When it comes to pre-trip guest communications, the rest of the travel industry has left hotels far behind. As a result, travelers have far higher expectations, even compared to just five years ago. Those expectations are so high because airlines, the OTAs, and Airbnb have taken charge and set them there with tailored pre-trip communications.
The reality is, we’ve noticed that hotels, especially independents and small groups, are not communicating with guests between the booking confirmation and the day they set foot on the property. We as hoteliers are missing the opportunity to build the brand relationship between the hotels and its guests, as guests have come to expect, and we are missing out on the opportunity to create upsell opportunities.
Think about it. Pre-travel emails are standard practice for airlines – even budget airlines – to reach out regularly to travelers after the booking and in the weeks and days leading up to a flight.
A typical communications journey with an airline might look like this series my colleague received during her life cycle as a guest with Southwest Airlines, a well-known budget airline in the United States, when she booked a trip to Phoenix for a conference.
Even though Southwest is a large corporation, one thing to note about this email series is, it is totally automated. The airline’s marketing team had to put in the effort once to create the email series, and that’s it. The emails run in the background, and the company rakes in the extra revenue with no additional effort.
Confirmation
Within seconds of booking her flight, my colleague received a booking confirmation email. This was Southwest’s first opportunity to interact with her as a customer. Instead of simply sending her booking confirmation, receipt, and travel itinerary, the brand also included essential travel information, and upsell messaging to their Earlybird Check-in program, travel partners, and a CTA to join their Rapid Rewards program.
In other words, Southwest went beyond the simple, concrete validation that her trip had been booked. The airline also seized the opportunity to, on one hand, anticipate her needs as a traveler who needed to know to also book hotel accommodations and a rental car, and on the other, create additional revenue streams.
