:
Worldwide: Ahead of International Women’s Day [8 March], two female entrepreneurs in the short-term rental industry discuss why it is important to enter industry awards [like the Shortyz Awards] and the benefits it can bring.
Yvonne Halling, transformational coach at Bed and Breakfast Coach:
Why it’s important to enter [and ideally, win] awards
In today’s competitive hospitality industry, distinguishing your business from the multitude of options available to consumers has never been more important. One effective strategy to achieve this differentiation is through the pursuit and attainment of industry awards. These accolades serve as powerful trust markers, enhancing your property’s credibility and signalling professionalism to potential guests. Drawing from personal experience and industry insights, I’ll explore the multifaceted benefits of entering and winning hospitality awards.
Enhancing credibility and trust
Awards function as third-party endorsements, validating the quality of your services and operations. When potential guests see that your business has been recognised by reputable organisations, it instills confidence in their booking decisions. This external validation is crucial in an era where consumers are inundated with choices and often rely on reviews and accolades to guide their selections. Your awards can then be prominently displayed on your website, social media, advertising materials, and brochures, thereby enhancing perceived credibility in the eyes of your guests.
Differentiation in a saturated market
The hospitality market is increasingly commoditised, with many properties offering similar amenities and experiences. Awards provide a unique selling proposition, setting your business apart from competitors. They signal to potential guests that your establishment offers something exceptional, whether it is outstanding service, unique experiences, or superior facilities. This differentiation is vital for attracting discerning guests who seek the best options available, and willing to pay for them.
Marketing and public relations opportunities
Winning awards opens up a plethora of marketing and PR avenues. Accolades can be showcased across various platforms, including your website, social media channels, and press releases. This not only boosts your brand’s visibility but also provides content that can engage your audience and attract media attention. The free publicity garnered from award recognition can lead to increased bookings and heightened interest from new guest segments.
Boosting your team’s morale and attracting new talent
Recognition through awards doesn’t just impact external perceptions; it also significantly influences internal team members. Employees take pride in working for an award-winning establishment, which can lead to increased morale, job satisfaction, and loyalty. Such recognition makes your business more attractive to top talent in the industry, as professionals often seek employers with a proven track record of excellence. This means you can hire better and retain staff longer.
Encouraging continuous improvement
The process of applying for awards often involves a thorough evaluation of your business practices, services, and guests’ feedback. This introspection encourages continuous improvement, as you identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. The pursuit of excellence becomes ingrained in your business’ culture, leading to sustained enhancements in service delivery and guest satisfaction. It means you never rest on your laurels, and your business naturally evolves alongside you.
Expanding network and partnerships
Participating in award ceremonies and related events provides invaluable networking opportunities. You can connect with industry leaders, peers, and potential partners, cultivating relationships that can lead to collaborations, knowledge sharing, and business growth. These interactions can also offer insights into industry trends and best practices, keeping your business at the forefront of innovation. Being photographed at the “awards ceremony” will raise your perceived value in the eyes of your guests and could mean you can charge more, even if you’re not the winner!
Personal experience: A testament to success
Reflecting on my journey since entering the hospitality industry in 2001, the landscape of awards and recognitions has evolved dramatically. Initially, accolades were limited to local tourist office recognitions, with physical certificates adorning our doors and brochures. The advent of the internet transformed this dynamic, introducing platforms like TripAdvisor, where earning a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ became a coveted mark of trustworthiness. Displaying these badges on our website not only reassured potential guests of our legitimacy but also showcased our commitment to excellence.
Winning an online marketing award further solidified our reputation as a forward-thinking, tech-savvy establishment. Guests associated this recognition with an exceptional and modern experience, which we consistently strived to deliver.
When I evolved, and created Bed and Breakfast Coach in 2014, I continued to seek accolades for my methodologies and philosophies, earning several awards that I proudly display across various platforms. These honours have not only validated our hard work but have also served as powerful marketing tools, differentiating our services in a crowded marketplace, which have in turn brought me more opportunities to share my message across international stages, both offline and online.
Conclusion
In an industry where trust and professionalism are paramount, entering and winning hospitality awards offer numerous benefits. From enhancing credibility and differentiating your brand to boosting employee morale and encouraging continuous improvement, these accolades serve as powerful tools in elevating your business. Embracing the pursuit of excellence through awards not only validates your efforts but also propels your establishment toward sustained success in the ever-evolving hospitality landscape.
What awards or contests are you going to enter this year?
Even if you don’t win, entering them brings its own rewards, making you stronger and more confident to showcase what you offer and stand in your value, and that in itself, is very attractive to guests
Daniela Derin, co-founder, Skol Apartments Marbella:
Entering awards and feeling worthy: Why should YOU apply for an industry award?
To have the excuse to attend the best party of the STR world, of course!
Now seriously, being a property manager is so hard, and being a woman-run show even harder, because we have to juggle many more parts of our lives than our male colleagues.
So we spend most of our time with our heads bent down in work without realising our hard work’s positive impact on our community: guests; owners; team members; colleagues; and neighbours.
Therefore, entering for that award that has been calling out your name for some time by sitting down and writing all we’ve achieved during the last year as a professional STR operator, is exactly what you need to realise how far you have come and the perfect moment to start celebrating your achievements.
While writing there’s no need to be modest, certainly, the other entrants won’t be!
Did you improve the percentage of direct or repeat bookings? Did you revamp your guests’ experience?
Did the five-star review ratio improve?
Then let the world know because YOU made it possible.
Remember that it’s not bragging if it’s true!
Getting an award nomination will skyrocket your business profile with guests and owners as you’ll be their first option.
Who would pass the opportunity to do business with you rather than your “nowhere to be found online” competition? You’ll be showcasing not only your achievements but also that you’re always striving for the best, to put yourself out there are a professional, which is totally something a small percentage of our industry does and we should all strive for more.
You’ll raise your profile immediately, both as an individual and as a business.
You’ll be entitled to proudly display the NOMINATED TO AN AWARD badge on your website and social media showcasing your professional superiority.
What did it mean for me to win multiple awards?
Although I am part of a couple-brand and an amazing team, I am the one that invests the hours in the award entries and promotions, so the pride and recognition are incredible. My professional profile, a Social Media for Book Direct expert, went straight up, but so are the totally worth hours put in in writing the entries, promoting the nominations and of course replying to all the well wishers amongst our superfan guests.
Is it worth the bother even if you do not get nominated?
Absolutely YES as the exercise of replying to the questions and putting together the supporting documentation will give you an energy boost that you can share with your team at your next meeting showing them how far you’ve come together in a year.
Do you still feel reluctant to put that entry in and go for that award? We all feel you imposter syndrome!
But you need to overcome it and be an example for your daughter, niece, and younger employees, set your standards high, and gather the courage to do it, because growth is outside the comfort zone.
Improving is painful but necessary, gather the courage to do it, and conquer your fears. Starting is the most difficult part because as you get writing and researching, the pride will propel you to carry on.
Scared of the big names out there? Do you think you’re insignificant next to them?
They were all small and insignificant until they pushed themselves to be out there!
No one will come and get you out of your hiding place to put you in the limelight. You have to put yourself out there.
Looking forward to see you shining little big star!
The first time I applied for an award, I had no idea where it would lead me and I only did it to gain access to a social media course. As I thought that what I was doing wasn’t good enough, I had 1000 followers that were all buying from me on repeat and only came to our feed to get their daily dose of Marbella vibes, but I wanted to go viral…
Little did I know that I had already won the social media game, so I really didn’t put much effort in writing it, as I didn’t believe we’d be considered.
The following year, the award ceremony was the first in-person event after two very dark years so I wanted to guarantee a nomination to have an excuse to be at the party. I really started to think about the answers and putting it all together, the supporting docs, the pictures, the videos [was already the queen of video by then] ,I realised how far we had come in these two years. Instead of crying about the loss of leisure travellers, we went out and found digital nomads to fill our apartments with, and so ensuring an income for us, our employees, and our owners.
We didn’t win the award but the two nominations were already a massive win for us and our proud team. The following two years, we did win and since then, writing the entry for The Shortyz has been a therapeutic activity to celebrate the wins of a family lifestyle business that is growing every year, in units, occupancy and therefore profits.
My crazy ideas always get backed up by one of the team, and to see how far we have come, not only in the last year but also in the last five, is truly empowering. How we set out from competition with social media, guest experience and personalisation just following our guts, offering new services according to guest’s requests, is truly something we’re extremely proud of.
Each year we implement new things, some work, some don’t, but all get celebrated.
Yes, I wrote in our social media entry: “Yet another year we failed to go viral.”
When you then get the nominations, the whole team, their families scattered all over the world, neighbours, colleagues here there and everywhere, join in to celebrate the nomination. Yes, we have a team lunch to celebrate this, because I may be the smiley face, but the achievement belongs to each and every one of the team members.
The amount of time used to do the applications is tremendous, especially for a creative with so much footage! You always want to add more, do best, but the advantage is that you can then use the footage for marketing.
Then you spend hours crafting newsletters and various social media posts to gather the votes and the answers make you cry.
And when you eventually win, oh that feeling is so huge, so empowering. Holding the actual award is like holding your baby for the first time. It’s mine, I made it and I deserve it, let’s just not drop it!
Some quotes to make you think about entering for that award you’d been thinking about:
KNOW YOUR WORTH – you’ll find it by writing if you’re not sure,
CELEBRATE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS – life’s too short not to,
NO NEED TO BE MODEST – why should you?
And this year, it’s special. Paul is leaving and he’s such a talented young man that he deserves a great party as a farewell. My daughter is a fashion designer who’s agreed to make me a dress and I need to hold one of those awards again to celebrate two amazing young people ready to conquer the world.
