Luxury hotels are defined by exceptional service, best-in-class amenities and thoughtfully curated experiences. To fulfil those goals, renovations and upgrades are a common conversation among hotel leaders.
Every year, hotels invest in upgrades to keep their property refreshed, but when it’s time for a major overhaul, or a once-in-a-lifetime renovation, planning, communication and promotion are essential to a property’s top-rated service and continued success. Here are three tips to ensure your renovation goes as smoothly as possible—for your team and guests alike.
1. Planning: There are countless factors that determine when a major renovation will take place. Is the resort on the beach where it constantly faces harsh conditions? When was the last upgrade? Has guest satisfaction changed due to aging amenities? Competition also plays a role in building this plan. Spectacular, modern resorts will continue to enter the market. So, when the competition invests and sets new guest expectations, long-term planning becomes more critical to not just remain relevant among the competition, but to be a leader in the industry.
Typically, planning a major renovation begins a minimum of three years prior to construction, and it may be longer if local and state approvals or permitting are needed. Strategic decisions must be made around questions like: How can we lessen the impact on guests? Do we have a sister property in close proximity that we can utilize? Should we complete the work in phases or all at once?
At Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Northeast Florida, we are building a new oceanfront Surf Club and state-of-the-art Sports Club. Given that these are major amenities, we knew it was important to establish interim services to meet those needs before construction could begin. While these amenities would be temporary, it was essential that they still provided a luxury experience with the highest level of service for our guests.
2. Communication: Once a plan is in place, communicating with staff and guests becomes the top priority. Clear communication and training with on-site service staff allows management to set expectations, generate excitement and ensure teams feel prepared to deliver the same luxury experience despite interruptions.
Employee town hall events are a great way to announce plans to your team, transparently answer questions, and begin building anticipation. For employees whose work location might be impacted, use this opportunity to provide reassurance that their jobs are safe, but they may be moved to another area throughout the renovation.
Once the renovation project is announced in the town halls, use department-level meetings to tailor communications based on the service area. This is the time for guest-facing staff to go above and beyond to create memorable stays – don’t hesitate to communicate that clearly with your employees.
Once team members are aligned and confident, implement your digital communication strategy. Consider a dedicated landing page on your website that outlines the renovations, open amenities and any special accommodations that are being offered. If you have the ability to add a description of the renovations and any potential implications in your booking portal, that provides guests with more prior awareness.
In this phase, you may also utilize augmented reality to truly envision the final results. This technology allows you to transport a guest beyond the construction zone and instead, see their future stay. It can be utilized in-person, on a website or via social media, helping to connect with a variety of audiences.
Across all of these communication channels, emphasize the unique experiences that are available throughout construction. For an oceanfront resort, paint the picture of the sun rising just outside their balcony door. Highlight amenities like breakfast in bed, special wine and whiskey paired dinners, or taking a shuttle to a sister resort that can amplify their experience.
3. Promotion and offers: Another key to maintaining pristine guest experience is finding ways to provide added value without significantly reducing rates. A challenge with temporarily reducing rates can arise when renovations are unveiled and guests have a perception that rates have now skyrocketed. Instead, consider your amenities and ways you can provide an enhanced visit. In my experience, food & beverage credits, resort credits that can be used toward a spa treatment or recreation activity, or promotions like book three nights to get a fourth night free, have been very successful. Lean into creativity by running flash sales for holidays or even days like “National Plan A Vacation Day.”
For resorts that cater to a group audience, communication and special offers are important to maintaining their business. You might enhance their experience by adding a custom cocktail to their dinner menu or including a golf course-side satellite bar to their networking hour.
Maintaining luxury during renovations is no easy task; it requires extensive planning, management of buy-in and team member execution, meticulous communication and creative promotion. In the end, these historic renovations are the lifeline that carry a resort into the future, if they are done right with guest experience top of mind.
Michael Gordon is the general manager of the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and president of Gate Hospitality Group.