Utilizing email marketing for hotel upsells and cross-sells can be an excellent way to build guest loyalty and boost repeat business. From budget accommodations that serve as an oasis in times of trouble to luxury properties offering bucket list experiences, email provides many opportunities for upselling and cross-selling with email.
Canary Upsells automates upselling software to take pressure off front desk agents, leading to increased conversion rates. Here are some key tactics for hotel upselling and cross-selling via email:
Identify Your Target Audience
Successful upselling and cross-selling depend on finding the appropriate audience, and targeting only products or services they want or looking for experiences they seek out. Understanding who your customers are is also essential – be sure that any offer made to them is meaningful, not pushy or intrusive!
Luxury packages with special culinary experiences may attract guests who are booking rooms for special events like a wedding or anniversary. Such targeted marketing is designed to increase conversions while simultaneously driving revenue growth while creating an exceptional guest experience. Propensity modeling is recommended to determine your target audience as it determines the likelihood that customers will purchase additional services or products.
While upselling can occur throughout the hotel customer journey, one of the greatest opportunities lies within the booking process itself. When customers are preparing to complete their purchases and are more open to adding enhancements that enhance their stay at discounted rates – particularly effective when offering upgrades that make financial sense for each guest.
Hoteliers should take full advantage of this opportunity by informing guests about upgrades available during the booking process and encouraging them to upgrade. Offering gift cards or offers from your establishment as an incentive could further encourage purchase decisions.
Pre-arrival is also an effective time for upselling and cross-selling; customers are eager to start their vacation, making them more willing to pay for additional services that enhance the experience – such as transportation from the airport or hotel-branded meal kits that reduce time or effort during their journey.
At the checkout stage, there’s also an ideal opportunity for upselling and cross-selling. Reward frequent visitors with discounts on future stays or free breakfast for their next visit with customized messaging that creates urgency and value for each individual customer.
Create Personalized Messages
Upselling and cross-selling are proven strategies for increasing hotel revenue from existing guests, while simultaneously adding value to hotel services and increasing customer retention. In this blog post, we’ll outline key upselling/cross-selling strategies, ways to digitally implement them effectively, as well as existing software serving this function.
Pre-arrival is one of the best times to upsell, when prospective guests are searching for ways to enhance their trip experience. By sending targeted offers via email or SMS based on room type or rate – for instance if they book a double bed room for two nights you could offer an upgrade for romantic dinner and bottle of wine – this approach reduces front desk work while increasing revenues significantly.
Add another avenue for increasing revenue with premium service packages at check-in. This approach works especially well for hotels offering dining, spa or gym facilities on their premises; by listing available packages during check-in, guests have an easier chance at upgrading their stay without making multiple requests.
Upgrades and upsells aren’t the only upgrades or upsells you can employ to increase conversions; incremental pricing also creates urgency among your customers and can increase conversions.
Customer-centric software should intelligently classify visitors and display offers at the most suitable moment, providing the ultimate customer experience while optimizing ROI over time. A good hotel upselling and cross-selling solution should allow for automated processes while offering various channels through which customers can reach out with questions or issues – this way enabling the ultimate customer journey and driving up ROI over time. If you would like more information about how this solution can benefit your business please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here.
Offer the Right Offers at the Right Time
An effective hotel upselling and cross-sell strategy relies on offering relevant offers at just the right time, such as email marketing. Email can help promote these additional services by targeting specific types of visitors – for instance, couples seeking romantic getaways are likely to appreciate room upgrades that include extra space or scenic views as well as other hotel amenities like spa treatments and restaurants.
Implementing additional service offerings into your hotel will increase guest spending and overall ancillary revenue while making guests feel appreciated for staying there. By creating personalized messages and offering products at appropriate times, it can easily convert visitors into repeat buyers.
Pre-arrival is the optimal time for hotels to offer upsells and cross-sells, as travelers tend to be excited about their upcoming journey and more apt to spend on upgrades or add-ons that might benefit their stay. Furthermore, this provides them with an opportunity to provide transportation from airport to their property; another good upselling opportunity.
Establish a sense of urgency for your service offers to drive purchases quickly and save customers money. One effective strategy to accomplish this goal is by adding limited-time offers at the end of each message – such as discounted room category rates or complimentary upgrades during their next stay.
Hotels can use their database of past guests to upsell them on additional services and products. Email messages sent out a week or two before an existing guest’s next booking can include a summary of services enjoyed during their last stay at your hotel, reminding them of its quality and encouraging them to come back for another stay; you could also include special offers like discounts or discounted room rates as an incentive.
Make it Easy to Purchase
Customers are willing to pay more for services and products that add extra value to their experience, especially those which make them happier and more likely to return. Therefore, hotels should make it as easy as possible for guests to access cross-sell and upselling offers; this could include embedding them in their website, mobile app, or email communications.
Hotels must ensure that offers are easy for their guests to locate and purchase, while also targeting specific guests with upselling efforts. For instance, if a guest staying at a luxury hotel shows interest in upgrading their room for their next trip, they should be given the chance to purchase that upgrade during checkout process so as to increase the likelihood of purchasing it and generate greater revenue for the hotel.
If a guest is traveling for an event with family and friends, a hotel could provide them with an exclusive experience by arranging meals or entertainment during their stay – giving them an exceptional stay and encouraging them to return again in future events.
Hotel upselling and cross-selling strategies are critical components of business operations that seek to maximize revenue, build loyalty, and ensure customer satisfaction. But hotels must remember that not every customer makes for an ideal target for upsell/cross-sell opportunities; thus they should avoid forcing unnecessary services onto customers who do not require them.
Hotels equipped with upselling software can easily reach out to their guests with personalized and automated messages that are relevant. By employing this type of technology, hotels can increase revenue while creating exceptional experiences for guests – creating more loyal guests and strengthening brand recognition in turn. As more hoteliers embrace this form of marketing they will have the tools needed to compete against other travel companies while growing their businesses successfully.