Are you planning your dream vacation? Maybe you just started thinking about where you’d want to go, or perhaps you bought your plane ticket and booked your hotel. While these vacation planning stages may all sound drastically different on the surface, to a marketer, they all share one thing in common: They’re all part of the guest life cycle. Knowing the stages of the guest life cycle in hotels and how to target potential guests at each step of the vacation-planning process is a crucial aspect of running a successful marketing campaign. Read on to learn more about the guest life cycle in hotels!
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What Is the Guest Life Cycle?
Basically, the guest life cycle is the various stages guests move through in the life of their relationship with a lodging establishment. While it’s typically ascribed to hotels, the concept and its practical uses apply to everyone:
What Are the Stages in the Guest Life Cycle?
Below is a complete list, from start to finish. Bolded ones are the most typical. However, the others are important to consider when planning a marketing strategy to acquire and retain guests.
- Research
- Booking
- Pre-Arrival
- Arrival
- Occupancy
- Checkout / Departure
- Post-stay
Research
For us, this is called the “Dreaming” phase of the travel life cycle. This is the step after a potential guest decides they want to go on a trip, but before they decide where to stay.
This is where marketing resources are devoted to attracting potential guests to find and do research on your property. Channels to attract them include:
- Social media platforms
- Organic search engine traffic
- Directories and referral sites
The goal is that once a potential guest completes this stage, they’re comfortable and ready to book with you instead of one of the OTAs.
Booking
This part is straight forward, but it’s one of the most important stages. Make sure that guests get the information they need to be comfortable with their decision to book with you. Look at your booking engine, for example, and ensure that there is little to no friction for potential guests when booking.
If there is, you increase the likelihood of them going elsewhere. The cost of switching properties is much lower for guests now than it is when they step foot on your property, so be ready to keep flighty people from making a decision you don’t want. For example, overly strict cancellation policies can deter some potential guests.
What to communicate to guests immediately after booking:
Send a booking confirmation with other important details like:
- Invoice
- Contact information
- Check-in and check-out dates
The goal of this is to assuage any concerns that you’re not a legitimate business and that you didn’t just take their money and run.
They likely found you online, remember?
Pre-Arrival
Some people gloss over this stage, but they shouldn’t! This is often the period in which guests get buyer’s remorse or get nervous they made the wrong decision. Reaching out to guests in this period is a great time to reassure them of nominal charges on a booking modification. Be sure to do this about 3 days before their arrival.
This stage is also a great time to share the top things to enjoy during their visit with you like:
- Amenities
- Attractions
- Activities
This way, you’ll help remind them of why they booked in the first place and get them re-excited about their upcoming visit. This is also prime time for upselling potential guests from their original reservation.
Arrival
First impressions are everything. If guests haven’t heard from you since they booked, this is even more important. If they heard from you between booking and now, this is still not the place to drop the ball!
Guest-facing staff members should do the following:
- Register the guest
- Collect method of payment
- Assign guests to their accommodation
- Direct the guest to their accommodation
There are still plenty of opportunities to provide a unique experience. Some inns make a point of taking each guest on a tour of their property and amenities before leading them to their room.
Being attentive to guests when they first arrive is important. Just like the pre-arrival stage, making the guest feel welcomed and well-informed right before they check-in can make them feel valued. Besides, this can also help create a positive attitude towards your lodging business and its services.
Occupancy
Occupancy is the period in which the guest is staying in their accommodation. Everything should be about the guest experience. The service you provide is the only thing that can ensure that guests will come back for a second or third visit. Guests will be more receptive to any cross-selling and upsell offers while on the property. Anything you can offer guests that will enhance their stay is extremely valuable. This stage also opens communication with staff to take advantage of concierge services.
Checkout / Departure
The checkout process, like every other stage, needs to be seamless and optimized to eliminate frustrations on the part of the guest. This is typically when you collect guest feedback and use it to improve operations. No hidden fees and no surprise paperwork will help complete the guest’s positive experience.
Post-Stay
Once the guest has left your property, your relationship with them is just beginning. You want to entice those guests to come back, give referrals, or even just buy from the gift shop. Now you will be able to monitor them at any stage in the guest life cycle!
This is where your marketing strategy comes back into play. Use the information they used to book in order to make sure that you’re always in the back of their mind when it comes time to book another vacation. Developing an actionable email marketing campaign, for example, is a necessity.
Why Is the Guest Life Cycle in Hotels Important?
Understanding each stage in the guest life cycle and how your marketing strategy can be fine-tuned to attract guests at specific points in the cycle is an invaluable resource. Understanding your consumer well allows you to connect with your guests on a deeper level, which will ultimately give you more business.
Even if you think you have mastered the concept of the guest life cycle, putting it into practice is another ball game. If you need help putting the right tools into play, Q4Launch can lend a helping hand. Contact us to see how our team can help you advance your marketing!