A simple hello
Increase the likelihood of guests actually opening your emails by sending a personalised welcome message to each new guest who subscribes to your mailing list. An immediate welcome email opens the communication between your business and the guest, and prepares guests to anticipate receiving emails from you, hopefully limiting unsubscribers.
The pre-arrival rundown
Take the time to email guests just before their arrival. This is a great way to restate your check-in procedure and the guest booking information to keep your guests in the know. If promoting upselling is important, you can include a contact number to allow guests to inquire about room upgrades and additional extras to indulge their stay.
The post-departure thank you
Reach out to guests after check out to thank them for their stay. You can also be proactive and ask guests to leave a review of their stay with a link to your preferred review platform. Research suggests that guests are 3.6 times more likely to actually leave a review and more likely to leave a positive review when asked by the accommodation provider. This can also allow you to promptly address any negative feedback, hopefully recovering the service experience before it turns into bad word of mouth.
Suggestions and recommendations
Connect with guests in a way that provides value to their experience. Providing information about local attractions or seasonal activities is helpful to guests as well as other business operators in your region.
Consider sending a message about an upcoming event in the region and encourage guests to enjoy the experience with a stay at your hotel. You can even link through to a special offer or package created for the event to really customise the guest experience.
Fill the gaps
During the low season when your property may not be at full capacity, send emails encouraging last-minute, short-stay and midweek bookings. Offer discounts and create a sense of urgency to motivate guests to book on the spot and fill in the availability gaps.
Key takeaways
The most important part of email marketing is creating value for your email membership database. Be creative in the types of emails you’re sending and focus on capturing engagement.
Whilst email marketing is great to promote specials and attract new guest bookings, don’t underestimate the importance of email to foster relationships with previous guests and establish loyalty.
