virtually) with your marketing team, ad agency, web firm and PR folk and go through every part of your current marketing communications plan. 

Some innovation and creative thinking seem to be in order. 

What’s a new realistic goal for the second half of 2020 and the first two or three quarters of 2021? What do you have to do differently to accommodate that goal? Will your target be changed and what are the best media channels to adapt to that change? Where do things like your spa, F&B, tennis facilities and golf course fit into to alternative sources of revenue as rooms business struggles? 

Get ready to be ready, because Tomorrowland looks different. Maybe the marketing plan you put together in late 2019 is perfectly suited in every way for the challenges ahead of you. 

But we doubt it.

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