Marketing Automation for the Accommodation Sector

We as a collective are in the midst of a period of rebuilding. If there is one thing that the pandemic taught entrepreneurs, it is to not get too comfortable riding on the coattails of previous successes. That especially applies to all the players in the accommodation sector of the hospitality industry, from hotels, to motels, to AirBnB listings, to hostels, and everything in between. Five-star reviews and warm recommendations through word-of-mouth certainly go a long way, but at the end of the day, repeat bookings are essential for lasting success.

Of course, some things are easier said than done. It takes much more than free chocolate chip cookies and an inviting Facebook status to keep guests interested, engaged and loyal. This is where tech solutions come in, and quickly becomes a godsend when done with long-term strategy in mind.

The preferences of different types of hotel guests
The tech component may initially seem impersonal, but it makes a world of a difference for all types of hotel guests, each of whom have different needs.

Free Wi-Fi remains at the top of guests’ technology demands, reflecting the importance of robust networks and connectivity to the hotel experience, according to HT's 2021 Customer Engagement Technology Study.

Business travelers, for instance, appreciate 5G connections, which will help them work from their laptops and conduct video chats with greater ease. They also tend to appreciate hotel apps, which can serve as a digital keycard, and assist with housekeeping preferences and other transactions. The Boomer crowd tends to lean towards loyalty programs in their hotels of choice, as they appreciate the VIP treatment that comes along with it, as well as members-only discounted rates, amenities, and upgrades.

Millennials crave personalization and customization—so much so that according to American Express Travel, 83 percent of millennials would allow brands to track their habits in exchange for a more customized experience. Amenities are obviously a part of the experience, and much like business travelers, the tech-proficient Millennials appreciate mobile apps, and use them as a touchpoint to avoid waiting in line by the welcome desk to check in and out. This preference also extends to the demands of the Gen Z crowd, with the addition of trust in the brand in terms of experiences and workflows, and a form of an emotional connection.

[For both restaurant and hotel customers, quality of service (as reflected in positive online reviews) remains a higher priority than technology features, reinforcing that the “human touch” is still at the heart of our industry, according to HT's 2021 Customer Engagement Technology Study.]

The tech component is at the focal point of the customer experience these days, and it goes without saying that not all tech is created equal. This is especially the case when it comes to handling various inquiries and transactions at scale. This is why marketing automation technologies are becoming the norm in the accommodation sector of hospitality. It is quick to set up, efficient with processes, and plays a strong role in contributing towards the customer experience—for each type of customer.

Benefits 

Marketing automation refers to the streamlining of marketing communication with automated software. What may seem like a case of machines taking away jobs from people is actually the opposite. Marketing automation assists marketers in doing their job with greater efficiency, due to the fact that their efforts are being backed by the efforts of technology. In plain terms, it allows people to put hotel marketing efforts on hyper-drive.
Hotel marketers can use automation to push relevant marketing/promotional content to each individual guest, at just the right time based on predefined parameters. The result ultimately becomes a steady increase in booking and revenue for the hotel.

Efficiency is Multifaceted

Automated marketing and communications can and should be categorized into one-to-many as well as one-to-one categorizations. One-to-one automated communications can be tailored for each guest around their guest stay. As an example, reaching out at a set cadence prior to arrival, hosts can send out suggested local attractions for the guests to consider to visit during their stay. Another extremely helpful pre-arrival communication these days is to provide contactless check-in procedures or to provide gate or door codes.

Similarly, the one to many bulk emails can parlay off of goodwill earned leveraging the one-to-one guest nurturing communications. One best practice is to send out promotions to guests who stayed recently during one season with an invitation for them to visit you again during an entirely different season with a diverse set of attractions or amenities highlighted that differ from those already experienced.

Automation can also step in to handle the typical busywork, such as payments and pre-authorizations, and avoiding double bookings—enabling staff members to focus more on meaningful elements that will help add delight to the customer experience. Automation can even go a step further, and be used in conjunction with guest WiFi and beacon technology, to send tailored messages to guests based on how they interact with different areas of the hotel. In an instant, hotels can also ask their outgoing guests for reviews via email or push SMS, with minimal effort on the guests end. The digital nature of automation efforts leads to the ability to track performance across all channels, to learn and build from previous campaigns and identify weaker areas with accuracy.

All-in-all, marketing automation saves time, money, and resources for hotels, which is critical in the post-pandemic world. Now more than ever, hotels need an extra edge to rise above the competition, and marketing automation is the solution that will help them reach that point.

About the Author

Mike Weimann is a 30-year technology sales veteran with more than 1/3 of that time spent providing SaaS benefits for SMBs to enterprises. Currently, he is VP Sales and Operations for eviivo USA and is based in Austin, Texas. His team works with hoteliers and other property managers to improve occupancy, increase automation and help their customers to focus on the guest experience.