Many businesses aim to engage with their customers, but what does that actually mean, and how is it achieved? In the hospitality industry there are specific ways to engage which express how connected a guest can feel about a hotel, and what the benefits of that connection are. Engagement can never be a one-off activity, and is an essential part of the Guest Journey. As such, engagement between hotel and guest can be broadly split into pre-stay, in-stay and post-stay phases, but these must always blend into each other.
Creating meaningful connections between a hotel and its guests across every touchpoint builds loyalty, boosts the hotel’s reputation, and increases bookings.
Across the hospitality industry, personalisation is the name of the game. Guests want to be seen and heard, and have their individual requirements met. Sometimes this can be as simple as providing their food preferences (such as a vegetarian diet), or the ability to flex check-in times that fit with arrival from abroad. Whatever, guests fully expect that their hotel understands and responds to their needs. To achieve this the hotel must know the demographic being addressed, and more specifically, know guests at an individual level in as granular detail as possible.
This means communication all the way. Simply succeeding in getting a booking is never enough - the engagement must be maintained throughout the Guest Journey.
We’ve mentioned automation and ease of use of modern property management systems for successful hotel guest engagement, and that’s because we have in-depth knowledge of the subject. At SabeeApp we have more than 10 years of experience in supplying cloud-based Property Management Systems specifically created for independent hoteliers. For us, communication and engagement between hotel and guest are the reason we’re in business.
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The process begins from first contact between guest and hotel, especially if there is a modern Property Management System and Booking Engine in place. The hotel website - which must of course be attractive and informative - can also be chatbot-equipped so that FAQs can be asked and easily answered. From the very start guests get the feel that they are engaging and being engaged with in a meaningful way. They can enter their own details into the system, rather than the old and frustrating way of dictating them to a possibly harassed member of hotel staff. There’ll be no errors, and the guest can review and confirm everything.
Many chatbots operate in several languages, as chosen by the guest, which also promotes engagement and clarity. From first touch, the guest feels valued and understood.
Following the booking process there is now a wealth of information in the system which enables the hotel to continue engagement pre-stay. Most of this can be done automatically, but with the feel of personalisation. Guests will always be addressed by name, and their preferences can be noted.
Usually the first communication will be to confirm the booking and thank the guest for their choice of hotel. In some instances potential guests ‘stack’ more than one hotel booking, knowing that they can cancel their spare choice if it’s made through an Online Travel Agent, so at this point it’s important not to assume that the booking is a ‘done deal’. A welcome email can make the difference in the guest’s commitment, along with supplying useful additional information about the hotel, and special events taking place in the area. Crucially it also provides opportunities to upsell rooms, restaurant bookings or other added-value offers.
Pre-stay, guests can also be encouraged to ask further questions and engage in a dialogue with the hotel. It’s important because some aspects which may seem obvious to staff are not always clear to guests. For example, how does contactless check-in, or keyless room access work? A well-designed website with drop-down menus for this kind of information can really help. Factor in teasers for upcoming activities which can be trailed pre-stay, so that a sense of occasion builds towards the guest’s arrival.
From the moment of arrival, the Guest Journey can be smooth and seamless with facilities such as contactless check-in and keyless access to rooms. These automated processes take a lot of the hassle out of the check-in process, while also allowing hotel staff time to be more customer-facing and welcoming.
Once guests are in the hotel there is much that can be done to ensure their continued engagement, especially if there are apps such as GuestAdvisor, which enables two way communication directly to the guest’s device. This is a fully customisable process which can be configured for each phase of the guest’s stay. The hotel can offer special menus or leisure and wellness opportunities. Guests can make specific requests or enquire about services, and - on rare occasions - easily report problems such as maintenance issues. As a result of such ‘virtual concierge’ services, in-stay guests can be nudged to sample extras provided by the hotel, or receive suggestions for activities with organisations partnered by the hotel.
Increasingly hotels are also able to offer personalised control of in-room facilities, such as heating, ventilation and lighting through smart app-linked systems. Entertainment is also an important ingredient of a pleasant stay which will further engage guests, and with the wide choice of contemporary streaming services there is no reason to limit choice.
The in-stay period is a good time to encourage guests to start posting on their own social media channels about what a great experience they are having at your hotel, so give them reasons to engage and comment: Special meals, celebrations, events, and even competitions. It depends on your target demographic, but your aim should always be to give guests something they can impress their friends and colleagues back home with!
As and when guests post on social media, being aware of their posts and responding to them is crucial - and it can easily be a part of your Hotel Marketing strategy. In most cases the posts are likely to be complimentary about their stay, in which case your Social Media Manager’s main job is to thank them for choosing your hotel and invite them back for future stays. Such responses can be short and sweet, and just require simple monitoring and maintenance.
There may also be times that guests post negative reviews, and these must be responded to swiftly, professionally and politely. Usually quick responses tend to defuse any difficulties, and are viewed by others in a favourable light. If your hotel is truly in error over a complaint, then acknowledge it and remedy the problem, but never get into arguments with guests on social media.
Monitoring posts is not just about your hotel however, because you need to constantly watch how other hotels in your compset are engaging with their customers. What are they doing well that you can learn from? What are they doing that reveals weaknesses that you can exploit?
When guests have departed, there should always be a follow-up message thanking them for their stay, and wishing them a safe onward journey. Your PMS has the capacity to store huge amounts of rich data about guests, so you will likely know the reason for their stay, be it anniversary, corporate meeting or family get-together. This means that your thank you note can feel very personal and be tailored to the Guest Journey, inviting people back to continue in future months or years. Guests who feel seen and heard are far more likely to re-book in future, and very likely to recommend your establishment to others. It’s a ‘long game’ to play, but is well worth pursuing.
Hotel guest engagement is a fact of life, and the opportunities to leverage it have never been greater, especially through using the sophisticated tools available with SabeeApp’s PMS and extra modules such as Smart Solutions, including GuestAdvisor. We want you to engage effectively with your guests, and to do that we’d like to engage effectively with your hotel. Please do get in touch with us for a free, no-obligation demo of our software that is proven to significantly boost hotel guest engagement and ease up your daily workload.