A suitcase full of money...and no one to receive it
I heard this message from several corporate customers lately. “We are willing, ready and able to book a program, but the hotel is taking so long to provide us with a contract.”
“The program just ended, and the client would like to come back in 2025. Can we just replicate the past agreement form and move forward?” The answer was: “That was before COVID, and things have changed. We need to charge you more and don’t have any flexibility. Our hotel needs to charge the resort fee even though your attendees don’t have time in their program to use the facilities.”
Are we as hoteliers still being easy to work with, or have things changed? Are we back to prior staffing levels, or is there so much owner-driven pressure that we haven’t brought back the entire team yet?
Please be honest and open with these meeting and event clients. If there are delays, please share why so the customers can seek to understand without making generalities and judgments.
Encourage your leaders to allow more time with clients and less time in meetings talking about how to find more revenue.
The hotels that are easiest to work with will win the business. Make time to serve these clients and accept that cash!
Bart Berkey, founder and CEO, Most People Don’t, LLC, Potomac Falls, Virginia
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