Hotel owners and managers: be honest with yourselves. Hotel gift shops have gotten a bad reputation in the past few years. From the often-overpriced snacks to the tacky trinkets, many hotels and resorts still have a lot to learn in the gift shop department. If you are ready to bring your hotel or resort gift shop to the next level and to impress your guests, then follow Boca Terry’s tips:
1. Offer Vouchers
Travelers love a good value for the amount they are paying. That means that your guests want to feel like they are getting a good deal—and you should be willing to provide that, at times! Want to elevate your guests’ happiness?
Here’s an idea: offer gift shop vouchers. Certain rooms—whether placed randomly, or based on the price of the room—will receive vouchers for $5 or $10 to spend at the gift shop. You can even make this deal active only after they spend a certain amount, like $50. This will add excitement, and potentially drive business as guests embrace the deal they’ve been offered.
2. Unique Products Targeting Your Guests
You might already know your clientele, but you should get to know them and their interests on a deeper level. Learn what your average hotel guest wants in a gift shop, and provide that in yours!
This could mean several things: for example, rather than offering convenience food items, consider offering healthy, organic snacks. In fact, the newest trend in the hospitality industry is a high-interest in natural and organic foods—especially for the hotels diving into the health and wellness movement! Offering some healthier options in the sea of salty snacks is a great way to win over happy guests.
3. Think Quality Over Quality
The problem that many hotel gift shops create for themselves is their overabundance of items. When guests walk in, they are overwhelmed by snacks, toiletries, travel pillows, custom name license plates, beach towels, flip flops, and nearly anything else that comes to mind. The problem here is that there is just too much going on.
Rather than trying to promote sales via a large collection of items, work to promote sales through a select choice of high quality gifts. Sure, guests will want you to keep certain items in stock—they may have forgotten their toothpaste or a comb—but keep it simple. They do not want to be bombarded with too many items on their journey to acquire their necessities.
4. Free Gift Wrapping
The majority of your shoppers are going to be buying a souvenir for a loved one who could not attend this trip. When they finally find that special something, offer free gift wrapping! Your guests will be pleased to see this service, and might even be more likely to purchase something when they know it will be a neat package by the time they check out!
5. Consider E-Commerce
Rather than missing out on sales, consider offering your gift shop items online! Maybe your guests forgot to get something during his or her trip; maybe someone wants to re-purchase an item they enjoyed months after their stay; or, maybe your guests simply want to enjoy their trip without needing to think about shopping until later. In all of these situations, offering your guests access to an online store can help boost sales while driving customer experience and satisfaction.
6. Create Comfort with Customized Bathrobes
Among the items that guests might hope for are comfortable, soothing bathrobes. We understand that it might not be realistic for you to provide bathrobes in each hotel room, for various reasons. Perhaps you do not have the manpower to properly clean 1-2 bathrobes per room each day; maybe it is not a necessary amenity in your mind. However, that does not mean your campus should be void of bathrobes, entirely.
That is why it is so important to offer bathrobes in your gift shop. Some guests will not settle for a lack of a bathrobe in their room, so providing them in the gift shop is a good way to ensure these guests get what they need. On the other hand, if you do happen to offer bathrobes in your rooms, selling them in your gift shop is still a bright idea. Why? Once your guests get a feel for the plush, fluffy bathrobe you keep in stock, they will want one for themselves! Rather than letting them take home a used bathrobe, offer a fresh, new bathrobe in your shop that they can take home.
Best of all, you can customize your gift shop’s bathrobes with your brand’s logo or motto—that way, each time your guests wear their robe at home, they will remember the enjoyable stay they had with your establishment. If you let guests order and pay ahead, you might even consider offering custom embroidery with their names on the robe!
7. Consider Localized Gifts
Tweak your gift shop offerings based on where you are. For example, offer a fun crab mallet in Maryland or Alaska with your hotel’s name on it. Or, offer pieces of coral in Miami. Go for Cajun seasoning and a simple recipe book in New Orleans, and specially seasoned lobster butter in Maine. The options are endless.
8. Provide What Guests Have Forgotten
Guests can’t always remember their warm blanket and fuzzy slippers; in the midst of packing, these items are easily forgotten. Offer these in your gift shop. Your guests will be happy to have a backup plan—especially when they note the quality of Boca Terry’s slippers and Waffle Blanket!
Boca Terry: Bettering Hotel Gift Shops
Now that you know what to do, it’s time to do it! We are ready to help you better the customer experience, one gift shop item at a time. If you are interested in ordering Boca Terry bathrobes; beach towels; slippers; and more, or if you have questions about wholesale pricing, contact us today!
