No, we aren’t meaning a juggling act or rolling their tongue into a ‘W’. We mean, do they have any specific skills that your hotel marketing could benefit from? You’d be surprised how many people can manage social media accounts, or do some form of web design on the side. So it’s time to dig out those resources and put them to good use!
In this day and age, there seems to be an online course for most things. Also, a lot of people seem to work full time, but may have a ‘side hustle’ to keep them busy or it may be a hobby. Web design, social media management, blog writing and so much more can be right at your fingertips without even knowing.
Get to know your staff
It could be a great idea to do a ‘staff shout out’ to see if anyone has specific skills that you are after. Or even someone interested in upskilling whilst working for you. ‘Jane’ at the front desk may be an absolute whizz with Instagram and have a large following on her own personal account. ‘Tim’ from accounts might be very savvy when it comes to graphics design.
Have a chat with them and see what they can do for you during work hours, do their job at the same time, and give them the flexibility to expand their interest in other areas whilst helping the accommodation out time.
Be open to change and listen to new ideas
Being able to make use of the resources and talented staff that you already have will work wonders for your hotel marketing. They already know the business inside out and this allows you to keep everything in-house and not have to outsource work, which can also be more expensive. This doesn’t mean to say you shouldn’t reward your staff for their input, because that goes without saying (who works for free these days?).
Be open to change and listen to new ideas
They may have ideas that you are unsure about or haven’t even thought about – but that’s ok. Listen to what they have to say and try some of their ideas. This could be from someone who works in sales but has an incredible eye for interior decorating. Or another staff member who manages to housekeep but knows all about eco-tourism from their previous job.
Allow work-life balance for greater staff satisfaction
As well as allowing them to share with you their ideas and aspirations for your business, you need to make sure there is a sense of work-life balance. Staff feeling needed is a huge asset to have as part of your business. Knowing that they are making a difference can boost morale, which can then increase sales when people feel upbeat and positive. Give in to some of their new and inspirational ideas and see what comes of them.
So, organise a catch up with your amazing team and see what comes out of it! You never know until you ask!
If you have a talented superstar at your property feel free to share your story with us at marketing@staah.com