Caribbean Hotel Taps Marketing Platform to Improve Guest Communications

Boardwalk Small Hotel Aruba is a secluded boutique-style hotel in the Caribbean, located on a historic coconut plantation just steps from Aruba’s sugar-white sand beaches. Boasting the coveted Traveler’s Choice Award by TripAdvisor and ranked the No. 2 hotel in Palm-Eagle Beach, the lush property offers 14 colorful and spacious casitas. Boardwalk Aruba aims to deliver a personalized stay for each guest, with a personalized concierge service and a relaxing, authentic island ambiance. 

The boutique market in the Caribbean demands high-touch service that makes guests feel special, pampered and appreciated. Customers expect one-to-one communications with the hotel before, during and after their stay to put in requests, add services and provide feedback. For small teams like Boardwalk, ensuring that happens across the digital customer journey in a scalable way is a must. To drive guest loyalty and stay on top of the charts, the hotel needed a marketing automation tool to deliver high-touch communications with minimal oversight. With Cendyn Guestfolio, Boardwalk Aruba gained a marketing automation platform that keeps guests engaged in communication with the property at the right time with the right message.

“We can make personalized contact to every guest with Guestfolio,” said Kimberly Rooijakkers, hotel manager. “We’re here every step of the way.” From pre-stay emails to upsell offers and post-stay surveys, touchpoints are automated, so nothing slips through the cracks. “Guestfolio extends our service offering, so guests know we’re always available to ensure their stay is excellent.” Making the choice for Guestfolio was easy, Rooijakkers said, adding, “It was the most complete platform at our price point.”

Driving Brand Awareness
Boardwalk Aruba saw an increase in repeat guests because of their marketing efforts with Guestfolio. By sending out newsletters, automated emails six months after a stay and promotional offers, the property was able to effectively market Boardwalk Aruba to their database, keep the property top of mind and drive repeat bookings.

With Guestfolio’s survey functionality and TripAdvisor integration, Boardwalk Aruba improved their ranking on TripAdvisor. They are now at No. 2 in the Aruba Palm Beach area. By automating surveys into post-stay communications, the hotel saw the number of TripAdvisor reviews increase and word-of-mouth online endorsements from happy guests surged.

“All of the guest feedback from surveys is summarized, which makes it easy to absorb and share across the hotel organization,” Rooijakkers said. “It really helps us dig in to see where attention is needed and make the case for improvements.”

 A digital concierge enables guests to stay in constant contact 24/7 with Boardwalk Aruba’s staff and create their own bespoke travel experience. Guests can order ancillary hotel purchases like bottles of wine, romance packages and breakfast through the app. “Guests definitely use it,” Rooijakkers said. “It’s contributed to our bottom line.”

Guestfolio is part of the Cendyn Marketing Cloud.