Engaging Hotel Guests at Every Stage of the Guest Journey

The customer journey is the path a guest follows from becoming aware of a hotel through to after their stay. Throughout this journey, guests experience different states of mind, which hotels can leverage to deliver a memorable and personalised experience. Below, we will examine each stage of the customer journey and how they relate to the perspective of CCRM and Revenue Management as interpreted by 90% of the hotel industry. Guests’ states of mind throughout their customer journey can vary greatly and change at any time, from the consideration phase through to the post-stay stage. Each stage presents unique opportunities for hotels to deliver a memorable and personalised experience that can influence guest loyalty and recommendations to future guests. However, achieving this requires a Customer Centric Revenue Management (CCRM) approach that takes the guest’s needs and wishes into account at every stage of the customer journey.

Pre-stay

At this stage, the guest has not yet decided which hotel to stay in. Here, the hotel has the opportunity to attract the customer through a strong marketing and branding strategy. CCRM also plays an important role at this stage, as it is necessary to know the customer in order to offer a personalised experience that meets their expectations. Our Value Proposition plays a decisive role at this stage in attracting the customer and shaping their own expectations. On the other hand, traditional Revenue Management has little impact at this stage, as prices are generally already set and published in advance. Furthermore, price may not be a deciding factor for the customer at this point in the customer journey, or we ourselves may not be interested in attracting a price-sensitive customer profile.

Booking

At this stage, the guest has already decided to book a particular hotel. Here, the hotel must provide a seamless and straightforward booking experience, to avoid any kind of customer frustration. The CCRM perspective is also important at this stage, as it is a good opportunity to gather data about the customer and their preferences. Traditional Revenue Management plays an important role here, as the hotel can adjust prices and offer promotions to attract more customers. The only drawback is that this single perspective cannot determine the travel motivations of a potential customer, meaning it assumes that all customers fit the same pattern. This is a good time to question rate parity.

Pre-arrival

I must admit that this phase has enormous potential and is perhaps the most underused by the hotel industry. At this stage, the guest has already made the booking and is about to arrive at the hotel. Unlike any relationship marketing initiative we may launch, at this stage the customer is highly receptive to our messages, and 100% open rates are guaranteed, so why not make the most of it? The hotel can seize this opportunity to make an excellent first impression through pre-arrival communication with the customer, whether by email or via a mobile app. Here, CCRM also plays an important role because, if good groundwork has been done, additional and personalised services can be offered, such as airport transfers or spa services, based on the customer’s preferences. I must say that predictive models based on Artificial Intelligence systems for offering products and services simply do not work in this respect, as they ignore the unique and decisive intentions of each individual customer, simply because they have not been asked. Traditional Revenue Management has no role at this stage, as prices have already been set and the booking has already been made. In reality, Revenue Management loses the customer perspective from the moment the customer makes the booking until they arrive at the hotel.

Check-in

At this stage, the guest has arrived at the hotel and is checking in. Here, the hotel must provide a seamless and swift experience, avoiding any inconvenience or unnecessary waiting time for the customer. In addition, this stage can be used to offer additional services, such as room upgrades or welcome packages, whether paid in order to increase average spend per guest, or complimentary in order to maximise the guest experience and build loyalty. Here, CCRM also has an important role to play, as previously collected data can be used to offer a more personalised experience. Traditional Revenue Management also plays an important role here, as prices offered to customers can be adjusted.

The Stay

The stay phase is when the guest is experiencing their time at the hotel. This stage is crucial because it can make the difference between an average stay and a memorable experience. During this phase, the hotel must ensure that the guest feels comfortable, safe and cared for at all times. Guest expectations CCRM at this stage focuses on service personalisation and guest satisfaction. Hotels can leverage technological tools such as mobile apps and chatbots to improve communication with guests and offer personalised services. In addition, the hotel can use the information gathered during previous stages to deliver unique experiences tailored to the guest’s individual needs and preferences. At this stage, traditional Revenue Management can influence the sales process for additional services and products. Upselling and cross-selling can increase hotel profitability and improve guest satisfaction. However, it is important to remember that overly aggressive selling can have the opposite effect and negatively impact the guest experience.

Post-stay

The post-stay phase refers to the period after the guest leaves the hotel. At this stage, the hotel also has the opportunity to build guest loyalty and generate additional revenue by promoting services and products for future stays. CCRM at this stage focuses on gathering guest comments and feedback. Hotels can use survey and feedback tools to measure guest satisfaction and gain valuable insights to improve their services. In addition, they can use loyalty programmes to encourage guests to return to the hotel and offer personalised discounts and promotions to enhance the guest experience. Conversation with the customer can generate an extremely valuable co-creation process to develop new operational capabilities, identify service shortcomings, and initiate transition and improvement processes. At this stage, traditional Revenue Management has limited capacity to influence the guest experience. However, it can offer special rates for returning guests and create rewards programmes to encourage customer loyalty. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, every stage of the customer journey is important and presents different opportunities for hotels to provide their guests with a personalised and memorable experience. CCRM and traditional Revenue Management play an important yet complementary and compatible role at every stage of the process, but it is important to remember that the focus must always be on guest satisfaction and creating unique experiences that guests will remember and share with others. My advice is to keep the Customer Journey in mind at all times in order to understand customer behaviour and needs at every stage of their hotel experience. Knowing how to make the most of every moment to deliver a personalised and memorable experience not only increases customer satisfaction, but can also have a significant impact on customer loyalty and the hotel’s success. And, of course, if you are considering starting this process, remember that I can help implement strategies and techniques to influence every stage of the customer journey and deliver unforgettable experiences for your guests. Contact me to find out how I can help your property improve its performance and stand out in the market.