Personalization - staying relevant
A recent movement to hit the hospitality industry is the idea of guest personalization.
Some hotels however don’t seem to get it though. For example, if you talk to them about mobile check-ins, they’ll tell you “Our guests won’t like that”. One gets the feeling that the supposition here is that all their guests are the same, with the identical preferences, so personalization isn’t necessary. Others argue that whilst it is easy for banks and restaurants to gather and study customer behaviour due to the regular interactions they have with them, it’s different for hotels, particularly resorts, where guests only stay once, and regularly guests maybe a maximum of 2 to 3 times per year.
One big advantage hotels have over banks and most restaurants is that they know exactly when their customer is coming to visit! It's hard to personalize a customer experience when they might drop in at any moment, but if you know the exact date on which they're coming, you can be better prepared. The fact that guests generally book their stay days, weeks or even months prior to arrival gives hotels ample opportunity to communicate with them prior to arrival and find out more about their preferences, and it remains a mystery as to why so few hotels bother to do this.
Hotels collect guest information during check-in including payment data, but that information hardly contributes to personalization. Yes, if the guest’s date of birth is captured during registration and it happens to fall during the guest’s stay, an opportunity for personalization knocks on the door – but only if picked up by the front desk attendant. Certain hotels do attempt to obtain some guest preference information when forwarding reservation confirmation emails. This could range from asking if the guest prefers tea or coffee or to choose from the range of shampoos available in the hotel or giving guests a choice of pillow.
Hotels seldom requests for guests to point out any dietary restrictions, which is a pity. If someone has an uncommon allergy or diet, they probably don't enjoy the hassle of making changes to the menu everywhere they go. You have an opportunity here to put them at ease and to show them that you really care – even before they arrive at your hotel. Just as much as guests who visit the restaurant get asked “what would you like to drink?” why cannot they also be asked to point out any dietary restrictions when ordering food? Often, it could be as simple as forgoing one ingredient or making a small replacement and that should easily work with what the menu already offers.
There is a Parisian hotel that excels in hyper-personalization. The upscale Fauchon l’Hotel hotel encourages guests to tell them what they would like to eat rather than rely on the menu. Guests can indicate well before arrival whether they would like to do a remote check in and be ushered into their room immediately or prefer to unwind on arrival in the lounge with a welcome cocktail while their baggage is taken to their room. Post COVID-19, there are still some people who prefer housekeeping staff not to visit during their stays – whereas, others expect a daily turndown and regular room cleaning. This too is included in the individualized approach.
Unfortunately, most hotels do not bother to collect such data and in the absence of actionable personalization data, providing personalised service is near nonexistent. True, some customers won’t take the time to provide the date in advance either – but that’s no reason not to pursue a noteworthy course of action.
A personalized booking experience can elevate direct bookings to new heights. A seamless and frictionless experience across the booking stream from website, to booking engine to confirmation is a good beginning. However as the direct channel use grows so does customer expectations. In this context, what is needed is for hotels to excel at personalization from looking and booking to checkout and beyond.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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