The proliferation of personal technology has raised a long list of questions for hotel executives looking to keep their company above the fray. The best managers counter this by using enterprise technology to determine what really matters to their customers.
There's no question that mobile technology is here to stay. By the end of this year, the number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the number of people on Earth. Hotel marketers are working to keep up, bringing bookings and branding online and wrestling with the "free wifi" dilemma.
When Red Roof Inns' development team examined the topic, it found another issue: infrastructure. Through Red Roof's guest feedback, customers requested more electrical outlets in their hotel rooms. As a result, Red Roof is adding at least three additional outlets to every one of its hotel rooms in its 347 hotels by the end of this year. Soon, rooms will go from as few as one hard-to-find outlet to a minimum of five or six that are more visibly integrated, such as in nightstands or desks.
As a major driver of strategy, Red Roof Inns President Andrew Alexander loves "authentic, unfiltered, direct communication from customers. It's better than a focus group," he insists. "Direct feedback is real and transparent gold dust for Red Roof." Their strategy is working, as the Red Roof Inn is at the top of TripAdvisor rankings, as well as ranked in the top three Economy Performance Leaders according to the MMHI.
Red Roof's investment, at a cost of about $30 per room, means much more than upgrading amenities. It shows how a hotel company can translate an overarching trend like the spread of mobile technology into meaningful actions that have demonstrated value for its customers – whether that means adding outlets to hotel rooms, replacing carpeting with hardwood floors, or offering 100% smoke-free hotels. Listening to customers and targeting improvements is how Red Roof continues to stay a step ahead.
Jesse Zitrin is director client development with Market Metrix.
Frances Kibbe is a senior client consultant with Market Metrix.
Source: Market Metrix