Emails that your audience receive should be customized for them based on where they are in the customer journey. The most successful email marketing efforts are those that are pertinent to your recipient.
Email automation should be set up when a prospective customer subscribes to your newsletter to guide them through their path from a New Guest to a Repeat Customer and ultimately a VIP client.
The recipient of these emails should receive clear value and pertinent information based on their specific requirements at each level.
1. Confirmation or Pre-arrival Reminder
To get your visitors eager for their visit, send them emails before their arrival. Send visitors a preview of what to expect a week or two before their visit, not only in terms of amenities and entertainment at your resort but also in terms of activities and attractions to enjoy in the larger location.
These shouldn’t merely be links that direct readers to a website without providing any context, but rather tales that are effective at evoking emotion, describing the setting, and assisting the reader in imagining themselves there. Additionally, it increases their awareness of your hotel’s amenities and makes them feel welcome.
Among the details you can include in this email before arrival are:
- booking details;
- Address and the best route there;
- features of hotels;
- local eateries;
- leisure activities;
- weather forecasts;
Emails sent before arrival are really helpful. It gives your client a suggestion of how to spend more money at your hotel.
2. Upsell or Preference Emails
How can you best make sure that everyone in your hotel has what they may possibly need or want while they are there? You may send them a pre-arrival preference email and ask them that question beforehand.
Before they ever enter your lobby, sending an arriving guest a preference email shows them that you are concerned about their experience. This statement not only demonstrates that you have their best interests in mind but also inspires anticipation for their visit!
Make the most of this email to get to know the visitor better. Find out if they have any allergies or specific tastes, such as whether they prefer feather or down pillows. Simply inquire if there is anything your hotel can do to meet their expectations or if there is anything the hotel needs to be aware of prior to their arrival.
Even though I’m calling this a “preference email,” there’s also a chance for upselling to increase sales. Offer them a spa session, a bottle of champagne when they arrive, airport transportation, a local tour, or even room upgrades in this email to customize their visit.
The wellness options, including spa services or massages, were typically the most well-liked by visitors, accounting for 20.4% of all services offered in 2019, according to GuestJoy’s hospitality sector upselling study.
Obviously, not all resorts have spas.
According to GuestJoy, room upgrades came in second place, accounting for 20.2% of all things sold.
Restaurant sales come in second at 16%, followed by taxi services at 18%. It demonstrates your concern for your visitors’ positive experiences when you inquire about their own preferences. Additionally, your revenue management team will appreciate its use as a tool for gathering important data about your visitors and possibly generating extra cash through an upsell.
3. Thank you Emails
Your visitor receives a final bill and pays for their stay when they check out. Normally, we also send the guest a thank-you email along with the folio as a receipt for their visit.
This is somewhat of a formality, similar to the first booking confirmation email, but it’s also a customer expectation that shouldn’t be disregarded. It is strongly advised to add more than simply an itemized bill to this email; instead, make it more personal.
Always keep in mind that they had a choice, and they selected your property over all other possibilities. A guest should always be thanked for staying with you! Last impressions are important, but this shouldn’t be your final correspondence with a hotel guest.
4. Review or Request for Feedback
Today’s version of word-of-mouth advertising is online reviews.
The great majority of customers still claim to read hotel reviews online before making a reservation. According to surveys, 88% of tourists exclude hotels from their online searches if the average review rating is less than three.
The optimal time to gather feedback from a hotel guest is about 24 hours after they’ve checked out since you want to make sure their experience is still fresh in their memory while also giving them enough time to travel home or settled into their next location.
But also make it simple for them.
One of our clients told us that their post-stay survey is so valuable that it influences every element of their business to address the ongoing feedback.
Take advantage of the occasion for what it is: a chance to receive honest feedback from visitors who have just completed a stay with you and can express their opinions in detail about what they enjoyed (or disliked) and why.
There is a marketing advantage as well, though, since it can help you make adjustments to your operations and customer service for those who perform well enough in the survey. For example, you could add them to a drip campaign that sends them a follow-up email encouraging them to leave reviews on review sites and Facebook.
5. The Loyalty Emails
You obviously need a consumer to book with you more than once if you want to improve their lifetime booking value!
The so-called “loyalty email” is just a request to visit you again. In it, you’ll acknowledge and thank them for their ongoing support of your hotel while also luring them back.
The time of this one can change, so using an email service that integrates with your CRM or property management system is really helpful.
If a visitor has previously stayed at your hotel, look for trends:
- Do they frequently make last-minute summer weekend travel arrangements?
- Do they visit your city for business once every three months?
- Do they regularly stay at your hotel for special events like birthdays and anniversaries?
Automation of email marketing is effective.
You may create email campaigns that start an “invitation to return” and time them to coincide with that guest’s regular booking window by using the right email marketing solution.
To a first-time visitor, you may use similar logic and automation, however, it’s not always as successful in the absence of a previous pattern of stay.
To sweeten the purchase, you can always provide a special pricing or loyalty benefit.
A valuable opportunity to interact with visitors before, during, and after their stay, as well as to forge connections with prospective new ones, is provided by hotel email marketing.
Please get in touch if you need assistance with the copywriting for your hotel emails.