Having loyal and recurring customers is a great challenge for any hotel. It is always cheaper to bring a guest back than to try to attract a new one. Without forgetting that loyal customers are usually above the revenue average per guest. Given this context, we give you the keys to design or improve the customer loyalty program in hotels. Keep reading.
What is a customer loyalty program for hotels and what is it for?
It is basically a rewards program that offers benefits (discounts or other privileges) to customers who repeat their stay in the same establishment or hotel chain.
Today, these programs are not only within the reach of large chains, since small chains and independents can also implement simple technologies that help them improve data collection, communication and marketing actions aimed at the Customer loyalty in hotels.
What are the advantages of implementing customer loyalty strategies in hotels?
Have a customer loyalty strategy in hotels entails advantages for establishments. And we are not talking about old strategies such as the accumulation of points, but about a program that focuses on each traveler, on their tastes and needs, because personalization is key when it comes to building loyalty.
When a hotel loyalty program is incorporated, advantages are obtained such as:
- Valuable information: it is essential to identify preferences, needs and behaviors that offer greater and better service to the guest, being able to reward their loyalty with specific and personalized discounts and privileges. Therefore, it is essential to have access to as much information as possible, improving data collection and having CRM software that will help manage the customer database.
- Better experience for guests: The preferences of repeat customers will be catered for and recognized, making your stay more pleasant and easy.
- Increase in reserves: un customer loyalty program, In addition to being useful for retaining customers, it is also useful for attracting new ones. The promise of direct benefits can also attract hesitant travelers.
- Rental income: Reaching a new guest requires a greater marketing and sales effort than getting a repeat customer; just as repeat and loyal customers are more likely to purchase their reservations directly from the hotel, which also helps us to reduce dependency on intermediaries and increase profit margins.
- Rising Income: repeat customers love the service you offer them, so they're more likely to spend money on additional amenities and extras.
Loyal customers value the quality of service received and do not mind spending a few more euros as long as their expectations are once again met.
What does a hotel customer loyalty program include?
Let's see what we must take into account when creating a loyalty program in our hotel:
1. Guest data collection strategy
Since each customer is unique, they should be treated individually in the rewards program. Achieving this is only possible with tools that help us obtain clear and specific data on each guest.
We need some useful tools and ideas to implement such as:
- Captive Portal Hotspot: It allows you to control and manage access to WiFi networks through a login process, in addition to collecting information about users in exchange for enabling their access to the network. What is interesting is that this data is integrated with the hotel's PMS software, specific loyalty programs or software, and automatic mailing tools such as Mailchimp.
- surveys through IPTV: offers the option of incorporating surveys that help to find out about the profile of visitors, their preferences or possible services of interest to the client. We can also obtain information from mobile applications, tablets in the rooms, interactive screens, etc.
- Pre check-in from hotel reservation portal, thus capturing relevant information from the guest before their arrival, and anticipating their needs.
2. Personalization of communication with your guests
Every client is different and should be treated differently, that is, personalization is the key. How can we personalize that experience? Knowing each client through the information obtained and linked in the PMS or CRMs, creating a complete profile or group of profiles and studying its history. This way we will know why you are traveling, what you like, if you have made any special request (allergy, intolerance...), if you are traveling with a pet, if you request a specific room or if you request (or restrict) some type of mattress. everything is important to turn your stay into an excellent experience, always above your expectations.
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3. Define the loyalty actions and incentives of your program
The rewards program will show the customer how important it is for the establishment, therefore, the parameters must be defined very well: What type of incentives are going to be given? Who is rewarded? How are points accumulated? ?
There are numerous options on the market, it is only necessary to create a customer loyalty program that is clear, achievable and easy to redeem. Choosing if the benefits will be only material or if they will also be counted with exclusive benefits, complementary services, improved experiences, discounts for long stays...
4. Listen to your guests
Perform subsequent surveys to the guest's stay is an important option when it comes to knowing what they appreciated the most during their stay; what would you like to experience again or what would you like to experience that you did not enjoy.
Check Check online review sites and social media to get feedback from your guests and see which rewards appeal the most to your guests. For example, there is the option to send automated emails to your guests so that they leave their opinion on portals such as TripAdvisor or Gegole Reviews, and monitor all this information obtained, of great value, for your hotel loyalty programs
The more connected you are with your guests, the more you will know what they value most, understanding what their expectations and desires are, and thus offer them unique experiences.
Cerium, technological solutions to improve your customer loyalty program
In short, being able to obtain visitor data to personalize our communication, as well as to obtain opinions through surveys or reviews on the Internet, is essential. For this, in Cerium We have tools like captive portal, which will allow us to analyze and classify, from the PMS, all the information obtained.
In addition, we also have solutions IPTV that offer the possibility of implementing surveys, personalizing communications such as sending personalized promotions or services of interest to the guest, communicated on the television in the room.
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Nor can we forget our service Wi-Fi audit, key to detect deficiencies, as well as to implement a good bandwidth, offering the best WiFi connection quality in each of the corners of the hotel, an essential service today to lay the foundations for an optimal connectivity experience in the hotel.
Do you want more information about our offer of services focused on customer loyalty? Fill out the following form and we will contact you to advise you without obligation.
