Ethem Zagikyan Chairman of the Board of Directors of Continent Worldwide Hotels, a franchise and management company that successfully represents Turkey abroad and includes the hotel brands with the fastest growth momentum abroad, told Tourism News Centre that they have taken another step in the new generation hotel management and that they have seen that these services provide positive feedback to their hotels.
Ethem Zagikyan told Tourism News Centre that today's hospitality industry brings with it the challenges of doing business in a highly competitive environment and that it has become clear that the guest profile, regardless of age, prefers to have a personalised experience during their stay at the hotel:
''This issue is now undeniable and has proven to be at the forefront of the key factors necessary for an organisation to increase revenues and maximise guest satisfaction. According to our research, companies that work on and succeed in personalisation activities in their hotels consistently increase their revenues significantly compared to their competitors. This finding shows that a guest's special experience at a hotel has a significant impact on revenues. The importance of personalisation in the hospitality industry is being further emphasised, with many travellers seeking more personalised interactions during their stay.''
Ethem Zagikyan, Chairman of the Board of Continent Worldwide Hotels, drew attention to the differentiated nature of guest expectations, especially after the coronavirus pandemic, and emphasised that an approach that ignores the guest experience is no longer possible in a period when travellers return to their travel habits with limited budgets and limited time off:
"Instead, discerning guests are looking for experiences and hotels that cater to their unique wants and needs. Hotels can no longer be solely revenue-driven, as providing personalised service reinforces the desire to create a bond between guests and the hotel. This means that exclusive and personalised experiences have a positive impact on guest loyalty and commitment to the brand. In the effort to deliver personalised experiences, data collection is the cornerstone of success. Today, there are many technological possibilities available to us and by using them, we can obtain valuable information about guest preferences. This data includes guests' room preferences, eating habits and communication preferences. Following the pandemic, technologies that do not require physical contact have emerged as tools that provide valuable information about guest behaviour, making it easier for the hotel to serve guests in every aspect they need during their stay. Likewise, the entertainment preferences of the guests are an important part of the personalisation effort that the hotel will provide for its guests; it is important that the televisions in the hotel room are now Smart, and that they contain technology that can be easily connected to the devices used by the guests such as their own phones, laptops and tablets.''
The three simplest ways to collect information about personal experiences and to determine the preferences of the guests are to record the needs of the guest during the booking process and after the stay, in line with the guest's request, in CRM programmes and to record the guest's next stay, to send periodic information e-mails and messages about the preferred accommodation needs through the loyalty programme, and to conduct a survey about their experiences after the stay, Ethem Zagikyan, Chairman of the Board of Continent Worldwide Hotels, stated that in the light of this data, guest profiles should be stored as data in the hotel's PMS system, and in general, a report can be prepared to determine which demands and guest desires are in the majority, and the hotel's general guest experience policies can be revised in the light of this data.
Ethem Zagikyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Continent Hotels stated that they have made a series of changes and technological investments in guest orientation and personalised service, especially in their hotels in the Middle East, Gulf and Turkey, and that they have taken another step in the new generation hotel management and that they have seen that these services have provided positive feedback to their hotels.
