Ascent360 recently sat down with award-winning boutique property, Mirror Lake Inn, to discuss the impact of data driven relationship marketing for hotels and resorts and how it can drive return visits and improve the guest experience. In this recap, we will show you how to upgrade your marketing from standard to deluxe by using the data you already have to uniquely customize communications with your guests.
Relationship Marketing For Hotels & Resorts
Personally welcoming your guests into your resort is what relationship marketing is all about. This includes “meeting” them after the booking and ensuring they have all the information they need for a great stay, such as resort info, parking details, policies for pets, etc. Additionally, resorts and hotels can deploy pre-stay upsells that encourage guests to sign up for additional amenities or make reservations for another event. Not only does this help your guests have a more enjoyable stay, but it prompts them for more information that you can use to further personalize their journey.
Mirror Lake Inn has had incredible success with their data driven relationship marketing strategy, and some of the most impactful campaign automations they’ve used include:
- Post-purchase thank you emails
- Information on booking dining, spa, and other appointments
- Pre-stay emails 7 days and 1 day out with details such as weather updates, remote check-in information, property maps, etc.
- Campaigns that offer guests benefits during their stay
They’ve also seen great results from running post-departure campaigns that offer a discount for rebooking future stays within 30 days. They have found that re-engaging with guests right after they’ve left, gives them a better incentive to come back.
The Power Is In The Data
Within systems like your booking, spa, Food & Beverage and Property Management System (PMS), you have valuable guest data at your fingertips that you can use to personalize the guest experience and, in turn, drive more revenue. But that data is only meaningful if you can use it. With a Customer Data and Relationship Management platform, you can compile all your guest data into a single tool and create a holistic view of your guests, their interests, and past buying behavior. This empowers you to target specific people for specific events/holidays based on things like geographic location, the last time they stayed, etc. For example, Mirror Lake Inn runs hyper-targeted event-based campaigns during Christmas week and sends them to guests who are staying with them on those dates, inviting them to the various events around the property. This hyper-personalized, automated marketing reinforces the value proposition of the inn and provides Mirror Lake a chance to upsell their guests while giving them a truly unique and memorable experience during their stay, inspiring return visits.
With the right tool, hotels and resorts can harness the power of their guest data to drive more direct bookings, create an unrivaled guest experience, and keep guests coming back time and again. Data driven relationship marketing allows you to deploy high-impact, personalized campaigns, save time with workflows and automations, analyze the performance of your messaging, and build a strong ongoing relationship with your guests. No more messy, disconnected data silos or communicating with the wrong guests at the wrong time.
Are you ready to start booking (and re-booking) more guests? Reach out to us today for a custom demo and see how you can easily upgrade your marketing from standard to deluxe!
