Getting in on the Hyper Personalization Trend

Some ultra luxury hoteliers are going to great lengths to take personalization to extremes

A guest walks into a luxury hotel, and they’re greeted by name and immediately handed their favorite hot beverage, a skinny vanilla latte with cinnamon. They enter their room and catch a whiff of lavender, their favorite scent. A personalized playlist with their favorite music, modern classical, creates a relaxing vibe.

It may sound a little over-the-top, but 80 percent of customers say they are more likely to do business with a brand that offers personalized experiences, according to “Power of Me,” a report on personalization from Epsilon and Conversant, companies that help brands connect with consumers. Furthermore, personalization can equal profits. The report found that personalization can increase affinity for a brand and number of transactions.

As personalization goes mainstream, some luxury hotels are trying to stand out from the competition by embracing a trend toward hyper personalization — extremely personalized service. Here are a few examples of how these hotels are capitalizing on guests’ desire for ultra personalized service:

• At Fauchon l’Hotel in Paris, guests get to tell staff what they would like to eat instead of ordering off of a menu, so they get whatever their taste buds desire or their special diet requires. They also get a check-in experience tailored to their whims, whether that’s heading straight to their room without any interaction or relaxing in the lobby with a cocktail tailored to their tastes.
• Paragon 700 Boutique Hotel & Spa in Puglia, Italy, focuses on offering hyper personalized travel advice and experiences, created with guests’ desires and preferences in mind. The hotel even owns a yacht that’s available to take guests on private excursions.
• Several hotels and resorts that focus on wellness offer personally tailored wellness programs based on a guest’s personal goals and health needs. One even goes as far as to have guests submit a saliva sample to a lab before arrival.

Can your hotel follow suit? Here are 3 ways to offer hyper personalization without a huge budget or staff:

1. Send out a pre-arrival message. Getting in touch with a guest just before they arrive can be a great way to learn about personal preferences and needs, get important information for a guest profile and upsell guests on extras.
2. Train staff to talk (and listen) to guests. The backbone of any personalized service is friendly, engaged staff. A staff member may learn a lot about a guest by making small talk. Any hotel can train staff to ask questions, listen and record information that can make a guest’s stay better. This could be as simple as offering a personalized restaurant recommendation when a guest mentions they’re a foodie, or giving family travelers a coupon to a local theme park or zoo.
3. Take advantage of tech. Hospitality technology, from apps to virtual concierges, offers an efficient and cost-effective way to: learn specifics about guests, give personalized content and recommendations, and use marketing segmentation to tailor deals, offers and upsells to each guest. The “Power of Me” report notes that guests especially appreciate this type of marketing communication and are more likely to act on a personalized offer.

It may not be practical to take personalization quite as far as some ultra luxury hotels do, but there’s always a chance to “wow” a guest and make them feel valued by paying attention to their preferences, making notes in their guest profile and acting proactively to offer an outstanding stay.