Why providing the best hotel guest experience matters now more than ever

See why delivering the best hotel guest experience should be a priority

2022 was a year of learning and recovery for the hotel industry. But times are changing. There are emerging trends that we can already expect to have implications for the coming years.

Now, it’s time for hoteliers to start planning what they can do to ensure the best hotel guest experience possible should be the center of everything they do.

Let’s look into some of the factors that are revealing why hoteliers need to provide the best hotel guest experience now more than ever.

What you will see here

• Direct bookings have the potential to overtake OTA bookings
• Higher demand is coming
• The best hotel guest experiences now outshine the best rental experiences
• Experience is an essential part of traveling
• Make guests the center of everything you do

1. Direct bookings have the potential to overtake OTA bookings

In 2023, direct bookings are expected to surpass OTA bookings — they’re projected to account for 51% of all bookings. This is highly favorable for you, because OTAs often limit how you’re able to communicate with your guests. OTAs also only store their data for a certain amount of time. So if a guest books a stay at your property using a masked OTA email address, you’ll lose their contact information once that email address expires.

By encouraging your guests to book directly, you’ll be able to collect their data and leverage it to create personalized offers before, during, and after their stays. This matters because personalized communications will help to ensure the best hotel guest experience possible.

If you haven’t already started encouraging your guests to book their stays directly, now’s the time to do so. It allows you to collect their data, and you can easily start doing this today. Once you have their data, you can segment your database and send personalized offers.

Do you need help figuring out how to begin collecting data? Read our new guide, “Getting started with hotel data collection and email capture.”

2. Higher demand is coming

All regions started the year quite strong in January of 2022. Research from the World Tourism Organization shows that Europe had the strongest results with a 199% increase in tourist arrivals.

Most of the rise in demand came from leisure travel. But business travel is expected to make a comeback due to professionals’ preferences for in-person meetings and conferences.

On top of that, the rise of working nomads and wellness tourism will also give hotels plenty of opportunities to tailor their offers accordingly.

How can you adjust to make sure you’re connecting with all these potential guests? Get creative with your communications and highlight what your property (or properties) offers. Start by creating a content calendar to ensure you’re consistent with your communications. And don’t be afraid to experiment with your messaging.

Looking for some ideas for your next campaign? Revinate regularly publishes our global customers’ high-performing campaigns on our Inspirations page.

To further ensure the best hotel guest experience, step up your game by inquiring about their interests before their stays. Send them a short, simple survey to learn about their interests.

3. The best hotel guest experiences now outshine the best rental experiences

Lately, there’s been plenty of on social media and the news about the rapid decline of Airbnb bookings as well as decreases in occupancy rates. There have also been rumblings about declines in other rental bookings. This is due to many factors, including high hidden costs.

This is your chance to remind guests why they should stay at your property. When they book directly, they’ll not only get the best price, but also direct communication from you about the services they can enjoy — and whether those services are included in the cost. Communicate clearly and be transparent.

4. Experience is an essential part of traveling

Research shows that Millennials are the group that travels the most, averaging 35 days per year, followed by Gen Z with 29 days. Additionally, nearly 80% of Millennials say that they prefer to spend their money on experiences rather than things. This helps to illustrate that the travelers of tomorrow are likely to carefully consider the experiences they can obtain before booking.

Remember, it’s not only your property that has a lot to offer — it’s also your surroundings. So, show your guests where the top museums around your area are. Or, let them know about the parks they can visit.

Here’s a great example from Hotel L’Abbaye. This property invites guests to enjoy Paris in August when “the city shows a different side. More surprising. More welcoming.” The results? A 56% open rate, a 7.5% click rate, and 67 new reservations generated!

Make your guests the center of everything you do

Travelers are back, and they’re ready to stay with you. It’s the time to experiment, get creative, and find out how you can deliver the best hotel guest experience to everyone who visits your property.

Good news: You don’t have to do it alone. There are numerous options for simplifying and automating guest communication to save you time. To learn how you can delight guests while also driving direct revenue, learn more about Revinate’s hospitality-specific solutions. Or, book a demo to see them in action for yourself.