The site inspection remains a key component for venue renters and event planners to make informed decisions about the spaces they want to rent. As a consequence, it’s also a crucial process for hotels to manage efficiently and successfully.
Fortunately, a number of hotel technology tools are currently facilitating this process by allowing operators to better plan and perform their visits. Learn how through our brief guide on site inspection today.
Introduction: Site Inspection at Hotels
A site inspection is an essential part of the travel and event industries. Travel agents, event planners, or corporate travel managers employ this action to evaluate the suitability of a hotel property. That is, review that spaces fits their needs before actually booking them.
The following are some of the factors that are typically considered during a site inspection:
- Hotel location and close local attractions, as well as potential nearby hotels in case of overboard
- Staff quality and quantity
- Room capacities and quality
- Available amenities for guests
- Services regarding food and beverages
- Meeting spaces and potential for event flow, including networking areas
- Safety
- Payment methods
- Connectivity (including Wi-Fi)
- Review ratings by other guests
- Cancellation policies
- Hotel’s decoration and architecture
- Costs, including hidden costs
Benefits of Optimizing the Site Inspection Process
More Efficient and Productive Visits
Working on optimizing site inspections allows companies to save time and resources in the process. Additionally, it helps potential customers as well by also saving their time and resources, which is particularly important considering the usual tight schedules of travel industry professionals.
Improved Communication between clients and hotel staff
An optimized protocol involves the hotel taking a proactive role in ensuring their communication is transparent and efficient with clients. This also leads to better decision-making, leading to greater customer satisfaction and more successful bookings.
Enhanced Overall Customer Experience
A site inspection that runs smoothly represents the first step towards great customer experience and potentially helps in closing more deals.
Key Elements of a Successful Site Inspection Process
Setting Goals and Objectives
The first step is to determine what their goals are. In other words, objectives must be set for each area of the hotel that will be shown during the site inspection. For instance, the goal regarding the inspection of rooms might be to highlight the quality of room service; or the safety of the premises; or the flexibility of the leisure spaces.
Preparing for the Inspection
Some key operations to check when preparing a site inspection include:
- Guaranteeing a thorough cleaning of all areas
- Ensure that equipment and potential amenities work correctly (audiovisual, fitness) as well as F&B (food and beverages)
- Review the itinerary that the site inspection will follow
- Staff training for the services they will perform during the site inspection
Conducting the Site Inspection
While conducting an inspection, best practices for hotel operators include being on time and following the arranged schedule. Furthermore, being helpful and ready to answer all potential questions. Also, follow the tour guidelines that were established in previous steps.
Post-Inspection Follow-Up and Communication
Many deals are closed during follow-up communication processes. This includes an effort to thank the visitor for their visit, answer any potential remaining questions; and plus, provide additional information or support.
Using Technology to Optimize the Site Inspection Process in Hotels
Virtual site inspections incorpore automation technology and immersive content in the shape of virtual tours of the property. This allows potential clients to view the property remotely and under a whole new light, even if the property is geographically distant. The following are among the key benefits of using virtual tours for a site inspection:
Saving time and staff efforts
A virtual tour allows operators to promote their hotel in a whole different way while at the same time-saving money related to staff involved in the process.
Increasing the number of site inspections per day
In fact, the same virtual site inspection can be shown multiple times and seen by multiple potential clients.
Improving customer experience
A virtual tour can improve customer experience by providing an enhanced, more immersive, and engaging visual experience. Interactive elements (such as pop-ups, among others) can help create a lasting impression on potential clients.
Additionally, the virtual site inspection can be extremely convenient for certain clients, as they can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, without the need to physically visit the property.
FirstView: more than immersive content
FirstView is a company specialized in creating virtual and immersive 3D content with multiple applications. In fact, one application can be saving time with virtual site inspections.
Firstly, designed to help sales teams showcase their amenities for potential clients. However, it also comes with unlimited print-ready photography, unlimited 360° images, a 10″ video preview of the space, the creation of an animated gif, iOS mobile app, and much more.
This tool has proven its conversion capacities. A recent A/B testing among 9,000 users showed conversion rates increases at least 110% for users exposed to FirstView’s virtual content displayed at the booking time.
Get in touch with us and find out firsthand how FirstView can enhance your site inspection processes.
