Hotel guests want to feel valued and important. You can give them that feeling by sending a well-written, personalized welcome letter.
NB: This is an article from eZee Absolute
A hotel welcome letter is the first impression you create for your guests. It is a simple way to provide them a warm welcome and share details of your property.
If you are not a professional writer, it might be challenging for you to craft the perfect welcome letter for your guests. Luckily, we’ve got your back. Keep reading for the best tips on writing a great hotel guest welcome letter.
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Before we start talking about the writing principles, let’s discuss the importance of sending a welcome letter to hotel guests.
The importance of guest welcome letter
Why should you invest your time and efforts into crafting such letters? Here are a few compelling reasons to do it:
- Make a good first impression on your guests
- Provide them important information to make their stay more smooth and enjoyable
- Show appreciation to your guests to gain their loyalty
- Get a chance to get genuine feedback
- Upsell your services
Let’s face it. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the hotel industry hard. Hilton alone reported a net loss of $430 million. The global hospitality industry’s losses are massive. Naturally, the competition between small hotels and large hotel chains has gotten fierce.
If you want to keep your business afloat in 2021, you should use every opportunity to promote your brand and increase customer loyalty. Writing a guest welcome letter is a simple yet effective way to build a strong relationship with guests and ensure the long-term success of your hospitality business.
Basic principles of writing a hotel welcome letter
There is no such thing as an ideal hotel welcome letter template. Every hotel and every guest is unique. So if you want to boost your marketing efforts, you should write your letter from scratch. Here are a few basic rules you should follow.
1. Be polite and welcoming
Whether you communicate with your guests via email or in person, you should be polite and welcoming. Showing respect and being pleasant is the key to success in the hospitality business.
Staying kind will make your guests feel at home. Here are examples of the words and phrases you can include in your letter to sound polite, professional, and helpful:
- Thank you for choosing our hotel
- We’re glad you’ve made it all the way to X destination.
- Enjoy your stay
- Happy to help
- We apologize for any inconvenience caused by COVID-19 preventive measures.
2. Personalize your message
As we have already mentioned, your hotel guests want to feel valued and special. And you need to personalize every letter to fulfill this want.
You can do it by simply using your guest’s name in the subject line of your email or in the greeting. It will not cost you a thing but will make a big difference to your customers. A personalized greeting will make your guests believe that you truly appreciate their loyalty.
3. Maintain a friendly tone
Treat your guests as your dearest friends, and you will easily build a trustful relationship. Show your customers that you are happy to host them and assure them that their loyalty means the world to your hospitality business.
Even if you operate in the luxury price segment, don’t make your welcome letter sound too formal and impersonal. Use a friendly tone to win your customers over.
4. Ask for feedback and a review
Do you want to be one step ahead of the competition? Strive for excellence in everything you do. Ask your guests for feedback, analyze their reviews, and define the areas that need some improvement.
You can use your welcome letter as a tool for encouraging more guest reviews. Ask your customers to leave a review on hotel booking sites such as Booking.com, Kayak, Priceline, or any other site. Ask them to tag your hotel on Instagram, or provide feedback via Twitter. It’s a great opportunity to show your customers that you truly value their opinion and take their suggestions seriously.
So, your hotel guest welcome letter should be inviting and encouraging. Here are a few examples of what you can write:
- “If you get something to say about your stay with us, leave us a review. We highly value your opinion.”
- “We hope you will enjoy your stay. You are more than welcome to provide feedback and any suggestions on how we can make your stay with us as comfortable as possible.”
5. Proofread and edit your letters
As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” If you make a typo or grammar mistake in your welcome letter, you will make a bad impression on your guest. Your poorly-written letter will do more harm than good.
To prevent that, you should proofread your letter meticulously. Check the spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary.
The good news is that there are many proofreading tools out there that can ease your work. You can use editing services like TrustMyPaper and online grammar checkers like Grammarly. Thanks to advanced technologies, you can improve the quality of your welcome letter for guests in a matter of a click.
6. Use the right expressions
Keep your writing simple, to make the letter easy to understand. Don’t use local slang and professional jargon – that will make your welcome letter hard to read.
If more than half of your customers come from overseas, write your letter in plain English. It will help you ensure that the message of your letter will be interpreted the right way by non-English native speakers.
7. Put your ideas to the test
Do you want to get the most out of the welcome letter for hotel guests? You could test your writing ideas. Create a few different versions of your letter, send them to 20 or 100 guests, and see which version appeals to your target audience the most.
There is no limit to perfection. Even if you are satisfied with the current results of using your hotel welcome letter, you can find a new way to incorporate some improvements from time to time.
What to include in a hotel welcome letters for guests?
Let’s talk about what information you should include. Here is a basic structure you should follow:
- Start with greeting – “Hello, Mr. X”
- Add a welcome note for guests – “We would like to welcome you to our property.”
- List on-site amenities that your hotel offers – “We invite you to work out in our gym and try a relaxing massage in our salon.”
- Provide information about facilities, shops, and restaurants located close to your hotel – “Our hotel is five minutes’ walk from Michelin star restaurant XYZ and ten minutes’ walk from the beach.”
- Talk about COVID-19 preventing measures taken – “As it has always been, the safety and security of our guests and associates remain our highest priority. On a daily basis, we are working to ensure that it meets the latest guidance on hygiene and cleaning.”
- Mention room details –“Your room has Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a minibar, and a sea-facing balcony.”
- Define the meal plan – “Breakfast is served from 6:30 am to 9:30 am.”
- Mention hotel events – “There’s a samba dance party at the hotel terrace every Friday, starting at 8 pm.”
- Mention the room preferences they’ve requested – “The room is equipped with an air purifier.”
- Provide contact details – “If there is anything you still need, our contact details are listed above.”
- Write a brief thank-you note – “We want to thank you for choosing the Z Hotel.”
- Use your name while closing – “Warmly, Caroline Smith, General Manager at Z hotel.”
Try to keep your hotel welcome letter brief and to the point. Don’t overload it with too many details.
If you need to provide your guests with some specific information, consider adding a relevant QR code to your letter. For instance, it can be a QR code with a link to your website, a downloadable local map, or your hotel’s restaurant menu.
When is it the right time to send a welcome letter to guests?
You can send your hotel’s welcome letter right before or after checking-in. It depends on what specific information you want to deliver to your customers.
For instance, if you want to inform your guests about some specific check-in requirements, you should send your letter in advance. It will help you ensure that your guest will not face any difficulties during check-in and stay.
If the main purpose of sending a welcome letter is upselling your services, like SPA procedures and local tours, you should send your letter after checking in. The moment customers arrive at your hotel is the best time to present your offerings.
Wrapping it up
All of these tips will help any business write a lovely welcome letter to hotel guests, so they will have a memorable experience and will want to visit again.
Here are the key takeaways. Be friendly and polite, keep your writing simple, and try to find the right words to make your guests feel valued and important. If you do it right, you will be able to upsell your services, improve customer satisfaction, collect valuable feedback, and gain customer loyalty.
