The new buzzword for the hospitality industry? Personalisation!
In our ever more connected world, today’s consumers expect more personalised services from brands and this is especially noticeable in the hospitality industry. To stand out in such a competitive industry, a hotel ought to provide personally relevant and, therefore, unforgettable guest experiences. Creating memorable customer experiences is not as straightforward as hoteliers would like. Consumer preferences and behaviours are recurrently changing and companies must keep up with it and if possible stay ahead!
Personalisation is all over the place — we experience it every single day, from personalised playlists on Spotify to recommended items on eBay. Our online experiences have become custom-made to our personal interests and buying profiles. Being so used to it, makes us expect personalised treatment in every singles aspect of our daily life.
What does personalisation mean in the context of the hospitality industry? Broadly speaking, personalisation stands for understanding that each guest is an individual and you are more likely to get positive reactions if you treat them as such. The experiences with your brand should be tailored in order to meet their individual needs, desires and expectations. Personalisation implies knowing your customer — who they are, what are their interests and desires. All this information can be collected at the various stages of guest’s interactions with your hotel.
One-size-fits-all is no longer acceptable
Long gone are the days where a mere website with an online booking option was enough to attract guests to your hotel. Today’s consumer eagers personalised, immersive experiences. People need to feel captivated from their first thought of travel to their return home with memories that will last forever. Guests no longer accept the approach one-size-fits-all, you should never undermine the importance of individual guest interaction.
The modern technology used in the hospitality industry has opened the path towards customisation and personalisation that would have been impossible in previous years. Comprehensive customer information databases, CRM software and in-house technology are leading hotels to the next revolution — customisable, personalised guests’ experiences. The majority of these steps are easily implemented due to the fact that the technology necessary already exists.
Technology is key
The key to personalisation for hotels lies on taking advantage of technology to automate and streamline the entire guest experience from the beginning to the end. The lifecycle of guest experience consists of several stages: pre-arrival, arrival, during the stay and after the stay. All these are made up of all the contact and activities the guest must go through to stay in a hotel. The right technology can help you profile your guests at every hotel interaction (reservations, concierge, check-in, room service, etc.) and integrate that information with the property management system (PMS) and CRM.
If hoteliers take ownership of every single stage of this lifecycle, they will create a seamless guest experience that travellers will not only appreciate but also have come to expect. Even if hoteliers do not like it, changes in the guest preferences and behaviours are a good thing. They create possibilities. With the rise of the digital age, things have become more dynamic than ever.
Tips for personalising the different stages of the guests’ journey
Customers expect solid service but, businesses that deliver small, unexpected gestures create truly exceptional experiences. Here are a couple of tips on what you can do to customise every stage of your guests’ the lifecycle:
- Pre-arrival: presenting your website in the language of your guests’ current location, tailored ads and promotional material or quickly answer to guest queries;
- Arrival: pre-stay questionnaire which is where you can discover more details about your future guest. This will help you to personalise their stay;
- During the stay: having already understood their interests, you can leave some brochures in the room you feel that meet their interests. Furthermore, keep them up to date with the upcoming events;
- After the stay: send feedback questionnaires to find out what has worked out for them and what should be improved. Or, imagine a guest uses your spa services during their stay, a nice gesture would be upon check-out giving a small sample of a spa product for them to enjoy at home.
Find out more about types of technology that facilitate customisation
Personalisation is not rocket science, it is about treating your customers (past, present, potential) like individuals rather than paychecks. As a matter of fact, several big players in the hospitality industry are upping their game in digital customisation and are starting to use machine learning to engage with customers more effectively.
In this sense, I want to introduce you to HiJiffy: we are a guest profiling tool that anticipates the guest needs allowing you to better profile your customers. Let me give you two examples: if 95% of guests whenever ask for a towel also request a shampoo, our solution automatically sends a shampoo with the towel. Or, imagine that during a guest’s stay, there is going to be a concert of one of their favourite bands, the hotel may ask if they want to buy the tickets to the concert — anticipating the needs. By collecting data with our chatbot solution, we help Hotels and Hoteliers providing emotional and customised experiences for their guests.
NB: This is a viewpoint by Mariana Marques from HiJiffy. HiJiffy brings chat to the hospitality industry, enabling guests to effectively connect with Hotels through instant messaging apps.
