Hotels, resorts and restaurants are an excellent sales opportunity for painting contractors who understand the market and are acquainted with the wide range of finishes available to keep these properties looking good.
Understanding the market
Due to the pandemic, 2020 was a down year for hospitality. Despite this, the industry is resilient, and hotels across the country are focused on creating an environment ready for guests as travel begins to return, says the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), an industry trade group.
According to statistics compiled by the AHLA and the Hotel Association of Canada, there are more than 62,000 hotels, resorts and other lodging properties in the U.S. and Canada. And there were over 1 million restaurants in the U.S. alone, according to the latest statistics from the National Restaurant Association.
Making connections
Most hotels and many restaurants are part of a regional franchise chain with multiple units under management by a property management group. Painters seeking to tap into the hospitality maintenance painting market should speak with the local property manager to see which management group is responsible for the property.
From there, you’ll want to call on that management office to find out the full list of properties that they manage.
Ask the property manager for the opportunity to do their next painting project to show them your quality workmanship by giving you a paint job.
Generating repeat business
Once you are awarded a job, follow these four steps to ensure repeat business:
- Walk the job with your Sherwin-Williams rep to identify the surface prep needed and to write a paint specification tailored to that property.
- Review the specification with the property manager to demonstrate that you will be using products that have been specifically recommended by the paint manufacturer and are the best match for the project.
- If needed, your rep can have custom color palette recommendations created.
- Once the first project is done, ask for another job. Also, ask for a reference to use in pursuing business with other hospitality property managers.
Win bids with smart product and color recommendations
Using quality products and preparing surfaces properly is key to succeeding in the hospitality painting segment.
A good paint supplier will be an asset to your team and their expertise can help guide your product and application decision-making process. One excellent starting point is the Hospitality Facility Specification Guide available on the Sherwin-Williams contractor website. The Sherwin-Williams Color Marketing and Design team is another great resource.
The company has also developed a 2021 Colormix® Forecast hospitality color collection to help you and your customers choose trending colors and create balanced environments at their properties.
Bonus tip: Do not disturb!
Keep in mind that hospitality properties often want the maintenance painting done in the off hours to avoid disrupting guests. Property managers also appreciate uniformed paint crews who erect temporary zip walls to keep work dust contained and in general strive to keep work areas clean and neat.
This article is part of a series of stories designed to help professional painting contractors grow sales by expanding into new markets. Previous articles include Grow Your Sales with HOAs.