As competition grows fiercer by the day, getting your hotel to stand out from the rest is more important than ever. Fortunately, there are many ways you can improve your guests' perception of your hotel. From greeting guests with a genuine smile to renovating rooms, what you do (or don't do) impacts your guests' satisfaction, and ultimately, whether they'll stay at your hotel again.

One of your guests' first impressions of your hotel is how it appears from the outside. Improve your curb appeal by keeping a well-maintained exterior. Clean your walkways and building's exterior with a pressure washer, install proper trash and ash receptacles to collect waste, keep landscaping maintained and repair any potholes. Also, install new signage where needed and ensure there is plenty of exterior lighting for decorative and security purposes. With improved curb appeal, you'll draw in guests and give current guests a reason to return.

Once your guests are inside, does your hotel make a good impression? Your lobby and front desk should be well lit and welcoming to guests. These areas should also be staffed with courteous, friendly and helpful employees. Customer service can make or break a customer's experience, so invest in top-notch personnel to create a great impression that your guests will remember.
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Next, assess your guest rooms--they offer a great opportunity to make customers pleased with their decision to stay at your hotel. Your guest rooms should feel inviting, comforting and up to date. A fresh coat of paint, enhanced lighting, a new bedspread or updated artwork can make a big difference on how guests perceive your rooms, and these are all improvements that can be done without breaking your budget.

Another area of scrutiny for guests is the guest bathroom. Quality linens, both here and in the bedroom, make a good impression on guests. Also, plumbing and amenity upgrades show your guests they're important to you.

There are numerous ways to positively impact your guests' experience at your hotel. By following the above suggestions or implementing ideas of your own, you'll soon be on your way to ensuring you get more heads in your beds. For a free product catalog full of items to help you enhance your property, contact The Home Depot Supply at 1-800-431-3000 or visit online at hdsupply.com.

Lighting plays a significant role in guest satisfaction

While lighting may seem like an easily overlooked element of guest rooms, guests apparently are not turning a blind eye. According to a leading consumer magazine's July 2004 survey, poor guest room lighting was the No. 1 complaint, with budget hotels receiving the most complaints.

Thankfully, improving your guest room lighting is one of the most effective and budget-friendly things you can do to enhance the way your guests perceive your hotel.

Good guest room lighting should be functional and aesthetically pleasing and provide guests with the comfortable, warm atmosphere they expect from a living space. Use high-quality, energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting in guest rooms to create the functional, warm and inviting look desired by guests, and at the same time, save substantial dollars on energy costs. Today's quality compact fluorescents (ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR[R]) provide the same soft white light output of traditional incandescents but use up to 74 percent less energy and last 10 times as long!