Since 1983, when Holiday Inn and Marriott introduced theirs, both major chain and independent hotels alike have seen the value of implementing loyalty programs. Meant to entice guests to stay at a specific hotel or with a specific brand or group of properties repeatedly, they promise incentives—recognition, advantages and redeemable rewards—to return.
Let’s face it, though: A lot of trends have come and gone in the past 35 years. (We’re looking at you, leg warmers and shoulder pads.)
So, how have they been holding up in the era between Flashdance and the Floss Dance? Considering the exclusive nature of these programs, you might want to pop on your Members Only jacket before reading further.
They are still a staple—and are now the future—of the industry.
Over the years, hotel loyalty programs have become a hospitality fixture and grown exponentially. Of course, given sometimes troubling shifts such as the digital marketplace, disrupters like Airbnb, changing tastes and more, the features and methods that make them (and your hotel) successful continue to evolve with the sector itself.
But in its recent study on the subject, Oracle Hospitality powerfully declares the sentiment we share. “With so many distractions, preaching guest loyalty may seem futile. But here lies the truth: It is the path to hospitality salvation.”
Want your hotel to have a future? Kickstart a top-notch loyalty program today. When designed, enriched and fulfilled adeptly, it’s your best defense in the face of such competition.
What are some hotel loyalty program benefits?
Hotels can profit greatly, in ways that mesh hand-in-hand with their fully rounded efforts to furnish consistent, quality products and services, to nurture guest relationships and to build customer loyalty.
- They tend to work! Members show a pattern of loyalty to “their” hotel or brand. You can acquire, foster and retain guests for years and years to come.
- A desire (even a demand) for personalized interaction is more prevalent than ever, especially among younger generations. Through the enrollment process, you’ll generate guest profiles and transaction histories that impart the individual insights needed to provide it.
- In addition, learning about that type of guest’s preferences will aid you in crafting products, services and marketing to like-minded others who fall within that demographic.
- Members are more inclined to book directly with your hotel or brand, making them more cost-efficient vs. a commission-based reservation.
- You’ll engage your most valuable guests more deeply and forge an emotional affinity and bond that transcend their logical reasons for picking your property.
- If you integrate social media, your members will be eager to spread the word about their positive experiences and inspire their friends and other prospects to have their own.
- Ultimately, that all means hotel loyalty programs drive more frequent stays and increase occupancy, spending and total revenue.
Don’t wait to show your biggest fans the love.
You both have tons to gain! Contact us, so we can brainstorm together about how to launch or revitalize your mutually rewarding hotel loyalty program. Email Lynn Kaniper, at lkaniper@danacommunications.com—or call 609.466.9187, ext. 117.
