The Role of Hotel Consultants

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In this article, we will talk about the responsibilities of an outsourced hotel consulting agency and the kind of projects it handles in the benefit of hotels that it manages.

The most important task of a hotel consultation agent includes: giving professional advice to hotel investors or aspiring hoteliers hoping to enter the industry, at the same time helping running hotels to perform at its maximum capacity.

The most important component of a fantastic hotel consulting service is made up of years of expertise which relates to both hotel operations and business in general, significantly valuing international experience. This (may) involve various aspects of the business from real estate valuation to IT consulting.

Broad academic foundation is essential if we would like to employ the best professional to help us become prosperous, by making more efficient decisions at the right time. 

Choosing the services of a company specialising in hotels or resorts shouldn’t be considered an unnecessary cost or as a last resort when things get ugly. An experienced and well-trained adviser is an excellent investment to obtain the desired results for your company.

It’s a fact that sometimes it is not simple to resort to some stranger, but sometimes all that is needed for a normal hotel to develop itself into an outstanding establishment is its willingness to alter its structure and an outside consultant to help us achieve it.

WHY IS IT BENEFICIAL TO HAVE AN EXTERNAL HOTEL CONSULTING AGENCY?

Some general reasons to employ the services of a hotel consulting service can be beneficial to your business:

• Some hotels have difficulty, even after some time around the market, in clearly defining their organization and objectives. A problem appears after another, overlapping, troubling and leaving no space for the business to perform what it is better at doing. An outsourced hotel consulting agency, with expertise in the world of hotels, markets, usually with contacts, is equipped to identify the strengths of the resort, take advantage of those opportunities which may arise, and ensure resources are used optimally. Some of these agencies are also full service, meaning, they may offer a huge range of services from providing business IT support to interior design.
• The importance of details. Sometimes we don’t know our weaknesses. The secret of success, however, can be found in the knowledge, the ones that come from real-world experiences. The adviser can use this expertise and use it to the advantage of your hotel or resort.
• New chances. A consultant has worked with many companies (especially someone who works in various countries) and has numerous contacts inside the many varied market segments. This may be a great means to access new contacts and opportunities for this individual hotel or resort. Just like how a responsive web design opens up new opportunities for the business owner, a consultant may just be the key that connects you to new business opportunities.
• Proven solutions. In most cases, it seems that every problem that arises in a resort or hotel is new and unique, so it requires a very long time to solve it. For situations like this, it is likely that a consultancy with experience has already dealt with something similar to this and therefore can resolve the issue using effective and simple methods to implement alternatives which have been applied in the past.
• A facilitator. Regrettably, it’s very common for hotels especially resorts that are managed as a family business tend to have interpersonal conflicts that prevent the company from becoming successful. These conflicts are rarely solved without the intervention of an outsider, whose opinion is respected considering that doesn’t take sides in the argument.

The two most common situations where a resort consulting agency uses its expertise are the following, depending on the location of their company/resort.

Scenario A: people or companies that are thinking of going into the hospitality industry. 

In scenarios like this, a professional adviser can provide counsel, among other matters, which relates to:

• Forecasting the profitability of the hotel
• Finding the right concept for the hotel
• Developing solutions for any scenario
• Deciding the appropriate target
• Developing business plans
• Running the project brilliantly

It is important to note here that the guidance provided will be based on the particular location that you may be based in. For example, if you are planning to build an accommodation at Hobart Waterfront, the advisor may give you counselling based on what he/she thinks is right for the market in Hobart.

Scenario B: Hotels that are already operating

In cases like this, the work of a professional hotel consulting bureau provides the tools needed to improve operative results and adapt to current requirements, without losing sight of the objective of raising the levels of profitability at the short, medium and long term by:

• Creating and implementing promotion and sales programs. Including the creation of the Revenue Management culture.
• The operational direction of the hotel. Including developments in service quality results.
• Improving the image and reputation of the hotel or hotel.
• Training.

In this situation, resort advisers help the hotel’s operational department to achieve the targets through:

• Consultancy, advisory and layout plan to bridge the gap between current and desired situation.
• Coaching, guidance and training (different levels).
• The growth of management, supervisory and know-how skills.
• Definition of the company’s mission, goals and objectives.
• The assessment of the present situation. (Depending on the agency, this may include the digital and physical aspects of your hotel, i.e. assessing the SEO or the validity of your business website design)
• The identification of instruction and operability needs.
• The development of organizational communications.
• The improvement of job performance.
• Increasing employee motivation.
• The rising levels of organizational operation.
• Achieving customer loyalty and satisfaction from them.
• The expansion of the company’s customer base and the market segment.

THE ROLE OF EXTERNAL HOTEL CONSULTING

It is the adviser’s role to “feel the situation” and make a preliminary investigation during the initial meeting with the mind of the hotel, always acting with integrity and in the best interests of the client.

An advisor must know if he/she is equipped with the appropriate tools and experience to solve the problem, make the adjustments and improvements needed, and search for help if the situation needs it.

At this point, the consultant has to be honest with the client and offer an opinion on the efficacy of a generic Customer Service session, explaining the necessity to address the root of the problem before the actual delivery of coaching sessions into the front-line personnel.

Here, the consultant acts as a true consultant, not only as the “Facilitator” the client wanted to employ. A good adviser will first have to clarify objectives, find the origins of the issue and help fix them. Thus orienting both employees and management towards the desired results for your resort. Whether you have been dreaming of owning and managing a great hotel like this luxury accommodation in Tasmania, or you want to know how or what to improve on at your existing hotel, having a hotel consultant will be a giant leap towards that goal.