How Can You Build Guest Loyalty After A Stay?

Building guest loyalty has to be an essential part of any hotel online marketing strategy. Not every guest can be a first-time guest, and it’s vital that every hotel has a plan in place to attract repeat customers as well as those all-important new ones. Indeed, many hotels would go out of business entirely if it weren’t for their regular guests. It’s also often easier and more cost effective to retain existing clients than it is to win brand new ones, so building guest loyalty is an essential part of revenue management.

So how can you start to build that sense of loyalty among your guests? What additions to your hotel online marketing strategy can you make to convince them to stay with you again and again, over and above other local venues? Here are some top tips.

Have a loyalty scheme

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to boost loyalty among guests is to introduce a scheme that incentivizes it. Loyalty schemes can offer a number of rewards for guests, encouraging them to come back and give the hotel their custom once more. From free meals in your in-house restaurant and discounted spa treatments to completely free stays for the most loyal customers, one of the best ways to increase loyalty is to make loyalty worth it.

Show that you care

Consumers – millennials in particular – are more likely to become loyal to a brand if they feel like it values their opinions and cares about improving. Set up a system that dispatches an email to a guest a few days after their stay, asking them to leave an online customer review and encouraging them to provide some feedback. Then, further down the line, send out an email letting the customer know that their feedback has been implemented, and suggesting they return to the hotel to check it out for themselves.

Keep in touch

If you’re in the early stages of developing loyalty with a customer, you’ll need to try and remain in the forefront of your guests’ minds. Whether you’re encouraging them to follow you on social media channels or sending out a text message to let them know about an upcoming special offer, you should try to remain in touch and make sure that your hotel is the first one that springs to mind the next time they’re booking a trip.

Dazzle your guests

Ask yourself: what would make you return to a specific hotel for a second, third or fourth stay in addition to a great experience and other online customer reviews? It could be an unforgettable memory, a special event or some truly excellent customer service. You should always strive to impress every guest and give them a reason to return. From personalising your interactions with each guest, to going out of your way to make their stay special and memorable, these are the actions that your customers will remember – and they’ll be the things they remember when they sit down to book another trip.