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Best Practices and up to the minute news on Customer Experience Management and Service Excellence
More guests are searching for and booking hotels earlier than they did before the pandemic. In fact, wearch windows have increased by around 20%, according to Expedia’s 2023 Quarter One Traveler Insights report .
Your hotel can likely track search window changes, along with other new guest behaviors and expectations, with your hotel’s software programs. Tracking and using guest data to offer a better guest experience can boost revenue and help you stay ahead of competitors.
“The research phase is the first stage in the guest journey where future travelers collect and review their options for various aspects of their coming trip, including their destination, budget and desired activities,” according to “How hotels can use guest data to increase revenue,” a report from revenue management software company Atomize.
“It’s also your first chance to catch their attention and make sure you target them with the right offering and price at the right time…If you as a hotelier manage to monitor, predict, and act on these changes you can be ready to leverage these challenges and make the most of them at your hotel.”
“As a hotel owner or operator, you understand that the success of your business depends on the satisfaction of your guests,” according to hotel management software provider Preno. “That’s why it’s important to gather and use data that can help you make decisions that will improve their experience and increase sales.”
Read on for five ways to increase revenue by using guest data.
Preno recommends personalizing your marketing with targeted email campaigns based on guest data. For example, if guest data shows that a guest booked spa services on their stay, you might offer via email a discounted spa package for their next stay.
“Similarly, you can use guest data to offer customized promotions, such as a free breakfast for guests who have previously booked a room with breakfast included,” says Preno. “This helps create a more personalized and engaging experience, which is likely to increase repeat bookings.”
Using guest preferences and booking history data provides an opportunity to upsell and cross-sell, says Preno:
“By offering relevant upgrades and services, you can increase revenue and improve guest satisfaction. That’s where guest data comes in. You can use it to identify which guests are most likely to be interested in specific upgrades and services.”
Using guest data for revenue management decisions can help your brand decide when to raise or lower rates, says Preno. For example, tracking guest data helps hotel management see which room types are in high demand and price them for higher revenue. Guest data also provides vital booking information you can use to set seasonal room rates.
Atomize suggests using guest data to create audiences based on common traits such as room types booked and/or type of traveler. For example your hotel can use guest data identify whether guests are typically business, leisure or bleisure (combining business and vacation) travelers.
You can also use data to create audiences based onwhich communication channels they use, the device they use to book.
Using guest data to personalize a guest’s loyalty/rewards program can motivate repeat bookings, which means increased revenue.
“For example, you can offer guests rewards based on their previous stays, such as free room upgrades, discounts on future stays, or even free meals or spa treatments,” says Preno. “This not only makes guests feel appreciated, but it also incentivises them to continue choosing your hotel over competitors.
“You can also use guest data to create loyalty tiers, such as bronze, silver and gold, based on the number of stays or total revenue generated. This can be used to reward your most loyal guests with additional perks and privileges.”
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