Consider your hotel’s in-room Guest Service Directory to be a moment of truth that can make the difference in your guests' stay being memorable or just a memory. The primary purpose of a directory is to familiarize guests with the property’s facilities, services and surrounding area, or even to answer questions before they dial “0.” To limit a directory’s potential, however, can mean missing out on a tremendous opportunity. Your guests leave your hotel as raving fans, bringing you the valuable repeat business you’re looking for—or better yet, they’ll tell their friends! So where do you start?
Selecting a Guest Service Directory (GSD) Company
Time, plus the free-market system, will usually eliminate the unprofessional, incompetent and unscrupulous in fairly short order. Checking a company website is a good place start. Be sure to ask for references; credentials are essential. Guest Service Directory companies with a successful track record have stood the test of time and have valuable experience in an industry with no academic teacher. Doing your homework will be time well spent.
Hotels with a generous budget can produce a GSD in-house. Clarify that there is a qualified staff person to dedicate to the project. It is easy to unintentionally leave out important information required by hotel chains. All too often, coordinating the service directory in-house begins with enthusiasm, but as complications and interruptions arise, it loses priority. If you choose to go the in-house route, solicit input from all of your departments to assist your staff person with his or her first piece.
Advertising agencies generally do quite well in creating an attractive motif for the directories, but they can be pricey. Costs for the most basic of paper stock books can start at $1,800 to 2,500. When looking into agencies, be certain hotel directories are their specialty, or they might unintentionally leave out required or important information.
A proven Guest Service Directory company can provide you with limitless design options, important knowledge of hotel standards, and can do so with or without cost. The benefits of an advertiser-supported directory can be many if handled with professionalism from the beginning.
Resist the temptation to use a directory company luring you with the offer of a percentage of the advertising sales. Few, if any, of these companies stay in business. Some of the obvious complications? If they give money to the hotel, they must bleed the advertisers. Or, perhaps they’ll skimp on the quality of the salesperson or product. The merchant community will become bitter, jeopardizing business relationships. Advertiser-supported directories should blend a balance of benefits for all involved.
It’s dangerous to use a GSD company that ties the critical features of the product to the abilities of their sales representative (i.e. a directory that can only be printed if a certain level of revenue is generated from sales, or receive binders only if a certain sales amount is achieved). If the representative lacks ambition or skill, you lose. General Managers have found themselves virtually selling their own advertisements in a desperate attempt to supplement the lack of income generated by a representative.
Some areas, however, are genuinely not financially conducive to advertiser-supported directories. In this case, negotiate as necessary with the most reputable company available using advertising income available to offset production costs. All too often “free” is the dictating force. A common pitfall is to take any company out there as long as the directories are free. Not all GSD companies are created equal.
Braille Directories
Some companies have approached new levels of service in offering Braille directories to hotels. It is that extra special touch that means so much for guests with special needs. Hotels have found that inspectors are quite impressed with this voluntary amenity.
Video Guest Directory
The lodging industry has introduced an exciting, effective means of promoting in-house facilities to guests. The video guest directory embraces technology in a captivating five-star display of amenities that can use video or still frames on a dedicated television channel. This innovative resource plays in every guest's room 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As today’s traveler is increasingly sophisticated and TV/Video oriented, the video guest directory captures the attention of the guest, providing them with the “action version” of the Guest Service Directory.
Paper Stock, Ink and Binders
The choices are limitless. One rule of thumb is the smoother the finish on a paper, the more visible the details. A coated paper stock will clearly show poor reproduction in maps and jagged edges in logos, but pictures will brilliantly pop off the page, especially with white coated paper. Linen or textured paper will hide blemishes, but full-color photos often look faded.
Natural, cream, ivory, eggshell, soft white, etc. are good paper colors. They are easy to read, reduce glare and don’t show soil as much as a bright white. Mild shades of color (peach, gray, pale blue) can also be lovely, adding to the overall style of the directory. The darker the paper color, the more difficult it is to read.
Ink is partially transparent, so the color of paper affects the color of ink. Be certain that the paper and ink selected have substantial contrast as to make the printing easily readable. One way to make your directory look cohesive is to choose an ink color to match your paper choice and/or binder color.
When choosing a binder color, remember that darker colors hide wear and tear better than lighter colors. The better they look, the better impression they make. Encourage housekeeping to attend to them properly. If your preference is to match ink, paper choice or binder color to wallpaper, carpet, etc., give a sample to your Guest Service Directory company.
Thoroughly analyze your situation before you minimize the per unit cost of the directories by printing several years’ supply. Even the most subtle error or change can be a source of discontent.
Contents
Experienced GSD companies or advertising agencies will have many design options to choose from, or allow you to opt for a custom-creation reflecting a theme from the hotel, the community or the style in your sales pieces. If you have a specific design in mind for your directory, anything you can provide (fabric samples, magazine photos, brochures, logos, menus, etc.) will assist in creating the specific design you are looking for. Photos add a unique, personal touch.
Don’t put information already easily accessible in the guest rooms in your directories. It adds clutter and reduces guests’ interest. The listing of services is the most important ingredient in the directory. Seek input from your hotel staff to determine the most sought after information.
A gracious gesture to foreign travelers is to duplicate the welcome letter in their respective languages. Mostly likely, your directory company can provide such translations. The welcome letter from the hotel or General Manager mandates the grandeur of the directory. Hand-signing the letter with a “Hospitably Yours” or “Warm Regards” portrays personal service.
A room-service menu should be included in the directory, if applicable. This is a logical way to promote your in-house restaurant and generate revenue by advertising to a captive audience. It is wise to print: “Prices and Hours are Subject to Change.” Keep in mind hotel chain requirements; some require children’s menus, specific hours of service, etc.
Area information celebrates an awareness of your community. Local points of interest, including national or state parks, recreation, small “not-to-miss places,” fun things to do and places to see, are extremely valuable in the overall impression a guest takes away with them. If they enjoy their visit, they are more likely to return to your hotel.
Tabs or step tabs (sometimes referred to as side-steps) designate each section of the directory, provide basic organization to the time-conscious traveler and make navigating the GSD very easy. Four or five tabs are a good number; the ease and effectiveness of the tabs are lost with any more than six.
Advertiser-Supported Directory
Clearly state your requirements and desires in the initial “contract stage” with your GSD company. Verify that the company will provide you with all the applicable essentials. Supplying the firm’s representative with a room for up to two weeks at a mutually convenient time, including free local telephone calls, copying and faxing privileges, is an industry standard.
Schedule a meeting with the directory representative prior to the community work. He or she should ask you for businesses you recommend and which you prefer they approach first. Select quality establishments favored by past guests. A comprehensive assortment of advertising merchants should be approached so that the guests are viewing a directory that meets their diverse wishes. A veteran representative will be alert to enhancements for your book as well as detriments.
P.T. Barnum once said: “Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business.” A good GSD representative can be more valuable to you than a month of aggressive advertising. They are out in the community, though not claiming they work directly for the hotel, representing the hotel and can create a valuable impression on the hotel’s behalf.
Connie Foster, Director of Rooms at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA speaks of the bridges built via Guest Service Directories: “our (community) neighbors and colleagues. . .appreciate it.” Community relations are paramount. Make it imperative that the representative is consistent in quoting rates and does not float prices. Hard feelings can ensue when the merchant finds one business paid less for its advertisement than another.
Tenaciously attempt to utilize a GSD company that does not request advertiser pre-payment the first time they coordinate an area. Everyone has heard horror stories about companies selling advertisements, collecting money and then not producing the product. Don’t risk this happening to your property. There are a sufficient number of GSD companies that are financially stable without pre-payment and are well established in their commitment.
Advertiser Restrictions
Do not limit the incorporation of reputable businesses. When the restaurant of a hotel is struggling, some General Managers wish to minimize off-property restaurant advertisements. Discard that thought! Few guests are going to have all their meals in the hotel. If outside restaurants are not recommended to them, they will search on their own. If their encounter is not a pleasant one, the guests will recall their trip with less enthusiasm and may have less motivation to return. Don’t take this scenario lightly... there are volumes of stories on this subject.
A hotel with several pages of quality Guest Service Directory advertisements should be delighted. The property is obviously well endorsed by its community and will be valued by its directory provider.
Proofs
Request that your GSD company send you a complete book proof. A second proof, if necessary, should be submitted for your final approval. The area advertisers need to receive a full-page proof so if there is any serious discontent with their placement on the page, it can be rectified prior to printing.
A GSD production timeline is approximately three to four months. Please keep in mind, deadlines are meant to keep the process moving along. Missing proof deadlines means a delay in production and in receiving your directories.
Contract Commitment
Industry standard is three years. Don’t enter into an agreement with your directory company for more than a three-year period. If you are hesitant on a three-year commitment, consider negotiating down to a two-year commitment. Most GSD companies prefer a three-year agreement as it spreads the initial set-up costs over a longer calendar. But, if the company really wants your business, they will be prepared to earn your business over the long haul.
Fair dealing when parties commit to an agreement is healthy for everyone. Read the terms of your contract thoroughly before signing. Beware of self-renewing contracts. These legal, yet inevitably frustrating, documents can tangle a hotel into a seemingly never-ending, undesirable bond with a company for years.
Read and abide by your agreement. The #1 assumption hotels make is that competitive advertising is no big deal. Merchants will seldom advertise in the GSD when they already have advertisements in the hotel. If your directory coordinator points out competition and you refuse to remove the other material, the company might legally enforce their exclusive contract. Be advised, though, that if they do not enforce this you have just won the battle, but lost the war. Lured under false pretense, better directory companies will not be back to serve you with the product absolutely essential to your guests.
The Final Product
Maintain a Guest Service Directory at your front desk at all times. The information and recommended businesses are the same outside of the room as they are inside. Stand the GSD in a prominent position on the guest room desk or counter top, and invite your guests to fully enjoy the service you have provided them. The final product should mirror your vision of a masterpiece, so display your Guest Service Directory with pride.
Annual updates on directories guarantee current innovations and fresh perspectives. GSD companies should update hotel information every year along with design changes, paper and ink choices, etc. Changing the ink or insert color from year to year makes it easier for housekeeping staff to identify the difference and make sure the latest information is at your guests’ fingertips.
Your Guest Service Directory makes a statement that reflects the personality and tone of your establishment. It should be recognized for the essential, if not indispensable, marketing tool it is and, if used correctly, your directory can make an all-important, lasting impression that will entice guests to return time and time again.
