Turning that potentially one-off booking into a regular, loyal customer is the difference between good venues and great venues.
Few industries were harder hit by the pandemic, social distancing restrictions and border closures than the hotel sector. After two years of hotels overcoming unprecedented adversity, optimism is growing as operators focus on long-term success rather than short-term survival. However, much has changed, and a new normal has emerged post-pandemic. The venues best-placed to succeed and stand-out over the coming months and years are those who recognise what their guests want, and provide the meaningful, memorable and personalised experiences that incentivise loyalty and drive revenue.
How are guest habits evolving?
Recent research from SevenRooms reveals that over half (56%) of Australian consumers hold hotels to a higher standard today than compared to pre-pandemic. The biggest change many expect now is with regards to how they interact with hotels. Half of Aussies now expect to be able to make bookings, reservations and purchases via online or contactless technology, rather than via a phone call or in-person. Meanwhile, a further 39% said receiving personalised offers based on their habits and preferences from a previous visit would boost their loyalty to a venue.
Recognising how their preferences have changed is one thing; catering to those changes is another. For hoteliers, technology - which has evolved from a ‘nice to have’ to essential - is the secret weapon.
How can your venue capitalise?
Through technology, hoteliers can meet and exceed evolving consumer habits and create the foundations for long-term success. Hospitality technology like SevenRooms, a guest experience and retention platform, is designed to enable operators to provide magical moments for guests at every touchpoint, from acquisition to engagement to retention. Providing reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, mobile order & pay, review aggregation and marketing automation features, this technology offers many benefits to both operators and their guests.
For the 50% of Aussies who want online and contactless options, your venue can provide it. Not only that, the platform collects approved guest data, so you can build detailed, 360-degree profiles of each guest and then offer the personalised experiences that your customers expect.
When running a hotel today, the booking is often the easiest part. Turning that potentially one-off booking into a regular, loyal customer is the difference between good venues and great venues. SevenRooms empowers venues like yours to create meaningful and personal relationships with guests that maximise profits, build brand loyalty and cultivate exceptional experiences. It not only enables your venue to provide enhanced experiences, it can help automate many manual, time-consuming tasks, which is particularly valuable in overcoming the staff shortages that many businesses are experiencing.
For more insights into how guest demands are changing, our Green Shoots of Optimism report provides insights to help your hotel provide the meaningful, data-driven experiences that incentivise loyalty, drive revenue and overcome whatever the future throws at you. Despite the challenges of the last two years, the future is bright for venues that understand the evolving guest, and create the experiences that wow them time and time again.