Shifting from the era of the guest history card to proactive personalization
Personalisation is the future of guest experience. With the right tech in place, we can create connections that feel effortless, meaningful and lasting - Dean Wood
Decades ago, hotel personalization was primarily a reactive damage-control mechanism used to manage difficult, demanding, or high-profile guests rather than a proactive marketing tool for the average traveler. In the mid-to-late 20th century, hotels relied on physical index cards - referred to as Guest History Cards which were kept in alpha order in a filing cabinet behind the front desk. This was long before digital Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and Property Management Systems (PMS) existed.
Because tracking individual preferences or “personalization” as it is known today was done manually, and was time consuming, not every guest got a card opened. Consequently, during that era, infact historically, creating personalised experiences for guests was typically reserved either for VIPs or for high-worth “difficult” guests.
I remember the hotel where I worked at, having to remove all the Coca Cola bottles from the mini-fridge and replace them with Pepsi Cola bottles, every time the area vice president of that company booked a suite. Furthermore, all the F&B outlets in the hotel were advised to serve him Pepsi Cola, whenever he asked for a cola. I also recall a ‘finicky’ garments buyer from the US who expected everyone from the doorman to the housekeeping staff to recognise him by name (not as ‘Sir’), and wanted only his favourite suite on the 5th floor, which was away from the elevator. Moreover, he would throw a tantrum for the slightest audible hallway noise (be it from other guests or staff). Then there was the frequent long-stay Japanese lady who was extremely particular that all the sofas and chairs in her suite were covered in freshly laundered white sheets during her stay.
Personalization is no longer reactive; it is now intentional, where the defining element of our current age is that it has evolved from being an operational warning or damage control system to a “guest” experience, in to a full-fledged “traveler” experience.
Beyond Personalisation: What it means to know the guest
Most hospitality systems were never designed to capture meaning. They record transactions, interactions, and fragmented preferences - often entered by different departments, at different moments, and for different internal purposes. What they rarely capture is the one question that truly matters: Who is this guest on this stay, and what matters to them now?
Visitors travel under various emotional and physical circumstances, with various companions, and for various reasons. The expectations of a solo traveller can change significantly from one visit to the next. He/she can be showing up for a celebration during one visit and then revisit for a board meeting another time. A family returning to the same hotel, but this time without kids is not looking for the same experience. Bottomline: The right guest at the right time should have the right experience.
The future of hospitality lies not in cookie-cutter stays, but in bespoke experiences tailored to the individual. By embracing the power of guest behaviour and weaving it into the fabric of every stay, hotels can transform themselves from mere lodgings into memory-makers, leaving guests totally happy.
Personalization and customization: A word of caution
When some industry experts advocate personalization, somehow the suggested solutions tend to be more related to selling upgrades or improving their e-mail marketing – precisely the kinds of activities which do not contribute to relevance. When we talk about ‘personalization’ and ‘customization’, we should see them as different concepts rather than as one and the same. Customisation involves offering customers alternative choices to customize based on their preferences. Customization empowers customers and works well for new customers, while personalization leverages data collected from previous stays, and works better with repeat customers. This distinction is critical when implementing personalized services.
Shafeek Wahab- Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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