Imagine walking into a place where they remember your name, your preferences, and even those small details you mentioned offhand during your last visit. Feels like magic, doesn’t it? That’s what a guest-centric approach can do.
NB: This is an article from Bookboost
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But how can you know who your guests are, what they expect, and what they need? It all starts from guest data. Yes, a guest-centric approach at heart means putting guest data at the centre, and every decision should be made based on that.
By pulling your guest data form different sources into one source of truth, you are able to create strong guest profiles and deeply understand your guests, their preferences, what makes them go to your hotel, and especially, anticipate their needs.
The new era of personalisation
In the past, personalisation in the hotel industry meant adding guests’ names in the emails. While this was a step towards making guests feel valued, the future of personalisation goes far beyond that.
With the advent of advanced technologies and robust data structures, hoteliers now have the ability to anticipate guests’ preferences and offer tailored services even before the guests themselves are aware of their needs.
Therefore, instead of reactively answering guest requests, the new era of personalisation lies in proactively offering specific services and creating delightful surprises that match their profile and preferences.
For example, hotels now can analyse various data such as stay dates, length of stay, and room category to proactively offer specific services that align with guests’ profiles. If a certain type of room is typically booked by guests with specific characteristics, hotels can anticipate guest needs even before sending messages and surveys. This enables them to send offers that will be perceived as delightful surprises.
Personalise guest experience
With a clean database, hotels are able to better analyse and segment massive guests, and personalise each experience. Instead of bombarding guests with generic offers and campaigns, a hotel CRM helps you to make sense of the masses so you can treat each of your guests individually and improve your service.
If your data tells you that a guest really enjoyed the dining experience at your hotel before leaving, then you know exactly how to bring them back. If your data shows that a significant number of guests enjoy spa services, you can introduce spa packages or promotions.
When hotels put guests at the centre of all their operations, it naturally leads to improved guest loyalty. It can further encourage guests to become advocates for their brand. Word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied guests can be invaluable for attracting new customers and expanding their customer base.
