Overseas customers

A tourist destination with many overseas visitors

Regardless of the type of inn, such as a hotel, ryokan, or guest house, I think that guests from overseas are staying daily.

Even in the inn I managed, 60% were Japanese customers and 40% were from overseas. However, if I appealed more to overseas customers, the ratio would have been 90%.

Miyajima may be a special place, but 40% were filled with overseas customers without advertising anything.

By country, there were many customers from Spain and France, and from Taiwan.

Overseas customers were a little different from Japanese customers in terms of how to use equipment and room fixtures and how to go sightseeing.

I would like to introduce the features of  overseas customers and the corresponding ideas.

Huge suitcase

Allowable distance from station to inn

Anyway, the suitcase is big.

Since a huge suitcase is carried from the station to the inn, it may seem inconvenient if the inn is far from the station.

However, because of the difference in physique, the allowable distance from the station to the inn was longer than Japanese customers, and there were many overseas customers who were not concerned even if the inn was a bit far from the station.

They feel that it is inconvenient that the rooms are small and there is no place to open suitcases, rather than the distance from the station.

On the inn side, in the case of a floor plan or facility inn that does not suppose customers from overseas, it will be quick to hurt because the huge suitcase hits the guest room and facility. 

Shelf with high storage capacity

It is best if there is a dedicated suitcase storage area. Or it may be the customer’s ideal to leave a large suitcase open in the guest room.

But, there will rarely be an inn with a dedicated storage area where two large suitcases can be opened.

When overnight guests ask the staff to clean their rooms, most of them will close their suitcases and lock them.

Customers keep their suitcases closed when they go out because they don’t want to get in the way of cleaning. So, if there is a shelf with high storage capacity that does not interfere with cleaning, I think that the inconvenience due to the small rooms can be reduced.

If there is a wide shelf near the place where customers can open the suitcase, they will be glad to use it, and they will be able to see the guest room cleanly.

Differences with Japanese customers

Minor differences

When serving customers from overseas, the basic part is the same as that of Japanese customers, but there are minor differences.

For example, there are more customers who use raincoats than Japanese customers, and there are many customers who have high basal body temperature.

So air conditioning is often used in summer, and heating is not often used in winter. 

Everyone wants to enjoy overseas travel anyway

I feel that there are many customers from overseas who are traveling slowly without making too much itinerary.

And they have a very fun atmosphere.

I think it is the same for people from any country to get excited about going to foreign countries.

So, even in my inn, I tried to serve customers in a fun atmosphere as much as possible.

I think that there is no problem if the staff with experience of studying abroad are working. There are also cultural differences in the conversation that the staff cannot understand just by speaking in English.

When talking to American, there is a manner to praise conversation partner always, so if we can’t entertain the other person in conversation, no one will talk to us.

Overseas travel customers are valued for fun. So, if the customers feel happy, they will give a perfect score without worrying about a little dissatisfaction. But if the customers don’t feel happy, they will leave a bad review with a clear reason.