5 Common Mistakes To Avoid

There’s a major corporate client you have been eyeing. You know you will win this for sure; your property has all the amenities necessary, and you can offer a competitive price. All excited you respond to the client’s request for proposal (RFP). Days pass, and you receive no response, and eventually find out that the client chose your competitor instead. 

The worst part? The competitor’s offering wasn’t even better; it was only better presented. That’s when you realize that only focusing on your services and pricing won’t win you deals; you must level up your presentation. 

A well-curated RFP response is what distinguishes a good deal from a great deal, especially in the hospitality industry. If you want to level up from making generic proposals that do not engage the client but only waste your crucial time and resources, we have got you. 

In this article, we will break down the 5 common RFP mistakes most professionals in the hospitality industry make to ensure your next RFP response lands in the “yes” pile. With that, we will also introduce you to proven tools to make your proposals more engaging, personalized, and impossible to overlook. 

5 Common RFP Mistakes in Hospitality

Before discussing different ways to enhance your RFP proposals, let us first understand what is wrong with a generic and unplanned RFP response. Here are the top 5 mistakes most hospitality professionals make while drafting their proposals: 

1. Generic, One-Size-Fits-All Responses

If your RFP looks like every other RFP with no distinguishing factor, it is bound to get lost in the pile of requests your clients receive. 

Cause: 

This happens because several hospitality professionals rely on standardized templates to create RFPs. They copy-paste similar responses for almost all clients instead of customizing them to make them more impactful. This approach saves time but leads to generic and sometimes even irrelevant RFP responses. 

Problem: 

Looking from the client’s perspective, they view several proposals. If they find your proposal is like any other, they will quickly dismiss it. They might feel that the business did not pay attention to their unique needs and reject the proposal. 

Example: 

A hotel submits the same RFP response for corporate retreats and wedding events. The proposal highlights business meeting facilities but fails to mention wedding-specific services like bridal suites or banquet hall decor. As a result, the hotel loses out on wedding contracts simply because it didn’t tailor its response to the event type.

2. Lack of Personalization

Personalization is the key to capturing the client’s interest. A proposal that does not cater to the client’s unique requirements and expectations is out of the race. 

Cause: 

Sometimes, businesses want to be the first to send a proposal. But in this rush, they do not take the time to research the client’s past events or specific requirements. This lack of effort makes the proposal feel impersonal and uninformed.

Problem: 

Clients expect the vendor to personalize the details and inform them how they can help the client’s requirements specifically. They will prefer a pitch that is personalized and aligns with their vision over a pitch that is fast but generic. 

Example: 

A catering company submits an RFP response to a corporate client who is planning an executive retreat. However, the proposal doesn’t address the dietary restrictions or meal preferences outlined in the RFP. The client needed vegan and gluten-free meals, so they dismissed the proposal. Instead, they opted for a caterer who demonstrated attentiveness to their needs.

3. Failure to Address Main Requirements

A proposal that lacks important details is often the first to get dismissed. This not only hints at a lack of attention but also unprofessionalism. 

Cause: 

Sometimes, the businesses only skim through it. As a result, they might fail to provide the necessary information, such as pricing structures, logistics, or service availability. 

Problem: 

If a client receives a proposal with incomplete information, they will have to request more information, which would delay the entire process. This rules out a business’s chances of being a priority and sometimes might lead to direct disqualification because of frustration. 

Example: 

An event venue responds to an RFP for a corporate conference but fails to include details about AV capabilities, Wi-Fi bandwidth, or security measures—all of which were explicitly requested in the RFP. The client, needing seamless technology support, dismissed the proposal in favor of a vendor that provided a comprehensive response.

4. Overcomplicating the Proposal With Unnecessary Information

While providing sufficient details is important, providing too many unnecessary details might overwhelm the client and take away their interest. 

Cause: 

In an attempt to impress clients, some hospitality businesses overload their proposals with excessive details. These can be details like company history, unrelated achievements, or too many service options. While the intent behind providing these details is to establish credibility, the client might feel overwhelmed and drop the proposal altogether. 

Problem: 

Clients prefer clear, concise, and well-structured proposals. An RFP that is difficult to navigate can take away the client’s interest and might even make them miss important information. 

Example: 

A hotel submits a 25-page proposal filled with its founding history and leadership bios. The client only needed information on room availability, pricing, catering options, and conference facilities. As a result, the client found the proposal too extensive and chose the competitor’s streamlined proposal instead.

5. Lack of Visual Appeal

While what the proposal mentions is important, how it mentions them can be a game-changer, too. A streamlined proposal highlighting all important details quickly gathers the client’s attention. 

Cause:

Sometimes, businesses send unstructured RFP responses with dense paragraphs, no headings, bullet points, or visual elements. This makes the document harder to read and less engaging. 

Problem:

Clients review RFPs quickly, so a poorly formatted response that reduces their readability will go down the list of their chosen business. 

Example: 

A vendor submits an RFP response without clear sections, bullet points, or visuals. As a result, the client finds it difficult to find information. In contrast, a competitor uses headings, tables, and images to make their proposal easy to digest. Additionally, they include a short, personalized video RFP response, making their proposal more engaging and winning the deal.

Fixing RFP Mistakes with Smart Strategies and Technology

Now that we know the potential reasons why your proposal might not land in the yes pile, let us look at how to fix these errors. The foremost problem in addressing these concerns is that paying personal attention to clients requires time and attention, which can be difficult. 

This is where technology steps in. With AI, you can automate creating personalized RFPs for your clients to grab the best deal with maximum impact and minimum effort. Here are three strategies, along with the relevant technology to help you: 

1. Tailor Each RFP Response for Maximum Impact

A well-crafted RFP is one that is made keeping in mind the client’s requirements. It should be tailored according to the client’s requirements and industry trends. Instead of relying on generic templates, businesses should research the client’s requirements and highlight them in their proposal. 

How to do it: 

• Review the client’s past events and proposals and identify their key requirements.
• Customize each proposal to emphasize the most relevant details.
• Use Hippo Video’s personalization features to add tailored video introductions for each client, making proposals more engaging and relevant. 

2. Leveraging Video and AI for More Engaging RFPs

Traditional proposals that use large, text-heavy paragraphs might fail to capture the client’s attention. One way to change these static responses is to use interactive video proposals. This will not only make the proposal more visually interactive but also make your proposal stand out from the rest.  

How to do it:

• Gather all the key information that you wish to present and create a short and interactive video 
• Add clickable CTAs in the video and allow clients to schedule a meeting or request a follow-up directly from the video 
• Use Hippo Video’s Text-to-Video feature to create videos seamlessly. You can also use the analytics feature to track which parts of the video clients engage with most to refine future RFP responses

3. Improving Formatting and Visual Appeal

An ideal proposal should not only have the right information but also the right structure. This means that the information must be easy for the reader to absorb at a glance. This will increase your chances of holding the client’s attention and thus securing the contract. 

How to do it:

• Use structured layouts that include clear headings and bullet points
• Utilize charts and tables to present complex information in a straightforward manner 
• Incorporate Hippo Video’s branded templates to maintain a professional and visually consistent look.

Hospitality businesses can transform their RFP responses by implementing these strategies and using the right technology. 

For more insights on optimizing proposals, read: How Dynamic Video Proposals Can Transform Hotel RFP Responses.

Conclusion: Best Practices for RFP Success

A winning proposal demands strategy, personalization, and engagement. Businesses that take the time to focus on these factors significantly increase their chances of winning contracts. Tailoring each response to the client’s needs shows you understand and value them, while video and AI-driven engagement bring your pitch to life. Readability and visual appeal matter too—because a well-structured, visually compelling proposal keeps attention on your message. And to keep getting better, tracking engagement with AI insights helps you refine your approach and consistently win more deals. In order to avoid making any more RFP mistakes, check out our step-by-step guide on Hotel RFP.

To speed up making personalized and high-impact RFP, utilize video-based technology such as Hippo Video. It helps businesses showcase their services and unique offerings in a more immersive video format. Hotel firms using Hippo Video have achieved 3X higher RFP engagement and 1.6X boost in lead volume. Request a free demo today to recreate the same results for yourself.

FAQs

1. What are the common RFP mistakes that hospitality businesses make? 

Providing generic responses and lacking personalization are common RFP mistakes most hospitality businesses make. Not making the proposal visually appealing and providing too much unnecessary information can also make you miss out on opportunities. 

2. What should one not do when responding to an RFP? 

Remember that the RFP response is less about you and more about the client. Do not provide unnecessary details about your business or send a generic template response to the client. 

3. How do I align my RFP response with the client’s needs? 

Research the client’s needs and past events to fully understand what the client wants. With that, take the time to understand their pain points and highlight how your solution meets their unique needs effectively. 

4. What is the best strategy to win an RFP? 

The best strategy to win an RFP is to provide a personalized and visually appealing RFP response to the client. Use video proposals to make it more engaging and interactive. You can also use AI analytics to study engagement and improve the RFP performance over time. 

5. How can I reduce the need for clarification on the proposal? 

Use clear language and a structured proposal to ensure no miscommunication or need for further clarification. You can also add video explanations wherever necessary to showcase your services in an easier-to-understand manner.