In today’s era of providing authentic guest experiences, many hoteliers are seeking new ways to enhance guest engagement. For many this can be the key to unlocking long-term loyalty, and counter rising competition from sharing economy alternatives like Airbnb.
The challenge is the definition of “engagement.”
For many this concept is simply communicating with guests through their preferred channel, which is most likely on their mobile devices. A recent Tnooz editorial discussed how there is a myriad of communication technologies available – but true engagement “supports the consumer’s need to feel special and it is tailored to their desired amount of attention.”
Delighting the guest with a two-way conversation is paramount, as opposed to communicating offers through a mobile text. The challenge is that most hotels have one agenda when it comes to guest engagement, boosting revenue.
This often comes with pushing guests towards events and attractions that intend to up-sell them, which should not be the priority. True guest engagement should be all about providing quality and tailored information that improves their overall stay – it should have nothing to do with immediate revenue expansion.
Though the ultimate outcome would be long-term revenue growth. For example, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards did not set out to become rich and famous rock stars when they were young. They were passionate about blues music coming out of the U.S., and wanted to expose the world to their interpretation of this special music. As a result, they ultimately because major rock stars, which was a side effect of this effort.
Major hotels can take a page from Mick and Keith and focus on providing quality experiences to the guest, with no plan for immediate financial return. But in the long-term, this type of effort will bring in far more revenue from a steady stream of loyal guests.
This type of revenue will most likely surpass any income that would come from an offer sent to a guest via text.