How tourist attraction venues can benefit from ResDiary

For many patrons, hospitality venues that are part of a tourist attraction are places to recharge and refuel, rather than their primary destination. They might be less inclined to review the menu, and will walk in rather than book a table.

At the same time, these venues may deal with busloads of guests who, as part of an event or tour-group, have made a group booking for 40 people at one time. Navigating this customer demand – be it orchestrated or spontaneous – requires significant organisational ability and attention to detail.

According to ANZ Customer Support Lead Declan O’Toole, there are a number of ResDiary features that can help these venues manage customers that are passing through en-masse before or after visiting a tourist attraction.

“The majority of their traffic might be walk-ins”

Venues that are a part of a tourist attraction generally attract a large number of walk-ins, who rock up and see what dining options are available. ResDiary’s W8List function is perfect for managing this type of situation.

Using their W8list, venues can identify who is waiting for a table, filter their wait list according to table size, alert them when a table is ready, convert that table into a booking, and – if given permission by patrons – store that information into their database.

According to O’Toole, the W8list function is a handy feature for venues to have – particularly those that experience a large number of walk-ins. 

“The W8list is designed for walk-ins during busy periods. Customers provide their name and number to staff, who can send them a message to let them know when a table becomes available,” O’Toole says.

“[If a table isn’t available] the customer can go for a walk or have a drink at the bar. They will receive an SMS to let them know they can return as their table is ready. 

“If they confirm the table, the floor manager can convert it into a booking.”

“You can save a fortune by not needing someone to answer the phone, or take bookings”

 Another feature that these venues can benefit from is ResPhone. Customers might call to make a booking, but if the venue is closed or staff are unavailable, the message and the booking might be missed. 

These venues can use ResPhone – which is an automated, over-the-phone booking process – to capture the reservation, without needing staff on the ground.

According to O’Toole, ResPhone can save time and money for venues as they don’t need staff who are dedicated to taking phone-bookings. 

“In particular, ResDiary has been successful for venues that are only open later in the day. During the day, they might be missing out on reservations. But, if ResPhone is set up, customers can make bookings over the phone if they can’t or don’t want to book online,” he says.

“ResPhone will automatically take the booking for them, avoiding the need to divert calls to a personal mobile when they are not in. No one needs to stand by the phone in case a booking is made.”

“The flexibility to take large party bookings online means they can cater for the masses all in one go”

Although these venues typically manage a large number of walk-ins, they also deal with group reservations. Having a table management system like ResDiary is important, as it allows the venue to take and organise these bookings in advance.

The venue can implement deposits to secure the booking, and request notes from customers to ensure that the dining service matches their requirements.

“[Through notes and booking details] patrons and staff are aware that they are receiving a set menu, their seating duration is two hours, that their dietary requirements are taken care of and so on,” he says.

“A lot of restaurants are wary of taking large event enquiries like tour groups [but] ResDiary makes sure that the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted, and the booking will run smoothly,” he says.

“The diary is like an extra member of staff – it’s trained to do as it’s told.”