Blog Soundbites:
- Loyalty programs need to go beyond instant discounting to humanize the guest experience
- Discounts aren’t enough for hotels to call a loyalty rate a loyalty rate
- Hotels shouldn’t worry about technology replacing positions, but focus on automated technology that elevates guests experiences
- Hotels with the greatest success take automated efficiency and fuse it with human intuition
As an industry, we have debated tirelessly over the pros and cons of focusing on driving more direct bookings. One can argue just how profitable direct bookings are in relation to the alternative. Hotels are being hit with countless solutions to help them drive more of the business they want.
There are now price comparison tools, consumer behavior dashboards and OTAs facilitating hotel loyalty program sign-ups. The available solutions—and the data that drives them—have quickly become vast and various, but how do you decide to prioritize that data, and arguably more important, how do you decide what strategy will achieve your end goal of maximum profitability?
One thing not in question is that all of these options in technology elevate how hotels can service their guest, which means those benefiting the most is the guest themselves. Guests are now more willing to share more about themselves to ensure their perfect experience; a case that remains the same for business travelers and leisure guests alike.
We are just starting to scratch the surface in providing guests with a menu of options to meet their specific needs. Whether it’s in the form of a room away from the elevator or AR technology that acclimates them to their room, the bottom line is still your bottom line.
When leveraging today’s vast and various data to build a marketing and revenue management strategy, here are some key considerations to achieving your ideal business mix:
