What Loyalty Programs Look Like in 2018

Building customer loyalty in the hotel industry is one of the most important steps to ensure a hotel’s success. A hotel loyalty program entices business travelers or other frequent hotel guests to favor that particular brand over others when selecting a hotel, which means repeat visits and becoming brand ambassadors, telling their friends, family, and colleagues that they should stay with you, too.

How has hotel loyalty changed?

Today, people have more booking options than ever at their fingertips. That’s why it’s time for travel brands to rethink loyalty. Loyalty has become synonymous with points, freebies, and membership discounts. Those benefits drive massive loyalty sign-ups but offer low long-term results. Those same people may also be signing up with every one of your competitors. This is not an effective loyalty strategy.

What can hotels do to improve their loyalty strategy?

Hotels can do a number of things today to get a leg up on the competition. Technology is your friend. Use it smartly and reap the rewards!

• Make sure that your hotel has an easy to use website that’s also mobile-friendly.  65% of last-minute reservations are made via a smartphone. Don’t miss out on the majority of your bookings because your site takes too long to load.
• Small things matter a lot, like keeping a note of your repeat guests, remember their names, their preferences and any special requirements. It’s called the hospitality business for a reason. The little touches make all the difference in a guests’ experience.
• Offer exclusive deals to loyal customers that will encourage guests to keep coming back.
• Stay connected with your guests during their stay by asking for regular (yet not invasive or annoying) feedback about their experience. It’s the most effective way to prevent negative comments online after their stay.

Let technology take the lead.

Sands China used machine learning to segment its audiences and create relevant, personalized creative for each.

These efforts resulted in a 1.5X higher conversation rate and a 2X increase in bookings among the desirable high-value travelers. Read the full story. This is just the beginning of what you can do with tech to get a leg up on the competition, and most importantly, to provide your guests with an outstanding customer experience that will keep them coming back.