A sharing, caring idea
This week's hot tip from Brendan Lally, manager of the Exmoor House Hotel in Dunster, Somerset, shows that good local referral systems can be a winner all round. He wins £100
AN initiative by hotelier Brendan Lally has resulted in extra business for other hotels and guest houses in the area as well as his own.
It started when he was unable to accommodate a large group booking at the Exmoor House Hotel. Rather than turn down the business, he offered to organise accommodation for the remainder of the group elsewhere in the village.
This enabled Lally to cater for a far larger range of personal likes and dislikes. For example, as the Exmoor House Hotel is non-smoking, smokers could be accommodated where they could smoke. Meals were taken as a group within the hotel's own restaurant.
The success of this booking encouraged Lally to co-ordinate accommodation for other groups wanting to stay in the village. This has led to business being generated from groups coming from as far afield as Hong Kong and New York.
Tariff variations between the different types of accommodation are worked out by the group organiser. This is usually accomplished by providing a better standard of room at the next venue for those who had accepted cheaper accommodation in Dunster.
"It requires a fair amount of effort to co-ordinate everything, but the beauty of this scheme is that it provides everyone with business and enables large groups to come to small villages that otherwise would not be able to accommodate them. As long as there is a good organiser, it can work anywhere," Lally says.
"Although the income from one group does not fully compensate for the effort involved in terms of time, there are long-term advantages. It can help to build up repeat business and goodwill. In addition, it has been tremendously good for all of us in the village. We have got to know each other much better and can confidently recommend each other's businesses."
If you have an idea that has helped cut costs, raise revenue or simply made life easier, here's your opportunity to share it with the industry. We will pay £100 for all the ideas we print. Write to Hot Tips, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS.