How hotel email marketing can help drive more guest engagement

As a hotelier, are you struggling with low occupancy rates, guest retention, unstable revenue, etc?
What If we tell you that optimizing one of your marketing strategies could drive great quantifiable results? Any guesses which one would it be? 

Yes, we are talking about hotel email marketing specifically devised to understand the complexity of the hospitality industry. 

In this article, we will talk about the significance of email marketing for the hotel industry, Steps to build an effective email marketing strategy, hotel marketing checklist, and ideas to try, etc. 

About Email Marketing for hotels 

As per statistics, the number of e-mail users globally is expected to grow from 4.37 billion in 2023 to 4.89 billion users in 2027. This proves that email marketing will remain one of the most effective communication channels for businesses across industries worldwide. 

Hence, engaging your customers using the method of email engagement 

As far as the hospitality sector is concerned, offering a multi-communication channel to guests for easier accessibility is the norm. However, constantly reviewing and refining your hotel email marketing strategy is certain to hit your desired goal.

Let’s explore how.

‍

‍

Why is email marketing important in the hospitality industry?

According to email marketing statistics, email marketing campaigns deliver an average Return on Investment (ROI) of $36 for every $1 spent, making them one of the most preferred marketing strategies among marketers and businesses alike. 

But is it easy? No. 

However, it’s achievable if you incorporate the right hotel marketing strategy and optimize guest engagement email. 

But what is a guest engagement email and why is it important for hotels?

By definition, it’s a strategy for building and fostering guest relationships through a well-optimized email marketing strategy. A guest engagement email assures your guests that you care and are just a click away. 

Here are a few benefits of incorporating your guest engagement software with an email marketing strategy:

• Cost-effective marketing strategy that offers higher ROI compared to other marketing tools 
• Drive website traffic and boost direct bookings 
• Offers marketing insights based on the Average daily rate (ADR), Revenue per available room (RevPAR), occupancy rate, etc. 
• Analytical-based personalized campaigns that are certain to increase open rates by 26% 
• Boosts guest retention, builds credibility, etc

So let us learn a few best practices on how to optimize hotel email marketing to drive quantifiable results. 

‍

How to Optimise Hotel Email Marketing: Best Practices

Email marketing for hotels is a lot more than sending campaigns to potential guests and hoping that it works. It’s about carefully planning the overall strategy based on your end goal, marketing budget, guest database, revenue metrics, etc. Listed down below are the best practices on how to optimize hotel email marketing. 

Set or update your email subscribers list to begin with 

Building your guest database is the first step to optimizing hotel email marketing. You can retrieve the data from your CRM, PMS, past booking or survey records, social media or website’s landing page, etc. Compile all the data in one accessible system for easier integration with hotel marketing software. 

Meanwhile, it’s also important for you to analyze your current email marketing performance, before you head to define your email marketing goal. 

Define specific targeted goals for your email strategy 

Defining a goal is a crucial step to understanding whether your email marketing strategy aligns with your budget and expected result. A few parameters to consider are: 

• Update your in-stay guests about their confirmations as well as upsell your services
• Drive more traffic to your socials or website to attract new customers 
• Retain existing guests by offering exclusive deals on rooms or ancillary services
• Gain post-stay feedback and offer loyalty programs to repeat guests. 

Segment your guest list to offer personalized deals 

As per a report by Data and Marketing Association (DMA), a segmented email list garners an estimated 25% revenue share. Segmenting your guest database based on certain parameters and sending personalized emails is certain to drive positive email marketing results. For instance, segmenting groups into business, leisure, boomers, millennials, eco-friendly travelers, etc helps you send targeted emails to each group.

Create a device-friendly email copy and design 

As per statistics, 41% of the users view emails on their mobile phones. Hence, optimising your email campaign for every device, but primarily for mobile devices is essential. The accurate font size and type, high-quality images, design, email graphics, etc are some of the key factors you must create to grab your subscriber's attention. 

Automating routine tasks and focusing on time and frequency

Automating routine tasks such as sending booking confirmations, reminder emails, and pre and post-stay emails allows your team to focus on complex tasks. Additionally, automating the number of promotional or informative emails to be sent based on the targeted group’s time zone is extremely essential too. 

Adapt A/B testing to analyze your email campaign metrics

A/B testing also known as split testing is a great way to analyze your current campaign, based on the email metrics. Here is a quick overview of A/B testing.

• Split your segmented list, i.e. business or leisure further into two subgroups: A and B
• Select one variable of your campaign i.e. subject line, image, email copy, CTA, and create two different templates. Send one template to Group A and another to Group B
• Now analyse both the groups based on the email metrics. 

Request feedback from your guests to optimize your campaigns 

Request feedback from the guests or conduct a Net Promoter Score survey to understand their thoughts on the campaigns. This will offer you immense insights into areas that you must improve upon. For example, whether you need to modify the design or the copy, share more promotional or informative campaigns, etc. 

Now, let’s head to understand the comparison in the next section.

Comparison: Email vs WhatsApp vs SMS for communication and marketing 

As a hotelier, you must diversify your guest communication channel. Hence, opting for a multi-communication approach, i.e. offering the guests the option to choose from Email, WhatsApp or SMS makes you more accessible, as opposed to your competitors. 

Here is a quick overview for you to decide which platform works for you. 

‍

‍

Note: Whichever marketing channel you choose, your hotel must comply with your applicable customer data protection laws. At the same time, you must include a privacy statement and a link to the unsubscribe option in your email content. 

This will not only help you build trust and relationships but also protect your hotel from any legal implications in the future.

Hotel email marketing checklist

Now since you have understood the significance of email marketing for hotels. Let’s have a look at the structure to write one. 

‍

‍

1. Subject line: 69% of the email recipients report an email as spam solely by reading the subject line. Hence, subject lines are the primary variable that persuades a subscriber to click on. Write direct and concise subject lines within 60 - 80 characters, addressing the guest's name and the intent of the email. 
2. Preview text: Preview text offers a little more information about the intent of the email. Whether the email is an update about the guest’s booking, whether it’s promotional or informative, etc. It is advisable to keep the preview text within a limit of 90-110 characters. 
3. Images with a Headline: Why not show off the best clicks and make it easier for the guests to visualise staying at your property? High-definition (HD) images that showcase the most appealing areas of your property are sure to attract your customer's attention and book a stay.
4. The main copy of the email campaign: The main copy is the crux of the entire hotel email marketing structure. Hence, it’s important to include relevant and concise information about the campaign. For instance, 

• If the email is about booking confirmation, you must include detailed information about the room type and other amenities. 
• If it’s a promotional campaign targeting ancillary services such as spa or restaurant services. Add appealing images and a concise description of the service along with the discounted offer. 

5. Call to Action (CTA): It’s a no-brainer that your call to action must be directly aligned with your email campaign. Do you want them to ‘book a room’ based on an exciting deal or want them to ‘check out the website’? Or do you want them to ‘contact to know more’ after booking a room at your hotel or provide ‘feedback or suggestions’ after their stay? It’s a must to include a clear CTA to drive the click-through metric. 
6. Signature: Include a thank you note towards the end, including the signature of your respective team. Additionally, you can include, direct links to your social channels, i.e. Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to enhance cross-channel engagement. 

Hotel email program ideas to try

You must have understood the email structure until now. Now let’s understand several hotel email ideas for you to implement in your strategy. 

• Direct Booking Offer to attract new customers

A great way to boost direct bookings is to offer exclusive deals to your new subscriber list. For instance, If a new customer signs up to your email list, offer them a discount on booking their first stay with you. 

• Seasonal Offers to attract new and existing guests 

Entice your new and existing guests by offering them seasonal offers such as room upgrades, discounts on ancillary services, etc. based on a certain room night. For example, to avail a room upgrade, the guest must stay for two nights or above at your hotel.

• Personalised offers based on guest’s preferences

Create personalised email campaigns based on the insights on the guest’s past booking history and preferences. Recommend co-working spaces for business travellers, healthy food options or wellness centres for wellness travellers, local attractions and restaurants for solo travellers and families, etc. 

• Loyalty Program to retain repeat guests

Repeat guests are a gem! Request them to sign up for a loyalty member program and offer exclusive benefits such as complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, late checkout, etc. (based on terms and availability).

• Limited Time Offer on Group Bookings 

Based on a specified number of rooms, create a campaign offering a limited-time discount on group bookings. Apart from the group booking database, this offer can also be utilised to target event planners, wedding planners, MICE tour organisers, etc. 

8 Email templates for every hotel

Hotel email marketing templates that will not only save you time but also improve overall guest communication. Here is a list of 8 email templates for every hotel. 

1. Promotional Offer Template for New Subscribers

Subject: Welcome to [Hotel Name] - Check out the exclusive offer just for you!

Body: Hello [Guest Name], 

Thank you for signing up and becoming a part of the [Hotel Name] community! As a token of thank you, we are excited to present you with an exclusive offer. 

Enjoy a special [Discount]% off on your first stay with us. Click on ‘Know More’ about the offer and the procedure to book. 

Please reach out to us If you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you. 
Best Regards, 

[Your Hotel’s Name] Team

2. Booking Confirmation Email Template 

Subject: Congratulations! Your stay is confirmed at [Hotel Name}. 

Body: Hello [Guest Name],

Thank you for booking your stay with us [Hotel Name]. Your stay is confirmed for the following dates [check-in date] - [check-out date]. 

Please refer to the attached Booking Confirmation Voucher. You must present this at the time of check-in. 

‘Know more’ about the additional amenities at our hotel. 

Please reach out to us If you have any questions or additional requests. Hope to hear from you soon.

3. Pre-Arrival Email Template 

Subject: A few more days until your stay at [Hotel Name].

Body: Hello [Guest Name],

We are excited to welcome you to our [Hotel Name]. 

Here is a pre-arrival guide to familiarise you with our hotel including a check-in guide, free amenities, and add-ons such as cab rental services, etc. We have also listed down local recommendations for your perusal. 

Feel free to ‘Contact Us’, If you have any questions. 

4. Welcome Email Template for New Guests

Subject: Welcome [Guest’s First Name] to [Hotel Name]!

Body: Welcome [Guest Name], 

We are extremely thrilled to welcome you and hope you had a smooth arrival and check-in process.

We strive to ensure that you have a memorable stay. Feel free to ‘Contact Us’, If you have any questions. 

5. Upsell Email Template

Subject: Want to enhance your stay at [Hotel Name]? Check out the exclusive offer!

Body: Hello [Guest Name], 

We hope you are enjoying your stay with us. 

We are excited to announce that we have an exclusive room upgrade offer for you. ‘Book the Offer’ to experience a stunning view, spacious room, additional amenities, etc. 

‘Contact us’ to know more. 

6. Post Stay Thank You Email Template 

Subject: Thank you for staying at [Hotel Name] - Hope to welcome you soon!

Body: Hello [Guest Name],

We hope you enjoyed your stay at [Hotel Name]. Your checkout is scheduled at [time]. 

Kindly let us know If you need to opt for a cab rental service for your departure or any other last-minute requests. 

‘Contact us’ to know more. 

7. Feedback Request Email Template 

Subject: Appreciate your feedback - Help us [Hotel Name] to help you!

Body: Hello [Guest Name},

We hope you had a great time at our [Hotel Name] and hope to welcome you soon. 

We would appreciate If you spare a few minutes to offer your valuable feedback or suggestions about your stay at our hotel. Thank you!

8. Re-engagement email for Inactive subscribers 

Subject: Relax and unwind at [Hotel Name] - Grab the exclusive offer!

Body: We hope you are doing well and love to know If you have plans to revisit our hotel. 

We have upgraded since your last stay with us. To celebrate this milestone, we are offering exclusive discounts to our past guests. 

Click on ‘Know More’ about the offer and the procedure to book. Use the [Promo Code] while booking. 

We hope to welcome you soon!

4 Hotel Email Marketing Software to try

Email marketing software generally offers features to track email campaign performance, open rates, click-through rates, engagement and ultimately conversion rates. Here is a list of 4 hotel email marketing software you can try. 

1. Mailchimp: Mailchimp is an email marketing automation platform that offers pre-built email templates across multiple industries, advanced analytics, inbox previews, multiple language features, etc. 
2. Active Campaign: An email marketing automation software, Active Campaign offers integrations with analytical software, automation builder and pre-made email templates across industries. 
3. Moosend: Moosend is an affordable email marketing automation tool used by small businesses. It’s features include an email automation builder, an extensive reporting dashboard, Google Analytics campaign tracking, several email templates, etc.
4. Constant Contact: An all-around email marketing platform, Constant Contact lets you create event invites, integration with analytical tools, photo and document storage for easy access, etc. 

Check what suits you best: Generic vs. Hospitality-specific Email marketing platform

The primary difference between Generic and hospitality-specific email marketing platforms is the industry-specific insight and support that the latter offers. Here is a quick overview of the comparison.

Closing thoughts

Unlike the newer marketing trends, email marketing has stood the test of time. The strategy is to keep reinventing the wheel. 

Hence, staying up to date with hospitality and technology news, incorporating the best guest management platform that offers seamless communication to your guests, etc. are a few ways you can stay on top of the game. So, good luck!