So - there you are! You’ve just said goodbye to one of your
hopefully happy guests. If you are hoping to see them again soon, have you had
a chance to chat to them and perhaps make another booking for them prior to
completing the check-out? Great, well done! It’s amazing how many guests aren’t
asked whether they have plans to come back.
I’m guessing you’ve budgeted to have more direct bookings
and “win” back some of the business currently being delivered by the OTA’s
whilst still maintaining a good relationship with them too. Perhaps you’ve set
it as a KPI target. Let’s take a closer look at the possibilities of
“winning back” some bookings and - more importantly - the rules of engagement.
You’ll know that you no longer receive guest email addresses
via the majority of the OTA’s prior to the guests arriving; that is because
they own the relationship until the point of arrival. On check-in, however, you
can request that the guest provide their own email address, but please be
sure you comply to the strict regulations of capturing data – this is
absolutely critical. You can find out more at: https://ico.org.uk/media/1555/direct-marketing-guidance.pdf
Now, let’s say you’re fully compliant and your registration
card allows guests to opt in to your marketing campaign (Yay, hoorah, yippie!) then
you need to save/link and update their profile and handle it with care, as this
data is a bit like a gold mine, but more of that later. Sadly, the same applies
if they chose to opt out of email marketing (boo!). #Justsayin … it might be a
good time to check how easy it is to subscribe to/unsubscribe from your
marketing on your website too; YOU must allow contacts to unsubscribe and
ensure they are removed from any future marketing campaigns. Another important
factor you should consider when capturing data is this: GDPR General Data
Protection Regulation - https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/
In essence, the more quality data you capture then the
bigger your chances are of winning direct business from that and also
capitalizing on what you really want: the direct guest relationship.
For
instance, you could segment your data and launch a targeted, direct closed user
group offer to a select group of contacts – maybe based on the room type or
package they have booked previously and offer a value-add to motivate them;
this could be with an upgrade at a higher rate. Alternatively, you could launch
a campaign, perhaps based on the channel they have booked through in the past,
and offer a voucher towards additional services you have available at your
property.
There are a number of possibilities and of course you need to make
sure you always have a compelling offer and message too. The other option is to
work on winning back more guests booking direct by seeking feedback from your
guests; remember: feedback is a great gift.
Either way, it’s always really good to capture quality data
as it means you can stay in touch with your guests, and you should also keep
them engaged with your property and your brand. Guestline has a number of hospitality
solutions and services available to help you in your sales and marketing efforts;
feel free to contact us – we promise we won’t send you endless sales and marketing
information either!
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