In short:
- Hilton Budapest aimed to differentiate itself through “total sales,” empowering all guest-facing staff to actively contribute to revenue while enhancing the guest experience.
- DEVELOR was selected as a partner for its hotel industry expertise, fully customized approach, and commitment to measurable business results.
- The Conscious Upselling Program delivered outstanding impact: 99% participant satisfaction, increased GOP and guest satisfaction, and higher employee engagement supported by a tailored bonus system.
Hilton Budapest is known as one of the leading 5 star hotels in Budapest. When guests select a hotel in the heart of Central Europe, Hilton certainly has an advantage of being the member of such a well-known hotel chain.
The Business Challange
On the other hand Hilton put a lot of effort in finding their USPs that make them stand out from the crowd. What can be these little things that make them stand out from the crowd for Hilton Budapest?
In 2009 the hotel management was planning to introduce a new system with the aim of “total sales” so that all hotel staff who had contact with guests should take active part in selling. The fact was also recognized that such a change in people’s behavior and attitude needs some professional help: without training and coaching by professional experts the staff won’t make the change happen. Hilton needed a training and consultancy provider who can deliver the expected transformation and thus contributing to business results.
Hilton had a strict set of criteria for the business partner, and after a multi-phase selection has chosen Develor mainly due to 3 important factors:
- Develor professionals had solid experience in the hotel industry, therefore high quality training delivery and consistency was assured along with its professionalism;
- The offered training program was unique, tailored to the hotel industry, and even more significantly to the Hilton needs, which reacted appropriately to the market situation, to the actual challenges and needs formulated by the management as well;
- Develor was the only potential vendor which has guaranteed measurable business results apart from excellent course content.
During the preparatory phase, we agreed to implement Develor Hotel Conscious Upselling Program (CUP) with 3 main objectives:
- Generate more revenue to Hilton by offering higher value services (increase in GOP);
- Increase guest satisfaction by offering services personalized to the individual accommodation preferences;
- Improve employee satisfaction and engagement by launching a bonus scheme accordingly.
Zoltán ÁrvaiIncreasing incremental revenue generated from year to year
The sophisticated program and the committed work of Develor trainers led to a general satisfaction level of 99%.
The program was running successfully, generating measureable increase in 3 main KPI’s:
- increased revenue / GOP to the hotel
- increased guest satisfaction (personalized service)
- increased co-worker loyalty (bonus system)
Comments about the training by participants:
- „The training was very practical and the fact that we had a professional trainer with hotel experience was essential in the success of the program.”
- „It was very well structured and full of really useful examples from our real life.”
- „I liked it very much that in addition to „what to do”, it was also demonstrated to me „how to do” upsell successfully.”
- „Both theory and practice were very colorful and interactive. Theory did not seem too much, since it was well integrated to exercises.”
- „It was an extremely good idea to involve an actor to impersonate guests in situational exercises”
Develor delivered the results promised at the start of the development program. It could happen because, as the General Manager, Zoltan Arvai said, Develor spoke the hotel language, understood the challenges and provided a practice-oriented, fully customized approach.
Number of Upselling
„We travelled with 2 other Canadian couples and we splurged an extra 30 Euros per night to stay on the Executive floor. This gave us to free internet, an amazing breakfast and access unlimited wine/beer and snacks when we returned back to the hotel from a day of sight seeing. Definitely worth the extra money.”
Frequently asked questions about hotel upselling training and guest experience
Hotel upselling is the practice of offering guests higher-value services, room options or additional benefits that better match their needs and preferences. When done well, upselling is not a pushy sales technique; it is a way to personalize the guest experience and help guests discover services that can make their stay more comfortable or memorable. In hospitality, small details can strongly influence how guests perceive value, from executive floor access to better room options or additional convenience services. For HR and L&D professionals, hotel upselling training is important because it helps guest-facing employees recognize opportunities and communicate them in a natural, service-oriented way. This supports both revenue growth and guest satisfaction.
Hotels can train staff to upsell effectively by focusing on guest needs, service mindset and practical communication skills. Employees need to learn how to listen, identify preferences and offer relevant options at the right moment, rather than simply promoting more expensive services. Role plays, real-life examples and situational exercises are especially useful because they help staff practice how to make an offer confidently and professionally. Training should also show not only what to offer, but how to offer it in a way that feels helpful and aligned with the hotel’s service standards. For hospitality leaders, the goal is to build conscious upselling behaviour that strengthens trust, instead of creating pressure in the guest interaction.
Upselling programs can improve hotel business results by increasing incremental revenue while also strengthening guest satisfaction and employee engagement. When staff understand how their everyday interactions contribute to business performance, they can become more active participants in the hotel’s sales culture. A well-designed program connects upselling behaviours to clear KPIs, such as GOP, guest satisfaction and employee loyalty. Incentive or bonus systems can also support engagement when they are aligned with service quality and realistic expectations. For L&D teams, the key is to design hotel sales training as a practical, measurable development program that supports both commercial goals and the guest experience.
