Entrepreneurial Blog

After the guest makes a reservation we mail or email them a confirmation letter with their itinerary.  This is part of our closing and follow-up.  When guest check in we review the rental contract with them, give them a map of the area and explain where points of interest are located on the map, give them printed directions to hikes, give them a printout from the chamber concerning the week and weekend activities in this area, and if they booked any activities I give them vouchers and directions to their getaway.  We explain how to work the hot tub cover, the satellite TV, wireless internet, and let them know that we live on property and transfer the phone to our cell if they should need anything during their stay.  On the day they check out we ask them if they had an enjoyable stay and tell them to have a safe trip home.  This is part of our follow-up process.

With our cabins and vacation planning we strive for customer delight.  This book  states “managing customer expectations is an important part of developing successful long-term relationships.  Customer delight, or exceeding customer expectations to a surprising degree, is a powerful way to gain customer loyalty.” (Relationship Selling, pg 14)

The quality of our cabins and hospitality is high.  Our guests agree that our cabins are the better accommodations in this area as per our guest journals.  We make every effort to assure our cabins are exceptional well cleaned and cared for.  Even though some of our cabins are now about ten years old, many guests think they have been just competed in the last few months.  We try to pay attention to detail.  Our cabins are themed; Gone Fishing, Gone Hiking, Gone Hunting, Gone Paddling, Gone Biking, the Wolf Den, Deer Glen, and Bear Den cabin.  We decorate for the different seasons; in the fall we decorate our cabins with fall items.  Near our sign by the highway we build a display of hay and scarecrows celebrating the fall.  We also decorate for Christmas and New Years’.  These small touches help to ensure customer delight.

Nantahala Cabins offers a service of clean amenity filled themed cabins along with vacation planning.  We strive for reliability, assurance, empathy and tangibles that are the dimensions of service quality that are mentioned in the book.  The book defines reliability as “providing service in a consistent, accurate, and dependable way.” (Relationship Selling, pg 82)  Clark and Maher also state in the Journal of Vacation Marketing that “repeated consumer experiences with a provider that delivers the service with reliability and integrity may lead to a customer base that is more loyal in both an attitudinal and behavioral sense.” (Clark and Maher, pg61)  Nantahala Cabins strives for consistently clean cabins.  Every year in the spring we perform a detail spring cleaning of the cabins.  We detail clean; windows, floors, stoves, bathroom, nooks and crannies, and more.  We check to make sure there are sufficient pots, pans, dishes, silverware, etc. to ensure an enjoyable cabin stay.  Then as guests check out throughout the season the cleaners will also spend time once a month performing a more detailed cleaning.  We would like our cabins to be reliably clean so guests know that each time they visit their cabin would still look new.  The book states that assurance is “conveyance of trust and confidence that the company will back up the service with a guarantee.” (Relationship Selling, pg 82)  When guests check in we inform them that we live on property and if they need anything we would be happy to help them.  This shows our assurance.  The book also states that empathy is “caring, individualized attention to customers.” (Relationship Selling, pg 82)  Every time a customer calls or drives up on property we are ready to show them individual caring service.  If our cleaners or maintenance men sees a vehicle on property they will stop them to offer a brochure and a tour of an open cabin.  They can even book them into a cabin if I happen to be away from property.  We also try to help them choose a cabin tailored to their needs.  The book defines tangibles as “the physical appearance of the service provider’s business, website, marketing communication materials, and the like.   (Relationship Selling, pg 82)  Our tangibles are our well maintained cabins; our website is informative with pictures and descriptions of the cabins as well as area attractions and activities; and our advertising link our cabins and our value added services.  “These dimensions of service quality often provide added value for the customer.” (Relationship Selling, pg 82)

In today’s environment and multitude of lodging facilities in Western North Carolina one needs to stand out.  Our sales message, customer-centric attitude, attention to the dimensions of service quality, education of our guests, and solution selling will help Nantahala Cabins survive today’s economy.  Once the economy improves the relationship selling process will help Nantahala Cabins succeed.

We negotiate for a win-win solution.  Sometimes the price of the cabin might be an obstacle.  If this is the case we will try to explain the value added benefits of being close to all of the outdoor recreation attractions, the value of being able to save with meal preparation as opposed to dining out, and the time saved by having Nantahala Cabins book your activities.  We even sometime negotiate price to help the customer.  There have been times when the price was still too high so we would recommend another lodging facility in our area for these guests.  Sometimes in peak season we have people driving up looking for a cabin and if we are full we will call other lodging facilities to see if they have availability then send these guests there.  Our cabins are not right for everyone or we might not have availability and if we recommend them to another lodging facility they might stay with us at a future time.  I believe these are win-win situations.

Nantahala Cabins does not perform sales calls but we receive our prospects from a variety of sources.  Prospects could see our website, see some of our advertising; magazine ads, billboards, and chamber publications, be friends or relatives, drive by our property and see our sandblasted sign, or are referred from another local business or friend or relative.  Once a prospect calls we use persuasive communication to communicate our sales message; clean amenity filled cabins in a central outdoor location near the many activities available.

When a potential guest calls us to find out more information about our cabins or to make a reservation we try to gather as much information about them as possible.  We ask the number of people in the party and if they are couples or if they have children and their ages.  This will help to suggest certain cabins for their specific needs.  If there is just going to be a couple then we would recommend a smaller cabin; a studio with a hot tub and fireplace or a one bedroom with a hot tub and fireplace.  If they are a family we would recommend the three bedroom cabin or a small studio cabin is price is a factor.  We try to get a feel for the guest to pair them up with a cabin that would suit their needs and their budget.

Sometimes I have groups and we also help them by asking if it is a youth group or a couple’s retreat.  If it is a youth group we recommend cabins to separate the boys and girls, if it is for couples we recommend cabins so the couples have separate sleeping arrangements.  This is one of the ways Nantahala Cabins uses solution selling.

Our billboards also show our value added services with pictures.  This billboard is located on Highway 74 at the Great Smoky Mountains Bait and Tackle; a Citgo gas station in Bryson City, North Carolina.

These ads also mention or show our value added benefits. We offer many excursions for our guest to enjoy.  We offer white water rafting, horseback riding, pontoon boat rental, train excursions, hiking, guided fly fishing trips, the new zip line, Appalachian evening with dinner and much more.  It does not cost any more for the guest than if they book it themselves.  This is an added concierge service we provide our guests and a value added service.

According to Clark and Maher in the Journal of Vacation Marketing “The primary focus of marketing activities can be viewed as developing and maintaining repeat patronage or loyalty from the firm’s customer base. Due to many alternatives for consumers, vacation marketers are building loyalty by developing relationships with consumers. (Clark and Maher, pg59)  Relationship selling is a big part of Nantahala Cabins.  We try to secure, build, and maintain long term relationships.  Some of our guests come back year after year and some guests after seeing our cabins and staying with us says that they will come again.  The book Relationship Selling by Mark Johnson and Greg Marshal defines relationship selling as having “the central goal of securing, building, and maintaining long-term relationships with profitable customers.  Relationship selling works to add value through all possible means.” (Relationship Selling, pg 424)

In our advertising and when speaking with people over the phone not only do we offer great clean cabins with all of the amenities for our guests we also offer to help plan their vacation by explaining the activities offered in our area and offering to book these activities for them.  We try to offer value for our customers and our value proposition is furthered by helping them plan their vacation.

Nantahala Cabins is customer-centric.   When we design, decorate, and stock our cabins we try to think like a guest to make the cabin more appealing.  When we first built the cabins we built small one room cabins.  We sought to build a glorified hotel room for not much more than the price of a hotel room.  Some of our one room cabins have two full beds, futon, dining table, and small kitchen all in one room with the bathroom behind the kitchen.  We felt that guest would like a small cabin with the ability to cook meals to save on cost of dining out.  We also built the bed so that they fold up into the walls like Murphy beds.  This gives the guests more floor space.  We also built covered porches on the cabins so that no matter the weather; sun, rain, or snow; one could enjoy the outdoors or still be able to enjoy the hot tub even in the rain or snow.

Then we expanded always thinking of our guests and built a handicap accessible one bedroom cabin, a three bedroom cabin, and then the luxury log cabins.  The three bedroom cabins works well for families and the luxury log cabins works well for guest that would like a full log cabin with handmade log beds and a view of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Also in thinking about our guests we faced the porches of our cabins differently so that when you are on a porch one does not think that there are other cabins right on top of you.  Each two cabins share a parking and a picnic are but with the porches facing different directions there is a semblance of privacy.

When our guests mention an item that they would have like seen in the cabins I try to accommodate them and on their next visit they might see some of their suggestions.  A guest mentioned that there was not a cork screw, so we purchased cork screws for all of the cabins.  Then when a guest mention that it would be nice to have a reading light; we built lights into the top of the Murphy beds for reading in bed or put table lamps beside the other beds.

Another example of Nantahala Cabins being customer-centric is when we word our advertising we try to aim for specific targets.  Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Assn said in an interview with Hotel & Motel Management magazine that “especially in this economy, we all need rejuvenation,” he said.  “That’s what the industry is trying to do. We’re trying to educate consumers.” (Ricca, 2009)  Our ad in the May 2010 edition of Family Circle magazine states “Bring the family on a mountain adventure with hiking, rafting, boating, mountain biking, zip line, train and more.  Enjoy full kitchens, hot tubs, great views and a picnic area.  Let us help you plan your mountain getaway!” (FamilyCircle, Pg251)  We worded this to appeal to the target audience of the FamilyCircle magazine; which is families.  Our ad in the May 2010 edition of Our State magazine is similar “Enjoy the Great Smoky Moun­tains in a cabin nestled in the beautiful Nantahala Gorge.  Experience the region’s best hiking, rafting, mountain biking, boating, zip line, train, an Ap­palachian evening with dinner and concert and many other activities.  Let us help you plan your mountain adventure!” (Our State)  These ads keep our guest in the forefront and focus on the customer by educating them of our value added benefits.