In a previous post, we covered how pre-stay messaging is essential to winning guest loyalty and ensuring repeat stays. Just as the guest journey begins before they even arrive on the property, it continues to evolve after they’ve left. Many guests will want to write a review about the hotel they’ve just stayed at; others will share their experiences on social media once they get home. And, of course, hotels will want to entice their guests to come back next time they’re planning a trip. Even better, they will want to entice their guests to book directly with them rather than through a third party. Leaving it to fate is not a particularly effective strategy.
This is why post-stay messaging is such a crucial aspect of the guest experience. Through post-stay messaging, hotels can get involved in the feedback process immediately after the guest checks out and extend offers that will entice the guest to return. Here are three reasons hotels should use post-stay messaging:
- Thanking the guest for staying and inviting them to return. Arguably the most effective way to endear your brand to your guests is to show them gratitude for choosing your property. It’s important to thank your guests for staying with you. Post-stay messaging will make them feel even more special and position your hotel in the forefront of their minds—means they are more likely to think of your hotel first when they’re booking their next trip.
- Soliciting feedback via survey or online review website. This is the best time to ask a guest to let you know what did and didn’t work for them during their stay. Online review websites are generally the most popular places for guests to leave feedback, but online surveys offer a measure of privacy that review websites do not. A survey delivered in a post-stay message to the guest’s inbox means that any criticism the guest may have will be delivered privately to the hotel, giving the hotel an opportunity to respond and address any concerns before the guest posts an unfavorable review online.
- Extending an offer for their next visit. Offering a discounted room rate for their next visit, a special on a meal at the hotel restaurant, a complimentary massage at the spa, or other relevant offers are persuasive ways to get your guests to return to your property. Sending post-stay messaging as soon as they leave ensures that your hotel will be fresh in their memory next time they’re looking for a place to stay.
How Digital Alchemy Helps Hotels Reach Out
Getting new guests to stay at your hotel is only half the battle; the other half involves getting them to return and gaining their continued loyalty. Thankfully, Digital Alchemy helps hoteliers do just that with its robust post-stay messaging and survey tools.
- Digital Alchemy’s email marketing platform facilitates the automatic sending of thank-you messages that show guests the hotel’s appreciation for their patronage and incentivizes them to return. Post-stay messaging can be triggered to send promptly after the guest checks out, while their experience is still fresh in their minds. Thoughtful, personalized emails add a special touch and make each guest feel unique and valued.
- Digital Alchemy also helps hoteliers craft surveys that reveal the guest’s needs while also providing the hotel with actionable analytic information. The software’s color-coded text highlights topics that come up frequently, indicating to hoteliers where improvements can be made for the benefit of all guests.
- Additionally, Digital Alchemy’s Trip Advocate program prompts guests to leave favorable reviews online, helping hotels grow their online ranking organically. The software sends satisfied guests via eSurvey to TripAdvisor to write a review.
All of these strategies use guest messaging and analytics to boost revenue and increase customer loyalty by making guests happier and giving hotels the information they need to continually improve the guest experience.
Where Loop Comes In
Loop is largely meant for use while the guest is still on the property, but the data it collects about each guest can be used in the hotel’s post-stay marketing efforts. Hotel staff can use this data to better understand their guests and personalize thank-you messages, surveys, and offers; in turn, this creates an emotional connection between the guest and the hotel, and increases the chances that they will remain loyal and book with the hotel again in the future.
Visit digital-alchemy.com to learn how post-stay messaging can help your hotel earn long-term loyalty from guests and increase profits! Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to join the discussion on hospitality tech.
This blog post was co-authored with Regan Volke, Sales Manager at Digital Alchemy.
