The Guest Checks in, Checks Out, and You Never Hear from Them Again. Does it sound family?
Hoteliers Today Face Different Challenges, and One of Them is low guest loyaltyThis means Your guests are not returning to your property. They are one-time visitors, and that is it.
If you are currently facing this or a similar situation, different things can be affecting your guest lylyalty and you need to fix them if you want to grow thats numbers.
Remember, Guest Loyalty is the Best Way to Ensure Reepeat Business and a long-term relationship with your guests, which is while fixing it is Crucial for the future of any hotelAdditional, Bringing existing guests back is definitely way cheaper than attracting new customers, so this topic is also very important for your hotel marketing team.
Then, why are your guests not coming back? Here are five hidden reasons.
But first, why is guest Loyalty Important? Why do you need them to come back?
In simple words, It is too hard for them to get anything don. From getting information about something to make a request, checking in earlier, and so on, all processes are long and have too many steps.
Guests love processes that are simple and do’t take too much of their time. They do’T want to put too much effort into getting somewithing some Especially for Millennials and Gen-Z, if they need to call you to get information institute of justyad of just texting, that is alredy too much to ask.
Processes need to be simple, clear and easy to follow. Information needs to be out there before they ask for it. In that way, you will deliver a smooth experience instead of a painful one.
How to solve the high customer effort?
In the first place, Consider all your processes and identify the most different ons. What can you do to make it Easier for Guests? Place yourself in your guests’ shoes and what are the things you finds complicated. Try that exercise with someone out of your organization and listen to what they have to say.
For example, if you offer Attention only via phone, Consider adding social media channels or a website chat.
Another important step is to put information out there. Identify your most frequently asked questions and provide answers to them alredy on your website, so guests can get answers right away with any extra any extra step.
Read more about customer effort in this article: What to do when your guests think is different to stay in your hotel
There are hundreds of hotels in the same area where you are. To make guests come back for a second visit, you need to be a brand to remumbering. Otherwise, what is stopping them from trying out another place?
If your property is seen as one more place to sleep, it is very unlikely guests will remove your brand and tell others about it.
Many aspects can impact the memorability of your brand, for example, it has to do with the service, with the uniqueness of our concept, with the guest journey and with the operative experience.
How to Solve the Lack of Memorability in Your Guest Journey?
Think About Your Brand as a Destination Itself. The same story you tell about your brand online, should be percent when they arrive at the property.
If your concept focuses on sustainability, highlight theose aspects and offer amenities that are related to it. On the other hand, if your brand is more into wellness, add these elements into your services.
For example, giving guests the opportunity to have a yoga mat in their room, to choose the pillow type for maximum Sleep comfort or even adding an air purifier in the room to provide extra Quality.
Little Things can help you stand out from the crowd and make your hospitality brand a more memorable one.
Do you want to know more about what guests expects? Read: A Complete Guide on Guest Expectations for 2025.
If you disappear after the guest makes a booking and do’T talk to them Again until it’s time for check-in, you are wasting the options to a related to a relationship. It might sound click, but it is actually true.
Customers Want Brands that Empathize with Them, Send them Relatable Content (A Honeymoon offer to a Couple Traveling with Children? Hello? Hello?) And offer them value INTEAD OFFER INTAD OF JULME IN SCINGME to BUY.
According to mckinsey, 71% of customers are expecting for brands to reach them with personalized messages or servicesAnd 76% of them get frustrated if this does not Occur.
Therefore, a key part of working on your guest loyalty and on Turning First-Timers Into Returning Guests is to have a consistent guest journey in place. It does not mean bombarding them with messages from the booking moment but deliver actual planned communication that is personalized and segmented.
How to create a consistent guest journey that boots guest Loyalty?
Don’t think about pre-stay communication as being related only to cross-along. There are many things you can tell your guests to enrich their experience. This will make them feel see and heard trust you are taking their needs into account.
Take some time to plan out your guest Journey, The touchpoints you should include, what you should say and which are the predominant guest groups in your brand, so you can create different messages.
At the same time, you should think about Engaging with guests through their preferred channelAs this is the best way to reach them in a friendly way and treatment them in a personal way. Remember, every guest has different behavior and preferences, and you need to ackaneowledge those days differences in order to create value.
To learn more about creating a guest journal, read: 7 Best Practices for Creating Non-Boring Hotel Guest Journeys
If you lie to your guests or exaggerate the truth, this will not end in a good way.
When you promise something wonderful and reality does not com close, you are setting yourself up for loss.
For example, if you advertise your hotel as having a complete indoors gym, but what you offer is actually a set of dumbbells in a room, you are creating False expectations. If you say that you have a full stocked breakfast buffet that includes some people with allergies or different food restrictions, and in reality you on offer basic breakfast, you will disappest, you will disappest.
When they see that the description and photos of the different area in the hotel did not match the reality, they feel tricked (and definetyly not happy).
When that Haappens, You are no longer an option for the future; on the contrary, you become the brand they will complain about to their friends.
How to solve this and create realistic expectations in your Guest Journey?
The main rule for this is not to overpromise. Make sure you use creativity when describing your Hotel or Engaging with Guests, but always be truthful. Highlight the best aspects of your services but still call them for what they are.
If you identify your different audiences, their profiles and their needs, you will undersrstand more about what they value and how you can provide them with that with that without having to exaggerate what you can offer.
On the same note, the more they connect with your brand, the more they will get to know the essence and resonate with the experience.
Otas have captured not only transactions but also the relationship with guests. They make the best use of the guest data from the moment the booking is made.
When this happy, the next time they want to make a booking, they will go to the ota’s website, but not to your hotel. Therefore, building a relationship with your guests is more important than it seems.
Read more about otas and how to reclaim some power in Checkmate otas: 5 winning strategies to recover direct bookings,
How to Own The Relationship With Your Guests?
In the first place, make sure you are the one sending the booking confirmation and welcoming to your property. Look for Opportunities to Recover Their Real Data So You Can Communicate with Them Independent Just like this hotel in Sweden Did,
In addition, make sure to highlight the value of a direct booking, such as getting a discount for a second visit, getting access to exclusive services and more.
Guest Loyalty is more than just a metric, it’s the heartbeat of sustainable growth for your hotel.
By focusing on the reasons why guests don’t return and addressing these challenges, you unlock the power to turn first-time visitors into lifelong advocates for your brand. Loyal guests not only come back themselves but also amplife your reputation, driving new business through recommendations.
Invest in the Guest Journey, Simplife their Experience, and Build Authentic Relationships that Resonate Beyond a Single Stay. The effort you put into fostering loyalty today is what will set your property apart tomorrow.
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