Many hotels focus on communicating with guests before they arrive on their property, and what happens after they leave is often overlooked.
NB: This is an article from Bookboost, one of our Expert Partners
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Believe it or not, by doing this, you are wasting the opportunity to build a deeper relationship with your guests and ultimately grow your guest loyalty.
According to statistics from Help Scout, 75% of customers desire a consistent experience, regardless of how they engage with a company. A consistent guest experience means not disappearing after the stay but creating a personalised and not-spam-like connection with them.
The post-stay phase brings a great opportunity for the hospitality industry to improve guest satisfaction, build relationships, and encourage repeat business. By using the right strategies, you can reap the rewards of happy, loyal guests.
Post-stay: the guest journey continues
The guest journey doesn’t end when your guests leave your premises. Nowadays, long-term relationships are key for any brand and the hospitality industry is no exception.
We are moving away from seeing guests in a purely transactional way to see them as your long-term partners. For this to happen, it is important to have a new approach towards the post-stay phase of the guest journey.
Whilst before all the energy and effort were put into the pre-stay and in-stay stages, today we must do better and pay attention to what happens after the stay is over.
One of the main reasons? Loyalty and repeat guests. Research by Forbes has shown that it can cost up to 7 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, which means your past guests are a great source of revenue.
But not only that. Ultimately, delivering an exceptional post-stay experience can turn guests into brand advocates, growing your hotel’s reputation through trusted recommendations.
How to reach guests after they leave your hotel?
There are many strategies to communicate with guests after their booking is over, but that doesn’t that all of them are the right choice for your brand.
Pay attention to these suggestions and aim to select the ones that match your property. List all the additional touchpoints you want to include and when you want them to happen. This will give you clarity and a general overview of your entire communication.
1. Send a thank-you message using their preferred communication channel
A simple yet impactful gesture. Although almost every property sends a thank you message, you can send one that makes you stand out from the crowd.
How? For example, rephrase the message: “We loved having you here!” instead of “Thank you for your visit”. Or add some extra information about the services they used. “We hope you enjoyed the time at our spa”.
In addition, you don’t need to stick to email for everything. Try out a short SMS or a WhatsApp message, if that’s the channel where they’ve communicated with you before.
2. Send a survey to collect feedback
Feedback is valuable not only for you but also for the guest because it gives them the chance to share their opinion. Send a post-stay survey to guests, asking about their experience during their stay, and gather suggestions for enhancement. Make sure that the survey is user-friendly and not very time-consuming.
You can be as specific as you want, but the longer you make the survey, the fewer responses you will get. In addition, instead of asking the same questions that every hotel asks, first consider what is most important for your brand.
For example, if many people complain about breakfast, why don’t you address that topic in a question? “Are you satisfied with the breakfast options? What would you add to the breakfast included in the reservation?”
3. Re-engage at 6 months or 12 months intervals
Past guests are a great source for new bookings. You can send out promotional campaigns based on intervals of 6 or 12 months and set up an automation, so you don’t need to do it manually.
In this way, guests will receive the message at a time that is convenient for them instead of sending a huge mass email to everyone.
You can tailor the message in different ways, either a special holiday, a special package, or a straightforward discount, among others.
For more ideas on how to reengage with past guests, read our article: 5 marketing campaigns to reengage your past guests
4. Invite guests to follow you on social media platforms
If your brand is active on social media, you can invite guests to be part of your brand and stay updated on promotions and interesting content by following you.
A strong social media presence is great for attracting guests from the new generations such as millennials and Gen Z. In addition, it helps your brand to come out as more professional.
5. Provide invoices for business travellers
When a business travellers leaves your company, they expect to receive an invoice. Imagine their surprise if this never arrives and they need to call you or contact you about it.
On the other hand, if they ask about it before leaving and receive this type of answer “Don’t worry, it will arrive automatically in one day”, the perception of your brand changes completely.
You are then seen as a professional and detail-oriented business, where business travellers are more likely to come back.
Choose wisely and don’t spoil the relationship
There are several strategies you can try to implement to reach out to your guests after their booking has finished. The important thing to remember is that not all of them need to happen at once and that not all of your guests will be the right fit. It is important to pay attention to your data to understand which guests might resonate better with certain strategies. Take a look at the guest preferences, your successful marketing campaigns, and their feedback, to get more insights into how to continue the relationship with them.
