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Opening soon - Question of marketing

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collegeofparty started this discussion 15 years 3 weeks ago

Hi all,

Well everything is finally in place after over a year putting this business together. I have likely the best location you could ever hope for secured in the city, the financing ready to go, the contactors are prepped, I have experienced staff ready to work and am just waiting for the city to approve my permits so I can start renovations (they just need to go through the steps but they have told me they have no doubts i will have approval in the next couple of weeks - I have several affividavits from the neighbouring businesses and, as well, the Local Community Assoc. along with the Local Business Assoc. are both behind me).

That said, I do have a question - its looking as though I should be able to open in January, basically as soon as the renos are done - I was suspect it would be a good idea to register with Hostelworld so I can start getting the word out now and possibly getting some early bookings... but unfortunately though, I will not have any interior pictures until the renos are done.

So do you think I should wait until I have some good pictures of the facilities (its going to be very funky/flashy) or should I just register now with some external pics of the building and maybe location pictures? I also have some rough 3D renderings of what its expected to look like that I guess I could also put up.

I would love any advice/experience you have about this

As always, thanks for the help. I doubt I could have got this far without the resources of HostelManagement, still can't believe that all the hard work has paid off and that I'm going to be opening in the only 2 months. :)

Cheers,

Jeff

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Josh Hostels

15 years

So do you think I should wait until I have some good pictures of the facilities (its going to be very funky/flashy) or should I just register now with some external pics of the building and maybe location pictures? I also have some rough 3D renderings of what its expected to look like that I guess I could also put up.

I would put the hostel on HostelWorld as soon as possible and then upgrade the pictures as soon as you have them available. People will make bookings even if there are no photos of the hostel (though it's better to have photos of the hostel)...

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livaus

15 years

I would put the hostel on HostelWorld as soon as possible and then upgrade the pictures as soon as you have them available. People will make bookings even if there are no photos of the hostel (though it's better to have photos of the hostel)...

I agree - put some pictures up from building, neighbourhood, logo and get the business going. Just make a realistic allocation - if renovations are not finished on time neither you or guests will be happy.

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Fat Tire

15 years

Regarding your date for opening, be realistic (perhaps even a bit pessimistic). We are about to open our hostel in Oakridge, Oregon. Originally we were planning for the end of Sept. then, by the end of October, now, I am aiming for the end of November! What can go wrong will go wrong... isn't that Murphy's Law? Workers get sick, permit applications get held up, contractors do not show up as promised, even the weather may negativley impact your progress... and on it goes. While I agree it may be a good idea to get a jump on marketing, we have not accepted reservations even though we have had early inquiries/requests for bookings. But we are about ready and it has been a very long road. Good luck and persevere.

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HOSTEL SEATTLE

15 years

Regarding your date for opening, be realistic (perhaps even a bit pessimistic). We are about to open our hostel in Oakridge, Oregon. Originally we were planning for the end of Sept. then, by the end of October, now, I am aiming for the end of November! What can go wrong will go wrong... isn't that Murphy's Law? Workers get sick, permit applications get held up, contractors do not show up as promised, even the weather may negativley impact your progress... and on it goes. While I agree it may be a good idea to get a jump on marketing, we have not accepted reservations even though we have had early inquiries/requests for bookings. But we are about ready and it has been a very long road. Good luck and persevere.

HEY Oakridge! are you open yet? Can we halp in any way? Good luck!

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Rucksack Brian

15 years

I would put the hostel on HostelWorld as soon as possible and then upgrade the pictures as soon as you have them available. People will make bookings even if there are no photos of the hostel

I agree. I have run a successful hostel for two years without putting pictures of the interior on Hostelworld. I will put them up on my own website, but I don't plan to put them on HW. My market and my competition are probably very different than most though, and in general I would strongly recommend showing as many up-to-date pictures as you can.

I like your idea of putting the renderings up. Nothing says "new hostel" better than unconstructed rooms. All of your early bookings will know they'll get first crack at the place.

When you first open up, offer prizes to anyone who can find a problem that needs to be fixed. Your first guests will think it's fun, they won't be tempted to post negative reviews about minor inconveniences, and it will help you smooth out your rough edges very quickly.

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collegeofparty

15 years

Thanks for the advice, so I'm going to get on HW right away but possibly allocate a month later than expected just in case we get delays - Great idea to give out prizes for those people who find problems/have ideas to make the hostel better.

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Nicky

15 years

When you first open up, offer prizes to anyone who can find a problem that needs to be fixed. Your first guests will think it's fun, they won't be tempted to post negative reviews about minor inconveniences, and it will help you smooth out your rough edges very quickly.

Certainly recommend this, it is free advise from your target groups. And certainly they will think it is fun.. How cool is it to help creating a hostel by giving your opinion about whats missing or what has to be changed

This even could result in guests recommending your place to other travellers they meet on the way..

Allocating a month later would be better.. Even if you charge special opening fees, because of delays or things not finished yet, there will be guests complaining.
We had the same problem at Base Wanaka when we had Kiwi Experience groups coming in.. no curtains in the rooms yet, painting of stairwells still had to be finished as well as the communal kitchen wasn't ready yet..

Good luck with everything

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Diogo

15 years

I agree. I have run a successful hostel for two years without putting pictures of the interior on Hostelworld. I will put them up on my own website, but I don't plan to put them on HW. My market and my competition are probably very different than most though, and in general I would strongly recommend showing as many up-to-date pictures as you can.

I like your idea of putting the renderings up. Nothing says "new hostel" better than unconstructed rooms. All of your early bookings will know they'll get first crack at the place.

When you first open up, offer prizes to anyone who can find a problem that needs to be fixed. Your first guests will think it's fun, they won't be tempted to post negative reviews about minor inconveniences, and it will help you smooth out your rough edges very quickly.

Great idea Brian. I like it! :) I also think that everyone is too HW dependent. Put your website running and start putting pics of your hostel beeing put together. Start making the website alive (aka googlable).

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winteraccessbc

14 years

Great idea Brian. I like it! :) I also think that everyone is too HW dependent. Put your website running and start putting pics of your hostel beeing put together. Start making the website alive (aka googlable).

The 'opening soon' aspect is great for creating an opt-in list for making your announcement via email and not just depending on the search engines.
All the best with completion when dealing with schedules over which you have little control (approvals, local politics, etc.).

Cheers, Ian.

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