If there is one factor that can effectively help hotels not only to get into the profit zone, but also to stay there permanently, it is a plannable occupancy rate by regular guests. At best, these are spread out over the entire year.
With these 7 tips, hotels can succeed in attracting returning guests:
1. Use data effectively
The fact is, with the advent of CRM (Customer Relationship Management), there is an abundance of data available about guests. In addition to booking data, it is the many additional pieces of information that make this material so incredibly valuable to the hotel. It is all stored and can be read and processed thanks to intelligent software solutions. This requires a planned approach: through targeted selection and analysis using filters, it is possible to create segmented lists. This results in target groups that can then be addressed with the help of hotel marketing.
2. Use segmentation to better target audiences
There are different focuses of activity that distinguish hotels from each other. There are, for example, the tried and tested ski hotels, the classic summer hotels, culinary hotels, children's hotels (keyword: family vacation) and the most diverse types of sports that hotels can write on the proverbial banner. The wellness sector has its own target group, so the list of activities and themes could be extended at will.
Summer vacationers are logically a completely different type than winter vacationers, whose main concern is proximity to the ski slopes or cross-country trails they want to use.
Another way to segment is by demographics, such as the region of origin or the age of the traveler. The main difference here is the timing of the booking. A two-week family vacation is likely to be booked earlier than a romantic weekend for two. In addition, the target groups can also be classified according to the size of the travel groups, as a single person on vacation will certainly be looking for something different than a couple or family that includes their children, regardless of age, in the planning. To convert them into returning guests, all of these different audiences that hotels can segment from CRM need to be addressed in their individual way and through the channel that works best for them.
3. Maintain frequency as high as possible
Of course, it doesn't make sense to send five hotel newsletters a day to the same guests over and over again. It would also be foolish to overuse the hotel's social media channel, and no one would think of distributing twenty videos a day. So how can a hotel achieve the highest possible frequency, and what does it matter? There are companies and brands that stand out in people's minds. What have they done right that others seem to miss? They work their way into people's memories. When they are faced with a purchase decision, they will make the purchase simply because the company is present in their minds and represents the solution they are looking for. This is exactly what hotels need to do: they need to be relevant to the target group at the time of the vacation decision. The best way to achieve this is through a clever combination of different channels.
4. Implement automatic mailings
To achieve this, it is necessary to segment the address lists according to different target groups. In the next step, hotels should automate the sequence of mailings with a newsletter system and put the ongoing communication in a strategic order. Typical points of contact are birthdays, early booking information or special offers. Despite the automation, the address is still personalized so that the guest feels personally perceived as an individual.
5. Value-added communication
Success in a hotel is achieved when the content is targeted and rich. It is important that the customer feels added value when viewing the content. In today's world, people don't want to be played by advertising. They want to be entertained, informed and advised. The keyword is "educational content. Under no circumstances should this added value just scratch the surface, it should really go deep and address the USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) of the hotel. Content should be taken to the next level across the entire spectrum, even if it has to be created manually. In order to increase the return rate, it is possible to issue vouchers as an incentive (voucher marketing in hotels). Often one voucher is enough to bring a new guest to the hotel.
6. Implement remarketing
Once a guest has been recruited, clever remarketing can be used to reactivate them and turn them into a repeat guest. This is true even if they were already considered "lost". To do this, it is necessary that the social media ads target these lost guests as a custom audience. Other personalized audiences are also possible, as discussed in point 2 of this article.
7. Increase perceived presence through organic communication
When potential guests research potential vacation destinations online, especially on social media, they want valuable organic content, especially from hotels. But what hotelier or marketer can spend all day on social media to establish this intense type of communication with their target audience? A marketing automation software like ADDITIVE+ MARKETING AUTOMATION is able to automatically publish social media posts at the right time to the desired target audience. This increases the posting frequency and ensures a better perception of the hotel.
All these measures can make guests want to come back. To provide the automation software with more data, the percentage of returning guests should be considered as a key performance indicator (KPI). Are you looking for online marketing and software support? We would be happy to provide you with more information in a non-binding consultation:
