Summer Campaigns

Stealth Loyalty

Hotel Marketing.com recently published an article, from MSNBC, about ‘stealth loyalty’- rewarding guests in small ways when they are not necessarily expecting it. It’s a great phrase and conjures up fantastic images of Guest Services Managers stalking hotel guests through lobbies to deliver rewards.

Unlike formal loyalty or points programs, where the guest’s motivation is largely to reach an ultimate goal (points-wise) through stays, the ‘stealth’ product can be delivered as quite small gifts that make a huge and immediate difference…a drink, chocolates, something with a local flavour…rather than (or to supplement) the more ‘corporate’ loyalty product.

And so now a return to our favourite topic…the more information getting into your PMS the better a profile you can hold on each guest to assist with these types of activities. It is difficult to be stealthy if you have to ask the guest a whole load of questions at check in, just before you serve them up their ‘surprise’ reward.

While stealth rewards can and are usually granted during a guest’s visit, you don’t need to wait for the guest to return. Stealth in marketing can also be employed to identify loyal groups with different preferences and entice each back with a suitable reward. They can’t actually redeem it until their next stay, so it is a win-win.

This could be achieved with communications using sophisticated variable data printing- differing the message, image and offer with the guest’s profile and matching preferences. Or, as simple as merge fields in an email blast template or letter.

There are a number of ways that ITD can assist with this:

• If you record information in the PMS we can include it in your dataArc guest data. For example guest preferences, membership status, interests, reasons for visiting. You can then profile and pull data based on these criteria.
• Using the data you already have in dataArc with indicators like F&B Spend, Room Type, Night of the week stayed, Couple/Family, Package type, Incidental spend and match them to the right rewards.
• Auto-notification of the arrival of ‘loyal’ guests. Receive a report at Front Desk showing arrivals within the next few days, based on previous stays at your hotel, cluster, brand or group. Your first time guest might be a sister property’s VIP and as such has great potential as a repeat guest for your property too.

So, for those guests who have supported you with repeat visits over time, some small random acts of attention over and above those offered to the general public may pay long term dividends in fostering ongoing guest loyalty. Don’t give anyone an excuse to try somewhere else.

www.intouchdata.com

Top 5

• A Tale of 2 Sisters
• Dawn of the Dead
• Saw (the original)
• The Ring
• The Shining - the all time classic to send shivers up your spine!