Owning a Hotel near a major road has several obvious appeals. You can attract road trippers who want a good night’s sleep, can help entice those suffering on a long commute to enjoy your services, and generally get seen by every single of the thousands of cars that drive by your establishment day after day.
Catering to families, however, is not the only way that you can bring in guests’ night after night. There is a huge market out there that is relatively untapped; that of the professional driver.
The Market of Professional Drivers in the USA
There are, on average, 3.5 million professional drivers operating in the United States at every given time. Every year this number increases as well, with the job sector creating on average 115,000 new truck driving jobs year after year. Even in the wake of the climate crisis that has swept the globe drivers are not going away. The vehicles they drive are changing, yes, but drivers themselves are here to stay.
If your hotel is located on a popular route for these professional drivers that you have a huge opportunity ahead of you, if you only followed this easy guide:
How to Cater Your Hotel to Appeal to Professional Drivers
Catering to professional drivers means knowing how they operate. For example, truck drivers are only allowed to legally drive 11 hours at a time and are mandated a 10-hour break in-between. This does, however, mean that their hours can be incredibly erratic. It would be more beneficial to drive at night when there is less traffic than during the day when you need to deal with rush hour. Some ways to cater to these professional drivers include:
Offer 24/7 Reception
Professionals drivers work at all hours of the day, and therefore having a 24/7 reception is essential to cater to these night owls and their hours. These reception hours are not only essential for check-ins. Drivers might want to get up early to check out. Having even a small staff on hand to serve them is a great way to cater to the working schedules of the professional driver.
Offer Daytime Rates
If a professional driver wants a bed to lie down in and nap for a few hours, rather than take the bed for the night, consider offering special daytime rates. You can even limit this to those who have a specific license. That way drivers who feel tired can get deep rest and continue to drive safely on the road when they’re done.
Include Continental Breakfast
Including breakfast is a great way to bring in the guests, but as stated before professional drivers don’t always have the same hours as regular patrons. You can cater to this by offering them a key to a small pantry that offers cereal, a microwave, a toaster, and so on. They will be responsible for bringing their own food but being able to prepare something hot before heading out at 4:00 am will be a very attractive feature for them.
Have a Large Parking Lot
You will need to have a substantial parking lot in order to cater to these drivers or be located close enough to a rest stop that they can park there and then head over to your hotel.
How to Advertise Your Hotel to Professional Drivers
Offering services that would appeal to professional drivers who have been on the road all day are one thing. The next hurdle you will need to overcome is advertising. As this is a niche market, you will want to advertise where they are most likely to see or hear it. Paying for a more general advertising location can be a huge waste of money, whereas a targeted three a.m. advertisement can be very cost-effective and be heard specifically by those who have been on the road for a long time.
Use Radio Advertisements
The radio is the perfect place to advertise to professional drivers who are likely listening to their radios throughout their trip. Late-night advertisements, in particular, are a great way to save money by avoiding prime time and still attracting your target demographic.
Partner with Trucking Companies
Partnering with trucking companies to offer a special discount to their drivers is a great way to make use of the companies that frequently use the route by your hotel. It is also a great way to normalize taking the night at a hotel before continuing on their cross-country journey.
Advertise Near Rest Stops
Rest stops are another great place to advertise to professional drivers, as their goal at that moment is to rest anyway.
What to Remember When Serving Professional Drivers
Customer service is always key to a Hotel’s success, which is why you will want to train your staff to provide exceptional service to those who drive up to 11 hours every single day. Driving for that long can be very draining, both due to the physical inactiveness and due to what is known as road fatigue.
They Have Long Hours
Professional drivers have very long hours, which means they are probably not going to be the cheeriest bunch once they walk into your Hotel. You need to train your staff to respond to their needs with that thought in mind.
They Have Been Cramped Throughout the Day
Another reason why these guests might be more frustrated and grumblier than your usual guests is that their working environment is cramped. They cannot move around a lot, have to keep their attention on the road, and often have to deal with careless drivers weaving around them.
Costs Need to Be Attractive
Professional drivers might be paid a good wage, but that doesn’t mean that they want to spend it all on a hotel night. Offer special discounts for day rates, partner with trucking companies to offer discounts to their employees, and other specials to entice these professional drivers into your hotel.
Catering to professional drivers is a great way to keep business going even during the slow months. Though not every Hotel will be in a position to cater to this niche market if your hotel is you could find yourself boosting sales and your reputation in no time.
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About the author
Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast
