The goal of this guide is to understand the importance of email for the hotel industry, so that hoteliers can take control of their guests' information and know how to use it.
In the hotel industry, there are many intermediaries who, in addition to helping the hotel generate more bookings, isolate it from direct guest contact. These intermediaries are OTAs, who control guest information, providing the hotel with emails generated through their portals. But why is it important to have guests' email addresses?
Email as a Communication Channel
There are various communication channels with guests, and their importance varies depending on the guest's stage of their journey.
For example, OTAs are a post-stay communication channel, where guests, after having stayed at the hotel, can generate a review and the hotel can then respond.
On the other hand, we have WhatsApp. This channel is primarily used during the stay to resolve potential problems and questions.
The hotel's website is a channel used before the stay, where guests check rates, location, and rooms before making a reservation. Within this, we can find Chatbots, which help the hotel resolve queries quickly.
Like these channels, there are many others that allow us to communicate with guests, and it's important to have the widest distribution of them. We don't want a guest to be unable to find a way to communicate with us at each stage of their journey. This is where email becomes more important, as, in addition to generating direct and personal contact with the guest, it is present throughout every stage of the guest's journey.
Nowadays, it's common to hear that this communication medium is becoming obsolete, but according to studies, 73% of Latin Americans check their email every day.
Through email, we can generate Email Marketing, which, according to a study by Econsultancy, is the digital medium with the highest return on investment. Furthermore, once a guest has made their reservation, a welcome email can be sent, allowing the guest to book services, perform online check-in, or communicate any additional requirements. This information, captured before the guest enters the hotel, allows us to personalize their experience.
During the stay, email allows us to send a brief survey to understand their experience so far and any problems or questions the guest might have. Often, guests don't communicate their problems until after checking out, making it too late to correct the error and improve their experience. You don't want a negative review!
Finally, after the stay, it allows us to send satisfaction surveys by area to measure the performance of each, collect reviews on various OTAs, and create a base for new Email Marketing sends.
Why Don't Hoteliers Control This Information?
Bookings through OTAs, globally, account for between 60% and 70%, a very high number that is steadily increasing.
These figures don't mean we should stop being present on them. OTAs help us increase bookings and improve our online positioning. So, what should we do? We must learn to coexist with OTAs, not depend on them, and not forget about email. That's why we need to find other instances to capture and record guests' emails and include it among the hotel's priorities when receiving a booking, whether through the booking engine, travel agency, OTA, phone, or direct email.
"It costs 6 times more to acquire a new customer than to keep a satisfied one."
- Jack Taylor
Once we have the guest at the hotel, we must keep them satisfied and ensure they not only return to the hotel but also book directly and recommend us.
By regaining control of email, you can get to know your guests, resolve concerns, solve problems, measure their satisfaction, offer promotions, and thus personalize their experience with the hotel.
Email Capture in Latin America
Latin America is globally recognized for its strong position in the travel and tourism market. If we want to have good communication with guests, we must know the email capture rate to improve it little by little.
Below, we will see the trend of email capture in 10 Latin American countries throughout 2019.
As can be seen in this graph, email capture has improved throughout the year, and this is due to hoteliers increasingly understanding the importance of this channel and using tools that allow them to capture, register, and utilize email, taking advantage of all its benefits.
The average email capture rate during 2019 was 39.82%.
Here is the ranking of the 10 countries analyzed during 2019:
Tips to Increase Email Capture
Here are some tips to capture your guests' emails:
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Check-in Form: When checking in your guests, remember to only request strictly necessary data. The more fields you ask for, the less likely they are to fill out the form completely.
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Place the email field among the first requested data.
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Arrange the "email" field so it is easy for the receptionist to read and/or write the guest's email address. Using block letters is a good measure.
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Add multiple email fields so that all guests in the room can be entered.
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If the email field was not filled on the form, have the receptionist request it verbally.
Your Team: It's important that all members of your team are aligned with the same objective: capturing valid guest emails. That's why internal team communication is essential.
The Booking: This is the first contact with your guest—don't miss it! Make sure that whenever a telephone reservation is made, the email is requested as a mandatory requirement. Communicate to your guests the purpose of requesting their email: to improve the quality of service.
Explain to your team: It's important for them to know the purpose of capturing emails so they are motivated to do so.
Incentives: Consider offering incentives to your team; remember, they don't necessarily have to be monetary.
Your Guests: It's very useful to offer some benefit in exchange for the email address, something that motivates the guest to provide their information.
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Offer to send the electronic invoice to their email.
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Provide the option to send tourist information about the hotel's location to their email inbox.
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Create a contest where discounts or benefits are raffled in exchange for the email.
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Give a complimentary drink in exchange for the email.
Third Parties: There are other external factors that can help you capture your guests' emails—don't waste them!
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Wi-Fi: A good way to capture emails and improve internet quality is to have a captive portal. When guests want to access the hotel's network, they must enter their email address and room number or last name; then you can ask the portal provider to give you that data.
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Travel Agencies: Maintaining a good relationship with travel agencies has multiple benefits; communicate with them and request your guests' email addresses.
Conclusions
There is no perfect formula for email capture; rather, it is a process that requires constant monitoring to find the best way that adapts to your reality. The important thing is never to lose focus on how indispensable this channel is for your hotel.