It’s time for the next insight-driven article in our Hospitality Marketing Unlocked series.
This week, we take a closer look at how to adapt for new social distancing measures, including setting up a hotel restaurant online ordering system to offer in-room dining.
Adapting your hotel
The one metre limit that must be adhered to between visitors of different households, will mean reception lobbies, dining rooms and lounge areas will all have to be spaced out accordingly to meet the new restrictions in your hotel.
Although many hotels offer outdoor space for dining, with the UK’s temperamental weather it’s an option that’s not always possible. Staff shortages and a high number of guests can also put a strain on a relatively new, reduced way of working.
One safe way to still provide the high standard of hospitality your guests expect, whilst respecting social distancing, is to implement an in-room dining service via your hotel’s website.
Taste the new way of dining
With your hotel’s restaurant online ordering system, guests will be able to browse the restaurant menu via your website, pay for their food, and choose a time to dine, all from the comfort of their hotel room.
They need only supply their room number and open the door to enjoy a delicious meal at breakfast, lunch or dinner time.
Unlike traditional room service, setting up online ordering for in-room dining offers a more automated way of collecting orders and helps to free up your staff from answering the phone.
By encouraging hotel guests to pre-order their food before arrival at your hotel, it also offers a more tailored visit whilst allowing your kitchen team to plan ahead to help stay safe and organised.
Catering to a bigger appetite
Once up and running, and you are confident in the logistics with your team, the in-room dining system can be opened up as a service to your local community.
Using your hotel restaurant’s online ordering system, residents from the nearby area would be able to order food from your hotel’s café or restaurant to enjoy at home.
Depending on staff resources and hotel set-up, you could choose to offer this service as contactless delivery or click & collect.
This not only ensures a continued revenue stream for your business but it will also attract new local customers, who may not have visited your hotel before.
In our latest whitepaper ‘How to get your hotel ready for reopening within the current government guidelines and COVID restrictions’, we delve deeper into how to ensure your hotel is ready to reopen safely and explore how to set up an in-room dining service.
Why this will benefit your hotel
Customers love convenience. By allowing guests to order and enjoy food with minimal contact through your in-room dining system, it will:
- Provide a continued revenue stream
- Ensure guests dine at your hotel and not at a competitor
- Encourage new customers from the local area
- Help your kitchen team plan ahead
Sound good?
Download our free whitepaper today to get the inspiration and insight you need to get your hotel ready to reopen safely with in-room dining as an exclusive new service.
