Not all guests are created equal. A digital nomad staying for three weeks, a family on a summer holiday and a VIP on a whirlwind business trip all expect very different things from your hotel. Understanding the main hotel guest types is no longer “nice to have” – it’s the foundation of modern revenue, operations and guest experience.
NB: This is an article from Chekin
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The good news: you don’t need a huge team to do this well. With the right guest profiles and a digital journey that starts before check-in, you can adapt your communication, services and upselling to each type of guest at scale.
That’s where tools like Chekin help: by digitalising your hotel with online check-in, ID verification, online payments, smart access and personalised upselling, you can cover the needs of the modern guest while keeping operations lean.
In this guide, we’ll break down the most common hotel guest types and practical strategies to implement for each one.
Why understanding hotel guest types matters
Before listing segments, it’s worth asking: why invest time in defining hotel guest types at all?
1. Better targeting and higher conversion
When you know who is most likely to book:
- You can choose the right channels (OTAs, corporate, direct).
- You can tailor your website content and photos.
- You can build packages and rates that speak directly to your best segments.
Instead of generic offers, you design “mini value propositions” for each guest type.
2. Operational efficiency and fewer complaints
Different guests create different operational pressures:
- Business travellers arrive late and need fast, frictionless check-in.
- Families need extra beds, cots, connecting rooms and child-safe spaces.
- Long-stay guests expect laundry, kitchenettes or co-working spaces.
When staff knows which segments are arriving each day, they can prepare accordingly – and proactively solve problems before they appear.
3. More revenue through relevant upselling
Upselling only works if the offer feels relevant:
- Late check-out for bleisure guests.
- Airport transfers and local tours for leisure travellers.
- Room upgrades and private experiences for luxury guests.
By matching upsell campaigns to hotel guest types, you increase attachment rate and satisfaction.
