Does
AAA Approval Help?
There are approximately 36 million AAA members, and they travel a lot.
AAA members travel, on average, more than others. Annually, they
spend more than 150 million room nights in hotels and motels. AAA
members use AAA TourBooks to find a place to stay. Desks clerks regularly
tell me that AAA members often bring their TourBooks to the desk at check-in
to be sure they get the correct rate. As a very frequent traveler,
I have seen this many times, and have actually done the same thing myself.
Many members consider the AAA TourBook their travel ?Bible?.
AAA members use the TourBooks to plan their trips, they use the books
while on the road, and they loan the TourBooks to friends and relatives.
They also use the trip planning services of the hundreds of AAA travel
agencies. In short, AAA members are very much influenced by AAA approval
when it comes to choosing a place to stay.
What about others? What about non-members? Since only
AAA members are eligible to receive AAA TourBooks, does AAA approval mean
anything to the millions of other travelers? You bet it does!
Non-members look for the AAA logo and sign, and often make their decision
based on whether a lodging property has a AAA sign or logo.
AAA Member Preferences
There are currently approximately 36 million AAA members. AAA
members travel more than the average person and spend a lot of nights in
hotels and motels. They regularly use AAA TourBooks
to find a place to stay. What type lodgings do these members
choose?
Surveys show that AAA members choose as follows:
1 Diamond |
8% |
2 Diamond |
39% |
3 Diamond |
41% |
4 Diamond |
7% |
5 Diamond |
5% |
If your property is rated at either 2 or 3 Diamonds, you are already
in the range that appeals to approximately 80% of AAA members. Spending
money to earn a higher rating may not be feasible at this time. It might
be more practical to focus on other aspects of guest satisfaction.
You might also concentrate on making physical and/or service improvements
to your property that will ensure you maintain your current AAA rating
as industry standards change and the ratings become more competitive.
Dealing
with the AAA or Mobil Inspector
One condition of the free AAA or MOBIL listing is that you allow an
unannounced annual inspection of your property. Sounds simple
enough, doesn�t it? Why does it always have to come at the worst
possible time?
You, a hotel owner or manager, are a very busy person. You have
a full schedule every day, and some days are busier than others.
Why does the AAA or MOBIL inspector always show up unannounced and unexpected
on your busiest day? Why does he or she always arrive 10 minutes
after you begin your Monday AM staff meeting? How can
you best deal with this annual event?
I suggest you consider the following:
1. The inspector is a business professional, and like you has
a schedule and deadlines. |
2. As a business colleague, the inspector deserves the same courtesies
and respect that you expect. |
3. The inspector will be understanding of your situation and
be willing to work with you to accomplish his or her mission. |
When you can, I encourage you to participate in the inspection, and accompany
the inspector. When that is not possible, have a responsible and
knowledgeable member of your staff act as the escort. I suggest the
Executive Housekeeper as an excellent choice. The staff member you
choose should be part of your management team and have some knowledge of
the AAA or MOBIL listing and rating. I can tell you from personal
experience that there is nothing worse than being passed of to a sales
associate, a maintenance person, or some new desk clerk who thinks AAA
only fixes flat tires or jump starts cars. When this happened to
me, I got the impression that the property�s management had little
interest in the AAA listing and rating. Did I take this personally
and let it consciously influence my rating of the property? I hope
not. I always tried to be professional and objective and base my
rating on the property and not how I was treated. Was I unconsciously
influenced? Again, I hope not.
When you cannot personally participate in the inspection, I urge
you to meet the inspector after the inspection and take a few minutes to
discuss the results, your rating, and any other matters that would normally
require management attention. Your interaction with the inspector
will not raise your rating and should not in anyway affect your AAA or
MOBIL listing, but it does keep you involved with, and knowledgeable of,
an important aspect of your property�s overall operation and a potentially
valuable marketing tool.
A Higher AAA
Rating?
If you are interested in getting a higher AAA rating for your property,
I suggest you start by gathering all the pertinent information that will
have an impact on your decision. I suggest you consider the
following points.
Approximately 80% of AAA member roomnights are spent in 2 and 3 Diamond
rated properties. If your is already a 2 or 3 Diamond, is it really
practical to try for the higher rating? If your rating is l Diamond,
then a higher rating might be a feasible goal. Once you make this
initial decision, you can go to the next step.
Consider your guests? wants and expectations. Why do they stay
at your property? Are your rates the only reason?
How much will it cost to do any physical improvements that will be needed
to get the higher ratings? Can you raise your rates enough to recoup
the costs? To answer this question, you will have to consider your
local market and local competition. If you get a positive answer
to the rate question, go to the next step. Do the math to see how
much you will have to increase your rates to cover the costs of getting
the higher rating. Will you lose any of your regular guests if you
raise your rates? How much will it cost to replace these repeat guests?
Obviously your repeat guests are satisfied with your property as it is,
and don't forget that "guest replacement" costs are high. |