| We're Here To Help | Dear Property Owner I'm writing from Botswana. I flew here on a plane loaded with tourists. Cape Town is booming and flights are certainly picking up. Corporate travel is increasing and enquiries from travel managers is on the rise.
Unfortunately this doesn't translate into profits for everyone. Many accommodation operators have not been able to raise their rates to pre-pandemic levels, despite a huge increase in running cost. So, we are working hard to find our members great deals to help keep costs as low as possible. While marketing efforts take time to convert into increased revenue for your property, saving money through discounts with our partners and exclusive offers from our preferred suppliers will hopefully help ease the financial burden.
Have a great October and, as we are in the final quarter for the year, make it count. Regards, Richard Lendrum & the GHASA team | | | NEWS | Tourism Recovery Is On The RiseBut business as usual not going to deliver the meteoric growth SA needsSouth Africa’s hospitality sector is on the road to recovery according to theTourist Accommodation statistics for July, issued by Statistics South Africa. The opportunity exists to speed that recovery up, says FEDHASA, the voice of hospitality in South Africa.
While total income for hotels, guest houses and other accommodation, including lodges, B&Bs and self-catering establishments, still lags behind 2019 figures, there are small signs of hope with the average income per stay unit night sold in July 2022 slightly higher than that reported in pre-pandemic July 2019 (R1,197 vs R1,080). Total income for July 2022 is just over 4% behind July 2019 levels.
“When we split the July figures into different accommodation types, we see that accommodation classified as ‘other’, that is lodges, B&Bs and self-catering, has led the charge and achieved almost 26% more income in July 2022 vs July 2019. This type of accommodation has consistently outperformed other types in terms of recovery this year,” says Rosemary Anderson, National Chairperson FEDHASA.
Statistics South Africa also reports that total income for the hotel sector in July 2022 is 14% lower than total income in July 2019, while occupancies are at 35,6% vs 47,3%. | | | How to respond to reviews, according to experienced hoteliers | Research has shown that responding to online reviews, especially negative ones, increases the trust prospective customers have in your hotel, making them more likely to believe that you care about your guests.
Online reviews are not only a way to generate and cultivate a relationship with an existing or past guest, they are also a major deciding factor for prospective guests. Therefore, those reviews you are responding to are not only talking to the reviewer in question, but also to every other potential guest scrolling through your Tripadvisor, Bookings.com or Google reviews.
However, while responding to reviews is clearly a vital management task, it isn't always an easy one. It’s sometimes difficult to know what to write, which reviews to respond to or how to address complaints. So, we asked a few experienced hoteliers to share some of their tips and tricks for responding to satisfied and not-so-satisfied guests online. | | | Cap Classique Tour in Robertson | | |
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