There are many things you need to think about when running a business in the hospitality industry to ensure you get consistent sales and build a loyal customer base. As well as ensuring you have good face-to-face customer service and that your business has a good look and feel to it, you also need to think about the technology side of things. These can range from all the pos basic features required to having an eye-catching and informative website. When building your website, there are a few things you’ll need to consider:
- Build a website on a CMS platform such as WordPress. The content on a website for businesses in hospitality will and should change on a regular basis. Whether it is a menu of services/food/beverage, a blog, upcoming events, or seasonal specials, the business owners must be able to readily make content changes.
- Menus must be live, current, and contain pricing. While it is acceptable to have a pdf link with downloadable menus, the menu itself should be nicely displayed on a page that loads easily and is as delicious as the services or food you are offering.
- Showcase your establishment with a photo gallery – whether a website visitor is interested in coming to your establishment themselves or they are considering purchasing a gift card, a photo gallery will make the decision-making process easier for the prospective customer. Carefully select images that showcase your establishment and tell the story of your brand. There is no need to overload.
- Be sure that a contact phone number is prominently displayed. As obvious as it sounds, there are many restaurants and spas that overlook this detail. The phone number should be visible and clickable on every page of the website as should the location of the business.
- A mobile responsive website is a must for any business in the hospitality industry. That means that the website will adjust itself on a fluid grid on mobile devices. A website should be clearly legible on every platform – whether it is an iPhone, an iPad, and Android, or a desk top computer. This not a mobile website that looks entirely different from your main website. A mobile responsive website is one website that works on multiple devices.
