Gone are the days when travelers were divided into two simple categories – business and leisure. The last two decades have seen a more in-depth analysis of travel habits, resulting in the hospitality industry explicitly catering to emerging subgenres such as solo, luxury, and honeymoon tourists, staycations, and more.
One such category of travelers that has particularly gained momentum over the past couple of years is remote workers. With businesses now allowing employees to work online from home or elsewhere, many use this newfound freedom to often merge work with leisure.
Advantages of hosting remote workers
Creating a novel and specific destination for remote workers has several advantages for hotels.
- Remote workers typically result in long-term room bookings.
- Focusing on guests wishing to work on vacation helps present your brand and property as one that can cater to both business and leisure tourists.
- Irrespective of short or long-term remote-work guests, offering special facilities on the go is in tune with modern-day business trends. To the point that many travelers now check to see if hotels and their rooms are work-friendly before they make a booking.
- Business travelers usually make for excellent return customers and are more likely to recommend your property to colleagues.
On-site marketing to attract remote workers
As with any successful marketing plan, one has to make an effort at the physical property as well as online.
When it comes to marketing for remote workers, the following ideas and features can make your hotel more attractive to prospective customers;
Create specific rooms
One of the best ways to attract more remote workers to stay at your hotel is to design rooms around their needs.
Since the guest will likely spend more time working in the room, try to make it spacious, provide extra seating space, and add curated furniture such as ergonomic tables and chairs.
Offer WiFi
Like it or not, WiFi is one of the most crucial elements of any work vacation. You must ensure the rooms, business suite, and common areas have a fast and reliable internet connection.
More importantly, WiFi should always be a part of the room charges. Billing extra for WiFi usage is now looked down upon by all travelers, not just remote workers.
Develop quiet zones
Besides technological and living comforts, remote workers also need quiet spaces to conduct business. One cannot have an essential meeting with kids or adults screaming and shouting in the background.
Quiet zones are becoming more common, especially across family resorts. On the one hand, they attract couples looking for some privacy.
At the same time, quiet zones and soundproof rooms provide occupied guests with the necessary quietude for work.
Provide on-site special benefits
A hotel wanting to attract remote workers must realize that they are very different from usual tourists. For one, remote workers have odd timings. Based on their business time zone, they might be up late at night or working during the central hours of the day.
Therefore, special benefit packages can help make them more comfortable. These may include access to co-working spaces and meeting rooms.
At the same time, do remember to offer them ways to relax. Free bike rentals, complimentary snacks, off-hours gym, and swimming pool access are other amenities that can convince remote workers to book a room with you.
Give round-the-clock service
Remote workers can be a little demanding and may require round-the-clock service.
Thus, having a designated manager assigned to them and 24-hour in-room service goes a long way in ensuring they have a pleasant and productive stay.
Online marketing ideas to attract remote workers
Service and facilities at the hotel are crucial to attracting remote workers. However, digital marketing your hotel as an ideal destination for a “workcation” is equally essential.
Therefore, when strategizing promotions with your hotel marketing agency, factor in remote worker guests, allowing the team to create an advertising plan specifically for them.
Promote the idea of workcations
First and foremost, promote the idea of a work vacation. Use social media, your hotel website, and blog posts to create a buzz around the concept, highlighting its advantages.
Influencer marketing may include inviting travel bloggers to your property to give an overview of the rooms and facilities for people wanting to mix work and leisure.
You may even have a separate page on your website that shines a spotlight on how you cater to remote workers, offering deals for guests staying long-term.
Make a separate room category
We talked about creating comfort in rooms to attract remote workers above.
On the digital front, you need to promote these rooms for what they are: spacious and cozy abodes that come with ergonomic furniture and extra advantages such as a kitchenette and a stocked fridge.
Furthermore, include professionally taken photos of the room on the website and mention all the amenities that a business person will require, like WiFi and USB ports.
Offer work-from-hotel packages
When planning to attract remote workers to your hotel, you must create deals and packages keeping their particular requirements in mind.
A list of flexible benefits is typically an excellent method to showcase the more attractive aspects of the package.
It might include features like;
- child care on demand
- day use of the business suite
- personalized housekeeping
- laundry and shoe cleaning service
- room service
- free city/airport transfers
- discount on direct room bookings
Plan social media and website advertising
It is imperative to advertise any deals for remote workers you may have in place on social media and your hotel website for maximum reach and impact.
Digital marketing on social media and websites is different. Best left to a professional hotel marketing agency, they can even conceptualize a plan that puts into effect advertising for remote workers during low season to keep the revenue flowing throughout the year.
However, on both mediums, highlight the facilities you have assisting the stay of a remote worker. These can range from co-working spaces to a 24/7 on-call manager for any tech assistance.
Invest in email marketing
At Adigital, we often emphasis on email marketing when developing a plan. Not only is it cost-effective, but it can help create a lasting relationship with prior customers.
When email marketing for remote workers, there are two ways to benefit.
One, you can email guests who stayed as remote workers requesting them to leave feedback. These reviews are exceptional as they are from people who have enjoyed a workcation at your property and can give comments based on first-hand experience.
Secondly, you can also put in place a marketing strategy that includes sending personalized emails to prior guests based on collected Big Data with exclusive deals and discounts should they wish to stay long-term.
Hosting remote workers might seem tedious initially, especially if you are a small hotel. However, the advantages, such as guaranteed revenue generation, brand building, and long-term customer relationships, far outweigh any time and energy you will put in the beginning.
