Engaging Hotel Guests Conference

Engaging Hotel Guests
For Their Fun & Your Profit
Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association
– Lodging Conference & Trade Show
November 7, 2016 | Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Image Credit: Lottie | flickr (pd)

Ellsworth Milton Statler (1863-1928)
Three Pillars of Hospitality
“Life is Service”
Consistent Service Delivery
(Personalization)
“Location, Location, Location”
Where Guest Needs to Be
(Context)
“The Guest is Always Right”
Guest Satisfaction Drives Profitability
(Execution)
WHLA - Conference 2016 Engaging Hotel Guests Robert Cole ● RockCheetah | 1
Image Credit: Frederick W. Pohle | The Buffalo History Museum

Engaging Hotel Guests - Overview
• Personalization
– Different Experiences for Unique People
• Context
– Multiple Touchpoints | Multiple Motivations
• Execution
– Setting Goals, Strategic Planning & Metrics Rule
Image Credit: James Cridland | flickr (cc)

Personalization
• Personas
– Looking at Guests as People, Not Numbers
• Targeting
– Tailoring the Message to Suit the Guest
• Narratives
– Creating Compelling, Meaningful Stories
Image Credit: JD Hancock | flickr (cc)

• Personas Help Define & Communicate Needs
– Turns Abstract Concepts Into Actionable Traits
• Who is the Customer?
– They Have a Name
• What Do They Want?
– They Have Purpose
• Why Do They Want It?
– They Have a History
Personalization – Personas
Image Credit: Markus Tacker | flickr (cc)

Personalization – Targeting
• Demographic
– Assumes Individuals Share Traits of Larger Group
• Behavioral
– Focuses on Actions and Outcomes
• Multi-Persona Travelers
– Different Personas for Different Itineraries
Image Credit: US Army – JFK Special Warfare Center and School | flickr (cc)

Personalization – Demographic Targeting
• Traditional Segmentation Method
– Location | Age | Gender | Income
– Lifecycle | Occupation | Class | Generation
• Challenges
– Often Derived from Group Averages
– Irregular Updates & Validation Processes
• Google AdWords (Search, Display & Video)
– Age
– Gender
– Parental Status
– Household Income (Percentile) – US|Video Only

Personalization – Behavioral Targeting
• Industry Leaders Shifting Focus to Behaviors
– Start with Sales Transaction & Work Back Up Funnel
– Identify Signals Indicating Purchase Intent
• Website Behaviors
– Location | Device Type | Referral Source
– Pages Visited | Actions Taken – Real Time Updates
• Facebook Custom Audiences
– Audience Lists Created by Advertiser
• Email Address | Phone Number | User ID (Apple/Google)
• Interests | Connections | Behaviors | Intent | Membership
• Lookalike Audiences – Similar Traits | Retargeting

Personalization – Multiple Personas
• Personas Change As Itineraries Change
– Business Trip
– Family Vacation
– Weekend with Partner
– Weekend with School Friends
• Demographics Same; Decisions Very Different
– Different Purchase Timeframes
– Different Shopping Processes
– Different Information & Experience Needs

Personalization - Narratives
• Must Be Relevant
– Compelling Is Even Better
• Make the Story Easy to Follow
– Create Logical Navigation Paths
• Create an Image
– Better Yet, Use an Image
Image Credit: Susanne Nilsson | flickr (cc)

Personalization Narratives – Creation
• What Story are You Telling?
– The Story Stars the Traveler
– Content Driven by Needs of Specific Personas
• What is the Hotel’s Personality?
– The Hotel Needs a Persona Too
– Consistency Across Touchpoints & Operation
• Celebrate What Makes Property Special
– Unique Features / Services
– Advantages Over Competitors

Personalization Narratives – Navigation
• Define Relationships Between Pieces of Data
– Clear, Intuitive Menus Structure & Breadcrumbing
– Information Is Worthless if it Can’t Be Found
• Metadata Tagging – How Data is Found / Tracked
– Campaign Tags – Associate with Every Link
– Image Tags – Titles | Captions | Content
• Define Semantic Relationships – Graphs
– Semantic Triples: Subject-Predicate-Object
• Subject – Honeymooners
• Predicate – Like
• Object – Romance

Personalization Narratives – Imagery
• Looking Good Attracts Attention
– Great Photography Converts Bookings
– Main Hotel Image Shouldn’t Be a Porte-Cochere
• Video
– Offers Compelling Evidence of Reality
– Can Be Immersive
• Dynamic Content
– Change Images Based on Signals

Context – The Seven Step Travel Process
Image Credit: PROjohn mcsporran | flickr (cc)

Context – Inspiration
The Original Spark of Interest for Taking a Trip.
Often a Highly Personal Decision.
• Key Consideration
– Develop Inspiring Content for Each Key Persona
• Best Practice
– Quality Photography Showcasing the Experience
• Most Common Pitfall
– Focus on Property Features not Traveler Benefits

Context – Research
Narrows the Universe of Options Down to a
Subset of Workable Possibilities.
– Some Personas May Have Highly Specific Needs
• Best Practice
– Tailor Content to Offer Complete Information
– Only Lowest Common Denominator Addressed

Context – Planning
Evaluates Feasibility of Options Based on
Quality, Schedule and Pricing Constraints.
– Deconstruct Guest Itinerary & Answer Questions
• Best Practice
– Create Landing Pages for High Demand Events
– High Level Generic Information is Insufficient

Context – Validation
Checks that Identified Combination of Travel
Options Represent Best Available Alternative.
– Anticipate Guest Needs & Eliminate Pain Points
• Best Practice
– Expose Most Relevant Reviews to Guest
– Review Content Causes User to Leave Website

Context – Booking
Confirmation of Reservation, Committing to
Terms of Purchase for Travel Itinerary.
– Complexity Increases with Number of Personas
• Best Practice
– Dynamic Content Maintains Relevant Content
– All Personalization Disappears in Booking Engine

Context – Travel Experience
The Destination Experience, Which May Include
Additional In-destination Planning|Purchases.
– Ensure Engagement Ease & Process Simplification
• Best Practice
– Prioritize Funding of Facility & Service Training
– Over-promising & Under-delivering

Context – Sharing
Communication of Feelings About Travel
Experience to Others, Often via Social Media.
– Must Keep Pace as Social Networks Evolve
• Best Practice
– Incorporate Social Markup for Proper Formatting
– Content not Easily Shared, Incomplete or Ugly

Context – Putting It All Together
MOBILE PLATFORM
• Device
– Location
– Clicks
– Motion
– Apps
• Social
– Facebook
– Others
• Context
– Time
– Illumination
– Weather
• Browser
BEHAVIOR
• Search
– Engine
– Keyword
– Landing Page
• Action History
– Recent
– Prior
– Past
• Itinerary
– Origin
– Destination
– Trip Length
– Party Size
SOURCE
• Traffic
– Direct | Email
– 3rd Party
– Ad Network
• Search
– Organic
– Paid
• Campaign
– Age
– Recency
• Site Visitor
– Frequency
– Recency
USER PROFILE
• History
– Purchases
– Lifetime Spend
• Preferences
– Product
– Destination
– Experience
• Demographics
– Social
– Economic
• Status
– Member Tier
– Longevity
So Much Data, So Few Relationships

Execution
• Goals
– Define Purpose of Activities
• Analytics
– Enabling Performance Measurement
• Testing
– Identifying What Works Best
Image Credit: www.audio-luci-store.it | flickr (cc)

Execution – Goals
• Business Objectives
– Why is Something Being Done?
– Always First Question to Ask
• Strategies
– Guest Acquisition
– Sales Conversion
• Alignment
– Tie Strategies, Tactics, Spending to Objectives

Execution Goals – Business Objectives
• Customer Acquisition Goals
– New Demand Sources, Share Shift or Repeat Patronage
• Guest Engagement Goals
– Nurturing Positive Sentiment & Developing Purchase Intent
• Conversion Goals
– Tracking of Progress Through Stages of Channel Sales Processes
• Return on Investment Goals
– Payback on Spending Supporting Organizational Objectives
• Measurement Process Goals
– Processes & Systems to Accurately Capture Critical Information

Goals – Create a Business Funnel
Customer Acquisition Goals
Guest Engagement Goals
Conversion Goals
ROI Goals
MeasurementProcessGoals

Execution Strategy – Guest Acquisition
Source: “Multi-Channel Attribution Modeling: The Good, Bad and Ugly Models” – Avinash Kaushik, Occam’s Razor Blog – August, 2013
• Campaign Attribution Challenges
– Omni-Channel Marketing Increases Complexity
– Strategies May Unpredictably Intersect & Overlap
Example: Google Analytics Top Conversion Paths Report

Execution Strategy – Video Media
Source: Video Platform Diagnostic Tool” L2 – August, 2016
• Multiple Attributes Determine Video Platform
– Must Use Select Best Tool Based on Circumstances
– Persona Adoption is Key Consideration
Example: Platform Suitability for Key Video Production Characteristics
Facebook Instagram SnapChat YouTube
Creative Budget Mid Low Low High
Influencer Impact Low High Mid High
Millennial Appeal Mid High High Mid
Organic Reach Low High Mid Mid
Production Frequency High Mid High Low
Video Duration Mid Low Low High
Viewer Targeting High High Low High

Execution Strategy – Sales Distribution
• Layered Distribution Channels
– Different Accounting
– Different Merchandising
– Different Compensation
– Different Rewards
Impact Matrix for Different TripAdvisor Channel Booking Methods
Source: RockCheetah (2016)

Execution – Analytics
• Platforms
– Speak a Common Language – Business Metrics
• Explicit Signals
– Overt Actions that Express Specific Intent
• Implicit Signals
– Helping Answer Questions Before they are Asked
Image Credit: Isaiah van Hunen | flickr (cc)

Execution Analytics – Explicit Signals
• Explicit Signals (Customization)
– User Indicates Specific Preferences
– Outcomes from Intentional Action
• Experience Adapted Based on Behavior
– Performed a Search Query
– Clicked on a Link
– Recorded a Preference
• Example:
– Search for 2 Adults & 2 Children
– Family-relevant Content Presented

Execution Analytics – Implicit Signals
• Implicit Signals (Personalization)
– Based on Behaviors of Particular Group
– Outcomes Identified Without Needing User Action
– Anticipating What People Want, Without Being Told
• Experience Adapted Based on Behavior
– Performed a Search Query
– Clicked on a Link
– Logged a Preference
• Example:
– Following Snowstorm
– Presents Best Performing Offer at Best Time

Execution – Testing
• A/B Testing
– Head to Head Comparison – Results Measured
• Multi-variate Testing
– Tests Combinations of Signals for New Outcomes
• What is Measured?
– Depends on Objectives and Tracking Capabilities
Image Credit: Derek Gavey | flickr (cc)

Execution – A/B Testing
• Directly Compare Performance of Two Options
– Example 1: Which Photo Works Better?
• A: Photo of Family at Pool
• B: Photo of Family at Dinner
– Example 2: Which Call to Action Works Better?
• X: Call to Action “Learn More”
• Y: Call to Action “Save Now”
• Relatively Simple to Measure
– Track Activity / Engagement / Booking
• Do More of What Works; Less of What Doesn’t

Execution – Multi-Variate Testing
• Compare Options as Combinations (AX, AY, BX & BY)
• Anticipated Result:
– Individual A/B Testing Winners Work Best Together (AY)
• A: Photo of Family at Pool
• Y: Call to Action “Save Now”
• Potential Outcome:
– What If Dinner Photo + “Learn More” (BX) Wins?
– Better Converting Content May not be Obvious Choice
• More Difficult to Measure – Increased Complexity
– Similar Tracking Process – More Variables, Smaller Samples
– Different Results May Be Based on Guest Persona/Itinerary

Remember: “The Guest Is Always Right”
• Loyalty is Based on Shared Values
– Value Drives Transactions
– Values Drive Loyalty
• Trust is Earned, Not Bought
– Guest Satisfaction Still Most Important Factor
Image Credit: Bruno Covas | flickr (cc)

Getting It Right – Across The Full Funnel
• Offering the Right PRODUCT (Beachfront hotel)
• Including the Right EXPERIENCE (All-inclusive package)
• To the Right PERSON (Targeted persona|segment)
• Providing the Right VALUE (Ocean view upgrade)
• For the Right PRICE ($299 per night)
• Using the Right CONTENT (Family beach GIF)
• Via the Right MEDIA (Retargeting ad)
• On the Right PLATFORM (Mobile)
• Doing the Right THING (Clicking on an offer)
• In the Right PLACE (Metro New York City)
• At the Right TIME (Weekend evening)
• Through the Right CHANNEL (Hotel-direct)

Engaging Hotel Guests - Recap
Turn Hotel Stays Into Rewarding Experiences
• Personalization
– Provide Relevant, Individualized Experiences
– Personas Communicate Vision & Expectations
• Context
– Must Understand the Guest’s Perspective
– Must Create Content to Satisfy Needs
• Execution
– Align Measurable Goals, Strategies & Execution
– Guest Satisfaction Earns Loyalty & Adds Lifetime Value

Thank You! ● Questions?
Robert Cole | RockCheetah
phone: +1.262.309.9560
social media: @robertkcole
email: robert@rockcheetah.com
Engaging Hotel Guests
For Their Fun & Your Profit

Engaging Hotel Guests Conference

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Ähnlich wie Engaging Hotel Guests Conference

Ähnlich wie Engaging Hotel Guests Conference (20)

Mehr von Robert Cole

Mehr von Robert Cole (17)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Engaging Hotel Guests Conference