Analyzing hotel data is a significant way to offer guests customized, revenue-driving recommendations

If you aren’t tracking guest behaviors and using this hotel data to provide your guests with personalized, revenue-driving recommendations, you’re missing out on a major upsell opportunity. There are many benefits of data collection at hotels, but the No. 1 benefit might be the ability to personalize the guest experience while driving non-room revenue.

Whether it’s recommending a specific bottle of wine at your on-site restaurant or upselling a service at your spa, using guests’ data to personalize the guest journey while increasing revenue is essential to your business. The following are a few ways this can be achieved.

Review Individual Guest Data for Upselling Opportunities

Using a staff operations platform, hotels can receive ​​comprehensive data on everything from service request frequency to the average dining check size, providing them with valuable insight into who’s staying at their hotel and what their guests’ digital activities are during their stay.

Notice a guest has ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc the last two nights with their in-room dining order? The on-site restaurant now has the opportunity to recommend their best bottle when they dine in the restaurant the following night. This interaction makes the guest feel noticed, while also increasing non-room revenue.

See that a guest is staying at your property for a work function? Allow them to destress by offering them 10% off your most popular massage at your on-site spa. Chances are they’ll stay for a facial, too.

Review Hotel Data for Upselling Opportunities

One of the many benefits of data collection at a hotel is being able to see bigger picture revenue trends and adapting your processes to meet these trends. For instance, a staff operations platform can track digital revenue streams to tell when guests are spending money and where. Notice an uptick in sales of beer around 5 p.m. in the hotel bar? Consider starting a happy hour menu with half-priced snacks to go along with those beers. See an influx of customers purchasing your hotel-branded yoga mat at the gift shop? If it’s popular with most guests, make sure you market it to all guests by creating materials to promote this specific item in your elevator, lobby bar or on your smart-room tablet.

Predict Guests Needs & Improve the Guest Journey

Every hotelier’s goal is to anticipate their customer’s needs before they have to voice them. One of the benefits of data collection is its ability to help hoteliers predict those needs. If a guest is requesting additional towels or pillows each night, a staff operations platform with a guest preference portfolio provides staff with a place to track this information to inform housekeeping of this preference. Housekeeping can now continue to provide the guest with their additional requested items without the guest needing to call down and place the request themselves. This improves the guest experience, while helping secure a lifelong customer in the process.

 

Interested in learning how a staff operations platform can provide hospitality data analytics that drive revenue and create life-long customers? Request a demo today.

Consider the following ideas to enhance the hotel guest experience at your property

In a world largely driven by customized technology, today’s consumers don’t just crave personalization, they expect it — and they expect it from their hotel stay, too.

Whether a guest is traveling to your property for an on-site event or just looking for some relaxation time with their furry friend, opportunities for hotel staff to create a memorable experience and improve guest satisfaction through personalization abound. Here are four ideas to enhance the hotel guest experience.

Be Pet-Friendly & Kid-Friendly

Pay attention to who a guest checks in with. Are they traveling with their kids or pets? If so, opportunities to personalize their experience and improve guest satisfaction are plentiful. Keep a container of dog treats at the front desk to make Rover feel just as welcome at your property as his owner. Every time a guest walks their dog past the front desk, offer the dog another treat. Not only will Rover remember this interaction, but the guest will, too.

If a guest is traveling with their family, offer them experiences that allow them to bond as a family while enjoying your property. Have an influx of families traveling during the height of spring break? Consider setting up a projector, renting a popcorn machine, and hosting a movie night in an open space on your property. Looking to personalize the in-room experience for young guests? Leaving a small souvenir such as a stuffed animal or fuzzy blanket in the room is a great way to make even the youngest guests feel at home. Parents need a break? After four days at the pool, consider offering nanny services so the adult guests can enjoy a date night at one of your on-site restaurants without the kids.

Always Offer an Add-On

Driving additional revenue while improving guest satisfaction is a win-win. Notice a guest has ordered a glass of Merlot from room service the last two nights? Ask your staff to recommend your best bottle during their next dining interaction. Did a guest participate in your free on-site yoga class? Consider offering them 10% off a massage at your spa to help them take their relaxation a step further.

Sweat the Small Stuff

As soon as a guest arrives in their room, dedicate a member of the front desk team to place quick check-in calls to ensure the room is to their liking. This is also the perfect time to ask if there’s anything else that can be done. Guests can request any toiletries they might have forgotten, additional towels, or pillows. Guests now have an open line of communication with front desk staff instead of having to place a call for additional towels on their own.

Booking Codes Are Your Friend

Notice a guest is checking in with a specific booking code? Use this opportunity to personalize their stay while upselling to drive a little additional revenue to your property. If a guest is checking in for a wedding, consider having your spa offer IV treatments for wedding guests who may have partied a little too hard the night before. Little touches like small hangover kits left in guests’ rooms keep things light and let them know the hotel is taking the extra step to take care of their well-being.

If a guest is checking in with a conference or trade show code, consider offering them high-speed WiFi. This will make their workday run more smoothly while providing an upsell for the property. Have available space on your property that you can convert to a meeting room? Set up a coffee machine, high-speed WiFi and provide working guests with a work-friendly environment outside of their hotel room or conference show floor.

How to Improve Guest Satisfaction in Hotel Service

Using a staff operations platform is a great way to track guest behaviors and anticipate their needs and wants before they have to ask. Using real-time data, a staff operations hub can monitor who’s ordering what, when. Hotel branded mobile apps and smart-room tablets can then deliver personalized recommendations from your on-site restaurant or spa directly into your guests’ hands.

 

These are just a few ideas for how to improve the guest experience in a hotel. Interested in learning more ideas to enhance the hotel guest experience, and how hotel technology can help? Request a demo today.

Learn three key takeaways from INTELITY CEO Robert Stevenson’s conversation with Lodging Magazine on how hotel technology helps alleviate common operational challenges

Recently, INTELITY CEO Robert Stevenson sat down with Lodging Magazine editor Dennis Nessler for an in-depth conversation on hotel operational efficiency for the magazine’s Lodging On Demand podcast. During the discussion, Stevenson touched on many topics, including his thoughts on the state of travel in 2023, common operational challenges facing hoteliers today and how hotel technology, like the INTELITY platform, can help alleviate some of these challenges while streamlining staff responsibilities.

During the discussion, Nessler and Stevenson discussed a few key statistics that have shown guests’ preference for technology incorporated into their hotel stay. Those stats show that:

73% of guests are more likely to stay at a hotel that’s offering self-service technology.
39% of guests would like a fully contactless experience.
38% of guests would like a fully self-service hotel stay model with staff on hand.

With more guests expecting technology to be incorporated into their hotel stay, and with more hoteliers looking to automate portions of their operations, Stevenson offered three key takeaways for hoteliers to consider:

 

Technology Can Help Ease Labor and Operational Efficiency Issues

While hotels have reported seeing labor issues begin to wane, Stevenson said hotel technology platforms can help hoteliers automate many back-of-house functions, which help them operate more efficiently with less staff.

Streamlining guest interactions using hotel technology, such as mobile apps and smart-room tablets, can drive more effective operations and, in turn, improve the guest’s journey. Offering a branded mobile app that features a secure mobile key option allows guests to bypass the front desk completely and head straight to their rooms upon arrival. This lets the guest avoid long lobby lines, while also freeing up the front desk staff’s time to tackle other tasks. A smart-room tablet placed bedside allows guests to order in-room dining while lounging on their bed and track their order as they would on their favorite delivery app. This helps the guest avoid having to wait on hold for a staff member to take their order, and it automates the order-taking process for the back-of-house staff.

The Guest Experience Should Still Be Front-Of-Mind

When selecting a hotel technology platform, Stevenson advised to always keep the guest experience front-of-mind.

“The guest experience component should go hand-in-hand,” he said. “You don’t want to get out of lock-step. You don’t want the operator and guest experience manager to want to do two different things. It’s important to embrace those decisions holistically.”

Select Platforms that Offer Complete Solutions

In addition to looking for an all-encompassing technology solution, Stevenson also advised finding a platform that offers a “second level of business.”

“Think about what kind of business analytics you’re going to get out of the platform and ask yourself if it does full mobile check-in,” he said. “Make sure the robustness of the features are there to meet your needs.”

 

To learn more about how hotel technology can improve your property’s operational efficiency, request a demo today.