The Ocean Room at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
If you’re in the hospitality biz, you know that food and beverage operations can really drive profits. From indie boutiques to international chains, many hotels and resorts report that it can claim up to the biggest share of overall revenue.
So, are you getting your fill of hotel food and beverage revenue? We’ll examine the topic from our particular, expert perspective: how to maximize F&B revenue through enticing marketing.
Create an individual identity for each dining outlet…
Brand each location to differentiate between them and attract the appropriate audience. You’d do it for a stand-alone eatery, right?
While there are special techniques to branding restaurants, cafés and bars inside a hotel environment, equal significance and many similar steps are involved. That includes the name, logo, menus, labels, signage, verbal and written communications, interior design—basically, everything branding entails.
…and a customized marketing plan to go with it.
Of course, the same idea applies in planning out every aspect of your marketing. For every dining outlet, you should design a detailed marketing plan. And here’s the good news: Even if you’re already serving customers, you can benefit greatly from defining your best and to-be-improved-upon traits, envisioning your goals and plotting out the steps to achieve them.
Increase overnight guest usage.
Probably goes without saying, but selling more rooms and group room blocks will drive F&B activity from guests staying on-site, on the days they’re there and possibly into the future.
From our angle, that means getting your complete hotel and resort branding and marketing in order. After all, the more people flowing through, the more F&B patronage you’ll automatically attract.
Build word-of-mouth from your own team.
Is there any better kind of marketing than one you can generate for free? Excite, encourage and incentivize your staff members to talk about how awesome your restaurants and catering are.
During registration, reception staff can discuss options and share specials and promos. Servers and, when appropriate, bell services, housekeeping and others can also engage guests in cross-promotional and friendly, upbeat and helpful F&B conversation.
Better yet, be sure to include them in brainstorming innovative ideas! They are constantly in direct contact with guests and should be tapped into what they do and do not want. And always keep them apprised of what’s new and wonderful.
Tempt your captive audience.
How can you lure your guests to partake of your F&B offerings? The possibilities are practically endless! For example, Dana has crafted attractive and informative web pages, as well as both pre- and post-arrival emails to remind guests of their options and to make reservations.
We’ve also produced tangible materials for every on-site touchpoint, such as lobby and elevator signage, door hangers, in-room postcards and promos to be handed out at check-in and across the property, including in your other bars and restaurants.
Never overlook your neighbors.
Whether for your restaurant, bar, meeting and convention facilities or catering services, non-overnight guests—i.e. your surrounding community—can be your bread and butter, especially during your typical downtime.
Get to know them well, and become an integral part of your area. Satiate those needs no other nearby business has.
In addition to those dependable, annual holiday offerings, come up with unique menu items, amenities and promotions with local flavor, which could be destined to be their favorites. Hold happenings meant to draw them in, like a one-of-a-kind Sunday brunch, seasonal celebrations, fabulous bridal expos, sports viewing parties, arts and entertainment events and anything else you (or we) can imagine.
Advertise, advertise, advertise.
Across the board, your hardworking initiatives will only go unnoticed without the proper exposure.
Invest in an incredible website. Be vocal on social media. Pop up on TV. Show up with SEO and SEA. Issue press releases about your venue’s public goings-on, and even your feel-good employee programs.
Stretch your appetizing efforts extra far, via trade partnerships with other local businesses, as well as media channels. And don’t forget those tried-and-true avenues, like radio and print and online directories.
Mix up your personal recipe for success.
Dana has all the delicious ingredients. Email Lynn Kaniper, at lkaniper@danacommunications.com—or call 609.466.9187, ext. 117.
