Emails offer hotels the unique ability to reach guests prior to their arrival, using data analytics and automation tools, they can customize messages, engage guests more deeply, and build lasting relationships.
Delivering a comprehensive pre-arrival email can make guests more at ease, particularly when they have specific requests or inquiries. In addition, this email serves as an opportunity for upselling room upgrades or local tours and activities.
Send a Welcome Email
Welcome emails are an effective and efficient way of building trust and strengthening new relationships with customers who purchase something, subscribe to your newsletter, or join your digital community. They should typically be sent after making an interaction, such as making a purchase, subscribing or joining.
Welcome emails can be as creative and intricate as desired, providing value to each subscriber in some way. At minimum, these should include:
Subject Lines: A catchy and on-brand subject line will catch readers’ eyes and encourage them to open your email. Including their name in the subject line is also an effective way to personalize it and forge bonds with readers.
Content: When writing your welcome email, make sure the content is valuable and informative, easily read across devices, and can include links to helpful blog posts, videos or guides that can assist your customer with using your product or service. Doing this shows your dedication to them while showing that you care for their best interests.
Call-to-Action: An effective call-to-action can prompt subscribers to take the next step – whether that is sharing content with friends and family or providing discounts codes that boost conversions.
Email Signature: Displaying trust and loyalty by including your contact info in an email signature can be an excellent way to show subscribers you are always there for them if any questions or support is needed.
Timely Delivery: To create an engaging experience and encourage continued relationships with your brand, send welcome emails immediately following an action taken by subscribers such as purchasing or subscribing. Doing this will create a personalized and efficient experience and encourage ongoing contact between your company and subscribers.
Although it may seem obvious, it’s crucial that your welcome email includes a clearly-marked unsubscribe link – this is required by CAN-SPAM and GDPR and ensures subscribers can opt-out at any time. By taking these steps, you will ensure a superior onboarding experience which will forge long-lasting and rewarding relationships with customers.
Send a Confirmation Email
An email of confirmation is an essential transactional email sent after someone takes an action, such as purchasing something online or booking a stay at your hotel. By sending this transactional email, your business demonstrates its value for their business while reassuring them they can trust your services to meet their expectations.
Email confirmations can also help build brand loyalty by providing guests with a summary of their reservation and any relevant details needed for check-in. For instance, if they’re traveling internationally and may need to present their itinerary to an immigration officer at their destination country, an email confirmation might come in handy in that regard.
Your email can serve to inform guests of the local area, activities to do in your city and cancellation policies – providing them with peace of mind before their stay begins. Adding links to your website or social media pages may add extra value and increase engagement with your business.
Your confirmation emails should be concise and to-the-point to avoid overwhelming guests with too much information or unnecessary details. Instead, provide only essential data and include a clear call-to-action (CTA) to activate an account or update their information.
Email marketing software that facilitates creating personalized email templates quickly can save time and ensure the message reflects your brand consistently. Furthermore, authenticating your domain can increase deliverability rates and ensure more of your emails reach their intended recipient(s).
Branded confirmation emails demonstrate your company is professional and takes customer relations seriously. Most top email providers have features to make adding your logo, color scheme and fonts easily; your customers will recognize these messages even if they come from different devices; this helps your messages stand out among promotional emails.
Send a Post-Stay Email
Once guests check-out of your hotel or resort, keep the communication flowing by sending out a post-stay email to thank them and encourage return bookings. It can also serve as an opportunity to upsell services such as upgrades, spa services, transportation or in-room dining which may have been available during their stay.
Use their name as part of the subject line to grab their attention, then provide something they desire or require – such as offering them a discount for booking direct with your hotel or a meal voucher if they book direct in a restaurant.
Hotel guests have grown accustomed to receiving tailored content online from brands they interact with – be it through emails, social media posts or website pages – and it comes as no surprise that they expect this level of personalisation when staying at hotels and resorts.
Personalised emails are more likely to garner response, so be sure your hotel or resort is using its data efficiently. One effective solution would be integrating property management systems with CRM and email marketing programs; these can create highly-targeted email campaigns based on guest behavior and reservation data.
Pre and post-stay communications play an essential part in creating meaningful relationships with guests, so it is critical that they be timely, relevant, and provide something of value. Doing this will build trust, loyalty, and brand recognition over time.
Employing the features offered by property management systems (PMSs) can help your hotel provide superior guest experiences. These tools allow you to streamline and automate key guest communications while still adding your personal flair – creating an improved customer journey, increased retention rates, and a better bottom line! Don’t wait; get started using your PMS now!
Send a Feedback Email
Email marketing provides hotels with an efficient means to maximize revenue opportunities and delight guests at every touchpoint – from pre-arrival upselling, in-stay services and post-stay follow ups, automated systems ensure consistency and personalization throughout.
Pre-arrival emails allow hotels to record guest responses from questions to upgrade requests, providing an opportunity for relevant and timely communications in future communications. Studies demonstrate that hotels who send well-crafted upselling emails experience higher ancillary revenue — such as increased pre-arrival bookings.
Personalized messages can add excitement and anticipation for hotel stays, such as emails that address guests by name while suggesting tours and activities based on their profiles and previous stays. Doing this will both build anticipation while making them feel valued by your hotel – leading to greater guest satisfaction with their stay!
Make it clear in your feedback email that you want guests to provide feedback by including an action-oriented call to action and link for them to do so. Providing live chat functionality could also allow your customers to communicate more directly with you in real-time.
Since email clients may cut off excessively long subject lines, try keeping it under 50 characters. Use a clever pun, word play, or something amusing to grab recipients’ attention and keep your subject line under this limit.
Email should also be mobile-friendly to accommodate customers reading them on smartphones. Make sure your message is easy for guests to comprehend, with clear call-to-action visible above the fold. Optimally designed feedback emails ask guests for honest input in an efficient manner so you can use their feedback to enhance services and increase customer satisfaction – regularly reviewing and analyzing feedback can lead to improved guest retention rates as well as direct bookings.