Recently a Digital Marketing Experts Panel was asked this very pertinent question.

Here is my take:

In my view, the best demonstration of brand loyalty in hospitality is the share of repeat business.

Travel consumers are buried under an avalanche of options and offers, and if they repeatedly choose your brand over the competing alternatives, it’s clear that your brand has an appeal above and beyond the competition. This appeal is a result of the perceived value proposition of your brand and the travel consumer’s emotional attachment to your brand.

Today you cannot instill any loyalty among travelers without CRM technology and its associated guest appreciation or loyalty program in place.

Only a meaningful CRM technology application – as part of your hotel tech stack – can ensure deep engagement with your past and future guests. CRM tech not only provides automated pre-, during- and post-stay communications, guest satisfaction surveys, guest retention marketing automation and drip marketing campaigns but takes it a step further via guest recognition program management and loyalty marketing.

All of these fully automated CRM initiatives keep “the conversation going” with your upcoming and past guests. It keeps them engaged and steers them in the right direction: to book your hotel when it’s time for them to visit your destination again.

In addition, you can use your CRM first-party data about your best guests to launch similar audience marketing on Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to target potential customers with similar characteristics as your best guests.

CRM initiatives in combination with ORM (Online Reputation Management) tech can turn your happy guests into brand ambassadors and avid social media influencers.”

Max Starkov
Hospitality & Online Travel Tech Consultant & Strategist

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