Hotel marketers, consider this challenge: How do you reap higher profits from your guests? Let’s put it another way: Instead of always chasing the new vacationer through outbound marketing and discount travel agencies that eat into your revenue, what are you doing to maximize the power you have with those who’ve already visited your property? It’s one of the key questions you and your hotel should always be asking and trying to answer.
And here’s why it matters: The quality and consistency of the guest experience drives profitability for tourism and hospitality businesses like yours. You are dedicated to providing those great experiences.
A look at the steady uptick in occupancy rates confirms that people are becoming more comfortable with getting away, discovering new places, and relaxing while being pampered.
Attracting guests through traditional advertising shouldn’t be an issue for you. Rather, you need to put your dollars to better use, by focusing on ways to elevate the guest experience so that they become loyal patrons who provide the best outcomes you could want: return business and positive word of mouth.
Over the course of this page, we offer a quick but essential guide to the value of return guests and the wisdom of adding more features to your sales and customer services processes. Enjoy this look at the steps to a growth strategy – from understanding your guests to providing them with the experiences they expect from you.
Returning guests are the most valuable asset of the tourism industry
Guests that come back again and again provide you with a steady stream of income. And not just because of their spend. Their loyalty makes them a valuable asset, particularly when it’s so easy to share our experiences with friends and fellow travelers. Your guests are influencers with a wide reach that covers dozens of well-traveled review sites and social media outlets like Instagram.
Knowing this empowers you to be profitable and continue providing the great services that earn their loyalty. Let’s consider a few reasons why you should focus on pleasing your guests and getting them to rebook:
- They are your brand ambassadors and give you free marketing through positive reviews. The popularity of dozens of travel review sites show that people take stock in the experiences of those who’ve stayed at a hotel.
- You already know what it takes to make them happy. You’re committed to delivering high-quality service. Once you know the elements of that service that resonate with your guests, you can focus on those specific services. You are leaving money on the table by not showing the value you’ll provide when they return. Whether they are premium guests (who we’ll look at further along this page) or visitors who plan for that special trip once a year, both types of travelers can be enticed to return if you provide a great experience and know how to follow up.
Elevating the guest experience will elevate your revenue
How do we focus on that customer and give them the kind of stay that encourages them to share their great experience and return again and again? You have to establish communication with them in a way that captures their likes and dislikes. Sometimes this can be done through face-to-face conversations. You can also make valuable discoveries as you track the quality of their experience throughout their stay through automated emails that welcome them, that keep in touch after they’ve left to embark on the next stage of their trip or return home, and that solicit feedback. A couple of points to keep in mind regarding the guests experience and your revenue:
- Exceeding what your guests expect will go a long way toward ensuring they return.
- Use a customer resource management (CRM) tool to input what your guests want and expect so that you can elevate those experiences. Gathering information into this CRM and using it to tailor your communications is a cost-effective way to understand your customers while driving profits.
Attract more premium guests
Now that we understand the importance of the guest experience, let’s look at those who are most valuable. Guests willing to spend a high dollar amount want the kind of services that are easy for you to deliver while making them feel special. Premium guests have the disposable income to visit you more often.
The question is: What will you do to get them to come back, to keep each experience feeling new and invigorating? How can you keep them from deciding to change up their plans and stay with a competitor? Actionable information and best practices include:
- Knowing what rooms they prefer
- Making reservations at their favorite restaurants on their behalf
- Taking care of bookings for family outings
You can also provide advice on new places to explore or recommend special events your hotel may be hosting. All of these value-added extras are easy and economical to deliver in light of the payoff.
Segment your audience and speak to them in a personalized way
A CRM tool is a versatile system that can deliver contextual marketing. It can do this because it tracks the amenities your guests prefer, such as:
- Shuttle services that take them to nearby attractions
- Favorite property restaurants
- Spa treatments
- Daycare services you offer for children while the adults get away
As you compile information about your customers’ behavior and likes, you can use it to create and automate customized mailers that speak directly to what they want, when they want it. The CRM will be your single source of truth for your database of guests, and it will empower you to segment them into lists so that they receive the contextual marketing that offers what they need. It will also collect and store the valuable information that makes segmentation possible.
Using that information, you will be able to promote the incentives that keep them returning to your property for a first-class experience.
Spend less and improve your ROI
When you add automations and efficiencies to the guest experience, your staff can spend more personal time with guests. Your front desk and hospitality staff are the face of your hotel. Use them to do what they’re best at. By interacting with guests, you show that you value them. You also get to know what matters to them, information that can turn a standard experience into a great one.
That information drives the automated emails that provide a personalized touch that thanks guests for making their reservation, solicits their feedback, offers promotions, and lets them know you’re looking forward to their next stay.
A digital marketing system empowers you to continue to interact with guests and provide personalized attention that makes them happy and discovers their preferences for an even better return visit.
Work with Forecast Sunny on your growth strategy
Forecast Sunny is a growth agency that works with hotels and resorts to improve their guest profitability. We are dedicated to helping you grow by connecting guests with your services. Through automation and customer resource management, we streamline interactions with your guests so that you can efficiently deliver great guest experiences that grow your business.
Forecast Sunny partners with you to design and implement a strategy that will increase your revenue by focusing on your most valuable assets – your guests and the value you deliver to them.
At Forecast Sunny, we’ll create awareness among your target demo and share the value that keeps your guests coming back.