Thought Leadership
Defining Attribute-Based Selling for Hoteliers
Wondering what attribute-based selling is and, by extension, how it applies to hotels? Definitions vary, but Jos Schaap, CEO and co-founder of ROOMDEX, breaks it down in layman’s terms, touching on how attribute-based selling has the potential to increase total hotel revenue. Read an excerpt of the article he wrote for Hospitality Net below.
Attribute Based Selling: It’s Time to Define it for the Hotel Industry
For years, many in the hotel industry have talked about Attribute Based Selling (ABS). It has been discussed at conferences and in webinars with many claiming it is the way of the future that looks like the way of the past, while others claim it is currently in action out in the market.
All of this begs the question of what exactly it is.
What is attribute-based selling?
Most will tell you that ABS promises to give customers a method to purchase products in a way that better matches their individual desires, with the benefit of driving more revenue for the seller. In a way, ordering a custom pizza with the toppings you like is a method of ABS.
But when it comes to hotels and their array of assets, the definition of ABS has become blurred. Depending on who you speak to, you may actually be talking about attribute-based shopping or attribute-based pricing. We think it’s time to sort this all out once and for all.
What is ABS for Hotels?
With attribute-based selling, hoteliers can sell every room attribute separately. Instead of the traditional method of offering rooms by room type, a hotel could “un-categorize” its inventory and allow guests to pick only the features they value.
Let’s be clear: the goal is to maximize the revenue from all your hotel assets regardless of whether they are ‘true’ room attributes or not. However, to do so requires us to make sure we understand exactly what we are selling. The guest cares about building a stay experience, but less about what the building blocks are called. The hotelier needs to define the building blocks to be able to accurately determine availability and pricing.
READ FULL ATTRIBUTE-BASED SELLING ARTICLE HERE
ROOMDEX Can Help Your Hotel with Attribute-Based Selling
For most guests, the days of calling a hotel to ask about a room’s specific attributes are at an end. With hotel upsell automation from ROOMDEX, your guests can enjoy the attributes they desire while your property benefits from easy upsell conversions, improving RevPAR and ADR. Request a demo to get started.
Looking for more resources?
Check out The Upselling Library, which includes articles, webinars, and videos that touch on hotel upsell solutions. Have questions for ROOMDEX? Let’s connect!