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It goes without saying that the happier a guest is with your service, the more likely they will be to return. But what steps can your team take to turn a good guest experience into a great one and encourage your happy guests to push the boat out a little more in the moment?
The key to increasing spend is upselling, an integral skill that front-of-house staff need to perfect. Whilst it's crucial to avoid being pushy and to pick the right moment with care, it's of equal importance to ensure your team aren't afraid of attempting to upsell. After all, making relevant suggestions and recommendations in an effort to improve and enhance a guest experience can actually deliver a service above and beyond what they were expecting.
There are a few 'quick wins' when it comes to upselling. An invitation to guests to enjoy a drink at the bar on arrival in a restaurant is unlikely to be turned down whilst additional services and products, designed to enhance a hotel stay, may also prove of interest. Offering nibbles while guests are perusing the menu as well as offering complementary side dishes to accompany certain mains are also excellent opportunities to upsell. Additionally, instead of asking if they would like to see the dessert menu, discreetly placing it before them, perhaps with a personal recommendation, before giving them the time and space they need to decide, could well have the effect you're hoping for.
Not only does smart upselling benefit the guest, delivering an experience beyond their expectations, it adds to the spend per head. In short, guests recognise they are being encouraged to spend more for their own benefit, but this also benefits you as a member of the team as well as the company as a whole.
Remember that your team will need to learn to read clues in order to pick the right times to upsell. Nearly empty or empty glasses mark a good time to offer another drink whilst an offer of coffee just as dessert has been ordered or cleared away often goes down a treat.
Whether you run a hotel, restaurant or a pub, guests come to you to eat, drink, sleep and enjoy themselves. Offering something extra will not only make the experience more memorable, it could turn a happy guest into a delighted one, and boost your revenue at the same time.
