In our industry, we place a lot of focus on attracting new guests and so much so that it can defocus us from fostering loyalty among past guests.

A repeat customer is incredibly valuable to your bottom line. Attracting a new customer is about 5 times the cost to retain a customer. But let’s put the cost aside, it’s just simply far more rewarding to see someone come back to your property again and again because they had such a wonderful experience.

That’s what drives us here at Ocean Hotels Group Barbados. We know that building a loyal customer base starts with the guest experience, and the guest experience begins and ends with the people on-site who are interacting with guests.

We take intense pride in our service and our staff training. We focus on finding the personalities, training the skills, and always encourage our employees to be their authentic selves. We call it “service with a soul.” And we see the fruits of those efforts reflected over and over in our guest reviews and on social media.

Would you believe that our properties even have Facebook fan pages that are entirely operated by past guests? These pages are completely fan-driven and fan-moderated. I know that the idea of that can seem completely terrifying, as you don't have control over what gets said. But there’s also an advantage to such an authentic conversation surrounding your brand. And you’ve got to be really careful to protect that authenticity.

Because it's the fans who will step up and silence the complainers or provide those key details people need, which ultimately convinces them to book. In my opinion, satisfied guests who share their positive experiences on their own social channels are worth far more than paid influencers.

It’s this incredibly loyal fanbase that has encouraged us to look at building out our own loyalty program. But it’s important to remember that a loyalty program doesn’t create loyalty. A great experience, a consistent product, a personalized relationship…that’s what creates loyalty.

Loyalty can’t be bought, but it can be rewarded.

Jacqui McDermott
Sales & Marketing Manager,
Ocean Hotels Group Barbados

This article first appeared at Tambourine