Are you in the Hospitality sector. Scenarios
There are a number of low cost hotels in our area and we are finding it hard to compete. What can be done?
In the last number of years due to the abundance of hotels and guest houses in the market and with the impact of NAMA run hotels driving down prices to fulfil their remit of keep the doors open, we have reached a situation where prices have bottomed out for many operators. For many any further pressure on prices will mean offering room rate as lost leaders to get people into their premises. As the industry continues to sort itself out and as state owned hotels revert back to privately run business the situation should improve and an emphasis on value for money will return over the lowest market prices.
Our occupancy rates are starting to increase again and we see some growth returning to the sector. What areas do you think we should target for further growth?
There has and will continue to be a divide in hotel occupancy between the popular tourist areas and the rural local hotels. Depending on where you are in the country you will need to adopt more of a "pull approach" to your hotels marketing activities to ensure that potential customers are reaching your shores. Specific areas that you can promote your hotel around include growth areas like: weddings, cultural tourism, festivals and events, food tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism, short breaks, sports tourism, leisure pursuits, spa and wellness breaks, english language learning, developing markets (China), e tourism, business/corporate activity and the retirees market. Pick the targets that your hotel can cater the best for and be aggressive. Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to meet it!
In your experience what hotel tips would you give for being the best they can be at their job?
In our experience there are a number of areas a hotel owner or manager must be competent at in order to run a successful business. These include:
• Building & Leading a great team
• Always be prepared to learn and improve
• Greet your guests in person wherever possible
• Be prepared for emergencies and learn to problem solve
• Build strategic relations with other industry companies
• Be good at Internet Marketing
• Ensure the hotel is properly equipped and to modern standards
• Set standards for all staff to follow
• Accept if not always agreeing with the adage "the customer is always right"
• Keep the hotel clean and tidy
-
"A breath of fresh air. Your firm demonstrated enormous commercial understanding in turning around negotiations with a potential target vendor. I admire your style and ability to drive the deal forward. Many thanks." -
"I would like to say I'm very happy with your service, especially the audit team, your staff are always friendly, helpful and a pleasure to deal with." -
"Your business approach to clients is very impressive. I have always found that when explaining the types of service on offer, it is always concise and straight forward. The level of trust that clients place in your company and its staff speaks volumes." -
"I would like to take this opportunity to say how much we are impressed with your company's professionalism, it has been a pleasure working with you all and we look forward to working with you in the future." -
"Avid Partners - Accountants & Business Advisors are an excellent firm of accountants, their quality ethos is outstanding." -
"I have dealt with Jamie O' Hanlon, of Avid Partners - Accountants & Business Advisors Chartered Certified Accountants, for a number of years as he is auditor to one of my clients. I have always found him to be professional and responsive in his approach." -
"Service is second to none; there is always someone at the end of the phone for any business advice. The staff are very easy to get along with, very approachable and know exactly what they are talking about" -
We at Fitzies Bar have worked with Avid Partners - Business & Financial Advisers for over five years. We find that the advice and support offered to us in addition to all of our book-keeping requirements to include payroll, VAT, etc. is invaluable and has helped to contribute to our continued growth especially in these challenging times. I would have no hesitation in recommending Avid Partners. -
Jamie and his staff are a pleasure to work with. They respond promptly to any queries we have and are critical to our financial planning and the future needs of our business. I would highly recommend them to anyone interested in accounting services. -
We at Stillorgan Cycles have used Jamie and his Team at Avid Partners – Accountants and Business Advisers for over five years. We have found that the retail advice and support offered to us is second to none and has helped to contribute to our continued growth especially in these challenging times. I would have no hesitation in recommending Avid Partners. -
I met Avid Partners through a local business networking group. We had been using the same accountants for years and found that in these harsh economic times that we were not getting good enough value or service. We were very impressed by the company's professionalism and enthusiasm and genuine interest in helping us get the most out of our business. As a result we are now clients of Avid Partners and are thrilled with our decision. -
After meeting Avid Partners with a view to changing our accountants, we came away with a better deal financially and a feeling that we were in capable hands. We feel that Avid Partners has a personal interest in the welfare of our business. Avid Partners have given us great advice, help and support and respond to our day to day queries with speed and efficiency. We feel it was a great move for us to change to Avid Partners.
