Personalise your guests' journey

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Hospitality is, above all, a question of attention to detail and quality of service. This human dimension is what makes it such a wonderful profession. So do everything you can to live up to your guests’ expectations – or even their dreams – and deliver the right messages to them, all the way through the customer journey! Equipped with the right tools, and above all a good Central Data Management solution, you can work miracles, whether it’s before, during or after a stay.

When your future guests complete their booking, you can tell immediately if they are existing customers (you can tell even before the booking, if you have installed a social login on your website, for example).

If this is the case, schedule a slightly different confirmation email template from the one sent to your new customers, telling them that you are happy to see them again. If you have stored the information in your CRM/CDM, you can also provide them with their list of preferences from their previous stay to confirm any changes with them and ensure that you are well-prepared for their stay.

And if you are welcoming a new customer, send them a confirmation email, introducing them to your various services, for example!

As soon as you get a reservation, you can see the advantage of using a tool that goes further than a classic CRM (Customer Relationship Management). With a Central Data Management tool, or CDM, you can centralise and maintain the information contained in your various systems: CRS, PMS, etc. This way, you can immediately adopt a personalised approach for each customer, easily.

Your guest’s stay is coming up soon! Schedule a reminder email to make life easier for them. You can start by reminding them how to get to your hotel, and use the opportunity to offer your transport service, if you have one.

This is also the time to send news about your hotel and the activities you offer. Would your guest like to reserve a table in your restaurant for dinner? Why not ask! This way, you can ensure that their reservation is handled in advance, and avoid the disappointment of not having a table available on the day they arrive at your establishment.

Before and even during your customers’ stay, this is also an opportunity to interact with them!

Using the marketing features of your Central Data Management tool, you can, for example, send your guests a voucher to use at your hotel bar, or an exclusive offer on spa treatments, bike rental, and so on. Promote your services, advertise them with an attractive offer tailored to your customer’s stay.

If you have noted in your customer’s central profile that it is a business stay, you can, at check-in for example, tell them about the services available to them: premium wifi, printers, meeting spaces, etc.

You can target customers who have had to cancel a booking because of COVID with a special promotion to encourage them to re-book. With a CRM solution, you only target the customers you are interested in, especially domestic customers, who may visit your hotel today.
Inform your guests about the hotel’s catering policy: are meals on trays available? Are there any agreements with nearby restaurants for meal delivery? Let’s stay positive: this is an opportunity to showcase your room service!
Finally, at this particular time, it is important to reassure your customers. Don’t hesitate to update your welcome emails with a reminder of the hygiene rules in place in your establishment.

Whether it is their first visit or they are a regular, your customer should be greeted with the same attention to detail. Prior to their visit, they may have expressed specific needs and you will have entered these in their customer profile: quiet room, hypoallergenic pillow, dietary restrictions, and so on. Make sure you act on them: it’s the little things that make the difference!

By recording all this information in your CRM, you can ensure that your staff provide a consistent, high-quality, personalised service. And the next time they visit, you can repeat these gestures and show them how important it is to you that their stay is a good one.

Some CRMs make it easy for you. The D-EDGE Central Data Management solution synchronises data from all your tools (PMS, CRS) and lets you provide access to different categories of information depending on your teams’ needs: at the reception desk, in the room or even in the restaurant.

If there is one service where taking your customers’ requirements into account will be particularly appreciated, it is F&B. Make sure you are aware of your customers’ food preferences. Whether they have told you about them the day they arrive or during a previous stay, this information should be recorded in your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) / CDM (Central Data Management) so that it can be shared with your teams, both in the room and on the floor. A guest with a gluten allergy, for example, will be touched by being greeted with gluten-free biscuits in their room.

With D-EDGE Guest Management Smart Lists, your F&B staff can manage the breakfast list, among other things, by replacing traditional printouts from your PMS with an interactive list. You define the fields you want to display for each customer: food preferences, VIP levels, etc. These fields can be updated directly on the list, and all information is updated in real-time to and from each customer’s central profile.

Using a CRM/CDM allows you to keep track of useful information if needed for contact tracing, such as “who was at breakfast that day?”.
With good communication before your guests arrive, you can also gather as much information as possible beforehand, which keeps their check-in time to a minimum.

As soon as the guest checks out, you can schedule an evaluation form to be sent to them about their stay. This will show that you are committed to providing the best possible experience. It will also be an opportunity to note any areas for improvement specific to this customer, directly in their central profile. This way, you can perfect the experience the next time they visit.

Customer reviews are also a good way to reassure your future guests. Consider displaying them on your hotel’s website: you will see your conversion rate increase!

Taking care of your existing customer base is the most cost-effective way to fill your hotel! No acquisition costs through a digital marketing campaign, no intermediaries: your loyal customers will book more easily directly on your website or by email or telephone.

So it is essential that you undertake regular, dedicated marketing activities. You can use your CRM/CDM to segment your customer audience according to specific criteria, then you can deliver the right message to them at the right time. Different criteria may be relevant depending on the services your hotel offers: type of stay (business/leisure), number of regular guests (solo/couple/family), location (neighbouring/local/international guest), interests (F&B/culture/experience), and so on. You choose the criteria you want to focus on.

Then you can communicate special offers, news and promotions to each segment through email campaigns deployed directly from your CDM. The advantage of using such a tool is that you ensure you never send multiple offers to the same customer, because your hotel CDM prevents duplication. With the D-EDGE solution, identical profiles are even automatically identified and merged into one central profile. You can also track the number of campaigns being distributed, and manage marketing pressure.

Here, we will focus on best practice in communicating with your existing customers. The idea is to communicate about offers that have already provoked a reaction from them. For example, communicate your special Valentine’s Day offer each year to those of your customers who have celebrated this occasion with you in the past. Or offer your customers an exclusive promotion for their birthday. In this way, you reinforce their habits, and position yourself to become the go-to place for these special occasions.

Since we are talking about marketing pressure, bear in mind that it is better not to communicate too frequently, but in a really targeted way and with a personalised message. The risk of too much pressure is that your customers will unsubscribe from your mailing list.

Whatever happens, make sure you always comply with the GDPR, including requests to unsubscribe and delete data. Using a hotel CDM will make your job much easier, as any updates are recorded and synchronised automatically, including GDPR-related requests.

Remember to communicate your reopening dates well in advance, to stimulate your customers’ interest. Or – but we hope you won’t need to – your closing dates, so that your customers are not caught out.
This information should also be visible on your hotel’s website before the traveller arrives at your booking system.

Need help choosing the right Central Data Management solution and implementing your personalised communication strategy?