The SpringHill Suites Lexington Fritz Farm hotel is one of the brand’s newest locations, set to open in April 2024. Ideally situated near shopping and dining at The Summit at Fritz Farm and Fayette Mall, this pet-friendly hotel is perfect for business and leisure travelers. It offers 118 well-appointed rooms and 310 square feet of meeting space, along with a pool and a spacious, modern fitness center that distinguishes it from other options in the area.

Their clientele currently consists of a blend of leisure and corporate customers, influenced by discounted rates from OTAs and third-party organizations like AAA, alongside strong group bookings as they ramp up. According to Logan Buren, the Director of Sales and Marketing, their group sales are trending pretty well compared to the comp set.

Despite being newly opened since late April, they’ve successfully hit their budget each month, something celebrated by Logan.

I call that a success because a lot of times you open these hotels, and you’re not quite sure where that business will come from, how you’re gonna hit those budget numbers.  But with our mix of business from the discounted, retail, group, local, and negotiated rates that we’ve been working with, you can just see those numbers continue to rise month after month for all types of guests.

Situation

As the Director of Sales and Marketing, Logan focuses on securing business and negotiating local rates. Opening a new hotel in a fresh market presents both opportunities and challenges, and he finds that TrueTour has been crucial in setting them up for success from the start.

He describes the biggest challenge of a new hotel as getting market share while being competitive and attractive.

As a select service hotel, ADR is an important driver, which can be a battle sometimes. People are just going on marriott.com; if they don’t have a specific hotel, they will typically book the one with the lowest rate. It’s kind of a battle to try to capture that market share ADR.

He emphasizes the need for effective revenue management and active marketing efforts, including participation in local meetings and leveraging social media since the market is influenced by various factors, with horse racing in October and April being significant draws, particularly at Keeneland racetrack and during events like football games, as the hotel is slightly further from downtown.

Process

Visiting Media’s team successfully implemented TrueTour shortly after opening their new location. Logan highlights Jakeyla Cowlin, the Implementation Specialist since her professionalism and communication skills contributed to a smooth process.

He is currently concentrating on promoting TrueTour across multiple platforms, especially on Marriott’s website, featuring tours of his suites rather than solely the meeting space, as per Marriott’s standards. Given the limited square footage of his meeting space, his goal is to incorporate suite tours onto Marriott’s page to enhance engagement and boost the hotel’s visibility.

Solution and Results

His primary focus with the immersive tours is to showcase the sleeping rooms, since his meeting space is minimal, ensuring potential clients understand the capabilities of the hotel while acknowledging the limitations in handling larger meetings and room requests. He says that the fitness center has been a demanding location for tours as well, since is brand new and much bigger, compared with other hotels in the city. TrueTour has been instrumental in different use cases such as:

Helping the Sales Teams With Prospecting and Better Response Time

For his sales approach, Logan emphasizes combining online tools like TrueTour, LinkedIn, and ZoomInfo with in-person relationship building to connect with key stakeholders and event venues in the city. He researches contacts utilizing LinkedIn and Zoominfo for outreach, maintains consistent communication through email and calls, and adds his TrueTour link, especially since most of their business comes from out of town. His approach focuses on building rapport and finding effective prospect methods without relying solely on cold calling.

“It’s a combination of cold calling and boots on the ground. We have a really good Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) here in town, but there’s still a lot going on that never gets to them or gets put on their website. So, it just establishes those relationships with the event venues and key stakeholders. I love having the TrueTour on my email signature. So, I make sure to include every email that I send all over the place so they know what they’re looking at.”

He discussed his strategy for gauging potential clients’ interest in hotel proposals by tracking whether they click on shared links. He emphasizes the importance of following up within 12-24 hours and noting client engagement, which helps identify if clients are exploring other options or if pricing might be an issue. He recently sent a proposal for five rooms with daily meeting space, and the quick response from the client gives them hope for a successful booking. Overall, monitoring engagement helps him refine his approach and better understand client interest.

They get the link either by email or text message. It’s so many different ways to increase the engagement with the tours and I can see if they clicked on and if they’ve opened it, which is really helpful!

Supporting the Front Desk Team and Their Sales-Driven Mentality

The front desk team is also equipped with TrueTour to assist callers interested in viewing the property, even when staff are away. They utilize tools like GXP (Guest Experience Platform, provided by Marriott) and Spark (in-house lead program, provided by Peachtree) to manage inquiries and promote a sales-driven mentality. With Sparks, when staff take these qualified calls, they earn an incentive, and if a booking results from their lead, they receive additional compensation based on the average daily rate. This approach has proven effective in generating leads and ensuring timely follow-up with potential guests using resources like drone videos and interactive tours. This efficiency reduces the workload on front desk staff, as clients can access information independently, streamlining the overall booking experience.

Boosting Their Referrals From Guests and Across Peachtree’s Portfolio

Another successful application of their TrueTour is guest referrals. Logan consistently emails guests, inviting feedback, sharing the tour link, and asking if they would recommend the hotel to friends and family visiting the area. This approach has enabled them to disseminate information among colleagues and associates, ultimately helping attract more business.

Additionally, he highlights the Peachtree Visiting Media Content Hub, which showcases immersive tours of Peachtree hotels, facilitating property their own internal referral program called “Pass the Peach” for leads across the portfolio.

Peachtree has their referral program called Pass the Peach, which rewards team members for connecting potential guests with hotels in their network. The tours help showcasing their nearly 100 hotels, helping me keep track of locations and share information with clients.

A Big Win

Logan mentioned he started to see results with TrueTour since his first few days of using it,  such this large deal from an international automotive manufacturer. “The group was coming from Japan. It was right when we opened, which was the same week of the horse racing. We had tons of rooms available when most of the other hotels where sold out. The client was traveling from Japan to Lexington, and they wanted to see the hotel. I sent the link to the team, they opened it up and I think about 10 minutes later they answered -we are coming! If we didn’t have this tool I would probably be going around the hotel with my phone taking videos, which wouldn’t be ideal. The deal was about 15 rooms for three nights. That was our first big win with TrueTour”

Summary

Springhill Suites Lexington Fritz Farm’s innovative approach to utilizing TrueTour and various online tools demonstrates the power of combining technology with personal relationship-building in the hospitality industry. By focusing on immersive experiences and effective communication strategies, Logan and his team not only enhances client engagement but also foster a sales-driven mentality.

He is also grateful for Peachtree’s investment in innovative sales strategies and resources, which is uncommon in hospitality management. Tools like TrueTour, Spark, and ZoomInfo, combined with effective advertising campaigns on platforms such as Marriott and Expedia, have been pivotal for his hotel’s growth. He believes that management companies that invest in these tools show pride in their product and commitment to their teams, and that the initial costs will ultimately lead to savings and increased business.

SpringHill Suites Lexington Fritz Farm Quicklook

• Management & Ownership Group: Peachtree Hotel Group
• Brand: Marriott International
• Segment: Select Service
• Space: 118 rooms | 310 sq. ft. meeting space
• TrueTour Facts: value added to the group sales since first days of usage, helping close their first group sale.