Using Storytelling to Increase Hotel Sales
Stories are powerful things. When told by the right person, in the right way, to the right audience, stories earn attention, trust, and action. No matter what you are trying to sell, attention, trust, and action from your potential customers is exactly what you want. When it comes to hotel sales, the very best salespeople I know are storytellers. Here’s how they do it.
First, you must have a story to tell. Your hotel and product MUST stand out from the rest of your market and competitive set. Start by completing this sentence: “We are the only hotel that _______________.” Notice I didn’t say “one of the only hotels.” I didn’t ask you to name something that makes you notable. I asked to you to determine ONE thing that makes you completely and totally different from EVERY other hotel around you. Maybe it’s a nuance of your location, or your hotel’s history, or a particular room or property feature that nobody else has. Maybe it’s an award you’ve won or some other achievement. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something no other hotel in your area can say.
Here's an example. I was the general manager of a large beach resort on Daytona Beach. The property had nice rooms and was on a beautiful, drive-free section of beach. The property also had 40,000 square feet of beautiful meeting space. But lots of hotels could say those things. What made our hotel unique was that it had a history dating back to 1888. Of course, that meant it had a story with lots of famous guests and notable moments along the way. We were the only hotel with that kind of history anywhere around us. So, we invested a lot of effort into learning and telling the history because it was unique to us. It was our story.
Next, learn the story of your prospects. Here’s an example from the same hotel I mentioned above. One of our sales managers had a target client looking for a place to hold a conference with a room block, meetings and catering. The target client was a geotechnical engineering firm. On a sales call to their offices, the sales manager noticed collections of sand and rocks all over the place—in board rooms, offices, corridors, everywhere. The collections weren’t strewn about. They were intentionally curated and displayed. So, the sales managers asked about them. She learned that the rocks and sand were samples from all the different sites their firm had worked on throughout their history. Each one had a story that her prospective client was able to tell her on the spot. Those stories, together, made up the firm's story.
Finally, find an intersection between those two stories and make a connection. The sales manager in our example made a connection and then began to do some storytelling. The sales manager came back to our hotel and got a kid’s beach bucket from our gift shop. Of course, she added the requisite sunglasses, frisbee, and other souvenirs. She also filled it up with sand from the beach. Then, she returned to the prospect’s offices with her bucket and here is the story she told: “Last time I was here, I learned about your collection of sand and how all of it tells a story. I wanted to bring you some sand from our hotel because it has a story too. This is sand from the same stretch of beach that Amelia Earhart took off and landed on. It’s where the first Daytona car races were held. It’s the same sand J.D. Salinger vacationed on and that Fulgencio Batista fished from. We’d like this sand to become part of your collection, because we know the meetings you hold and the time you spend with your team at our resort will become an important part of your company’s story.”
That one sales call and a bucket of dirt started a relationship that continues today. The client still tells that salesperson that no one has ever done anything like that before or since. It was memorable, effective, and (honestly) cheap. It was powerful. Does your hotel have a story to tell that sets you apart? If not, write one. Learn the stories of your prospective clients—brides, businesses, social groups, etc. Then, find creative ways to tell a story that connects the two.
Importantly, it doesn't have to be a story that includes 100 years of famous people on the beach. The important thing is that you embrace YOUR story and what make your hotel unique. Believe it or not, there is power in that story. I think you’ll find telling it produces genuine connection with your prospects and opens the door to real relationships.
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