Use shuttle services as a selling point

Before arriving at your hotel, a guest has a variety of decisions to make, many of which turn into obstacles. Airline tickets, rental cars, and yes, hotel reservations all add to the travel headache. Airport hotels are in the unique position to offer several solutions all at once.

From the business traveler down to the stranded airline passenger, the shuttle service presents a no-hassle, inexpensive transport option. The key for airport hotels is promoting this service to guests and potential guests.

“We have to make sure we reach out at the pre-arrival process,” said Robert Lepore, GM of the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel & Executive Meeting Center. Pre-arrival strategies are as simple as a note during the booking process, or an e-mail a week or so before arrival.

Hotels have the option to buy signage space within the airport, but at that point, many travelers already have made hotel accommodations. This makes directional signage more important than informational signage or advertising.

“Seventy percent [of our guests] come in from shuttle service,” Lepore said, a significant portion of which are international travelers. “We know we need to reach out in advance and need to capture them at every distribution channel for how to get from the airport to our hotel.”

In particular, the Miami International Airport “is very large, and it’s the gateway to South America—guests come through form every country in Latin America and signage is a work in progress,” he said.

Miami International has seven terminals, including multiple international terminals, which means it can be a challenge to cover with the appropriate directional and informative signage.