The holiday season is upon us and we’re all ramping up to prepare for upcoming busy long weekends and time off over Christmas and New Year. Hoteliers specifically are energising their marketing campaigns to bring more business in and drive revenue from those already booked in. So, what better way to help get prepared for all this, than to set up an automated online and mobile experience for your upcoming guests?
Email automation is a great way for hoteliers to stay in communication with their guests throughout the travel journey. Using segmentation and timing triggers, they are easily set up and can run for as long or short as needed.
By looking at over 30 million emails sent last year, we saw that automated emails are 4x as likely to be clicked than any other email, which means more engaged guests who are more willing to click, purchase or communicate at different stages of the travel journey.
In this article, we look at a few great examples of how you can segment your automated emails for the holiday season and provide a really tailored, personalized message for your guests that will drive revenue and engagement.
1. Christmas and New Year-themed emails
Criteria:
- Timing of reservation
- Type of reservation
- Number of guests
Based on the timing of that guests’ reservation, create pre-arrival emails (timed a few days or 1 – 2 weeks before arrival) that will help your guests prepare for their upcoming trip over Christmas or New Year. By targeting your guests based on their unique data, you provide a more tailored, personal experience for that guest before they’ve even arrived. It’s also possible to send emails out while the guest is in-house. For example, share in-house restaurant or drink offers to encourage onsite spending.
2. Holiday shopping vacations
Criteria:
- Timing of reservation
- Type of reservation
- Length of stay
- of guests
- Rate code
Based on the number of guests, type of guests booking that reservation and time of the reservation, send targeted automated emails that can help your guests plan before their stay or even once they’ve arrived. For example, send a pre-arrival email either a few days or 1 – 2 weeks in advance to get the guest excited about their upcoming shopping trip. Or schedule emails to go out during their stay to share local insights and directions while your guests are out and about.
3. Business trips
Criteria:
- Timing of reservation
- Type of reservation
- Length of stay
- Rate code
Business trips fall throughout the year but why not target business travellers specifically this holiday season? Encourage them to take some time out (if possible) to explore the city or even purchase gifts from local or onsite stores. Invite them to indulge at your restaurant or even order room service if that suits them better. By sharing this information pre-arrival and while your business guests are in-house you help the guests get the most out of their stay.
4. Family holidays
Criteria:
- Timing of reservation
- Type of reservation
- Length of stay
- of guests
- Type of guests
- Rate code
Planning ahead for these types of holidays is a must to keep the kids entertained. A very common way to target certain guests is through family reservations. Add some family-friendly activities to your pre-arrival emails to encourage local activity up-sell, or encourage pre-trip planning and drive restaurant bookings at family friendly in-house restaurants.
In summary
- Make the most of events throughout the year and tailor your emails and messaging for the right guests based on their type of trip.
- Utilise segmentation in whatever CRM or marketing tool you use as this will see increased engagement, either by number of opens, clicks or – most importantly – revenue.
- Time the emails as you wish to be sent before arrival (set by number of days/weeks/months) or in-house to ensure your guests are making the most out of their stay.
About the author
Nicki Graham is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Guestfolio, a guest engagement and marketing platform hat helps hoteliers engage, convert and retain guests. The company’s goal is to personalize the travel experience for guests and provide insights and tools that build lasting brand loyalty for its hotel customers.
