"Can you recommend any good places to eat around here?"
That is a common question asked by hotel guests to hotel staff. So if you own a restaurant, use that question to your advantage.
Make a visit to the local hotels at least every three months.
Get to know the people on the front desk. Have them out for dinner.
Treat them like gold. Personal recommendations and insights go a long way when hotel guests are looking for a place to eat.
Why visit at least every three months? So that you stay abreast of any staff changes at the hotel. Besides, frequency is the key to long term, chemical memory.
Leave them with business cards – complete with your web address and driving directions so that finding you is easy.
Time consuming? Perhaps, but, a very cost effective way to build your business.
(Adapted from the article, The Car - Not The Most Effective Search Engine, by Jane & Scott Fraser (siblings not spouses) at Wizard of Ads Atlantic)