Four tips for creating a pre-arrival plan for your hotel

It is no lie that hotels are constantly seeking ways to enhance the experience they deliver to guests. However, one crucial aspect that often gets overlooked is the pre-arrival phase. 

A pre-arrival plan is the foundation for creating a memorable stay, building strong relationships with guests and enhancing their overall satisfaction.

Hotels can ensure guests feel valued and have a smooth and enjoyable stay even before they walk through the doors.

Why is a pre-arrival plan important for your hotel guests?

Many hotels believe that their services begin once the guests arrive at the reception desk, but they fail to realise the importance of pre-stay in the whole guest journey.

Research shows that when 80% of brands think that they are delivering an excellent experience, only 8% of customers feel the same way. It’s time to step up the game.

By attending to guests' needs and preferences before they even step foot in the hotel, you can lay the foundation for a positive experience. This proactive approach helps you to increase guest satisfaction and to cultivate guest loyalty, ensuring repeat business in the future. 

Here are four best practices for you to create a pre-arrival plan that will make your brand stand out and your guests even happier.

1. Understand guest expectations before arrival

To create a truly personalised pre-arrival experience, hoteliers need to have a thorough understanding of their guests' expectations.

One way to understand your guests is through a hotel CRM. Despite the common misconception that CRM systems only serve as marketing tools, they offer much more.

Having a CRM integrated into your Property Management System (PMS), enables you to store all the accurate data in one place, including contact information, preferences, booking records, and past interactions.

Start by analysing your data to understand the preferences of your guests. What is the favourite service of leisure guests? What are the most common amenities requested by business guests? Insights like those ones will help you to understand why your guests come to your property, what makes them come back, what is their favorite part, and so on.

Having access to accurate guest details and information provides you with the advantage of predicting what the guests truly want, allowing you to craft an engagement plan to maximise satisfaction.

Don’t miss out this article: How to use data to power strategic decision-making in a hotel

2. Plan your touchpoints and opt for a balance

Consistent and timely communication is the cornerstone of a successful pre-arrival plan. Hoteliers should establish a clear and open line of communication with guests to ensure that any questions, concerns, or special requests are promptly addressed.

First, you need to find out how your guests want to be communicated with, whether it be through email, SMS, or even WhatsApp. By asking guests their preferred channel of communication, you can ensure that they expect to receive messages from that specific channel.

Second, the frequency of communication is also very important. Depending on your property size and amenities, decide on an appropriate cadence to communicate with your guests. Be careful not to send too many things; the key to avoid this is always asking: Does this add value to the guest? 

By regularly engaging with guests, you not only demonstrate your commitment to their satisfaction but also create opportunities for them to express their needs and preferences. 

Remember, it is not about sending many messages or sending none, you need to find a balance. 

Read about 9 tips to structure your pre-arrival communication.

3. Prepare messages based on guest segments 

One size does not fit all when it comes to guest experiences. According to research, many guests feel disconnected from the hotel, especially during pre-arrival. 

Hoteliers should aim to create personalised pre-arrival experiences that actually resonate with the different types of guests.

Many hoteliers have expressed frustration over creating a personalised engagement plan with limited resources; however, if you ask for certain information at the booking moment or after the booking is made, you will have more resources to provide them value. 

You can segment your guests into leisure guests and business guests and then prepare offers that align to each of the groups. You can also review family bookings, first-timers or returning guests. All of them will get different messages depending on the group they belong to and their characteristics. 

Learn more about the different guest segments you can find in your hotel in this article.

4. Do upselling offers at the right time 

Timing is crucial for upselling. The best window to upsell is usually three to four days before arrival. During this phase, guests are excited and more likely to visualise their stay, making them more open to room upgrades or additional services.

Upselling doesn’t need to feel pushy if done at the right time and in the right way. Proper preparation ensures the offer feels personalised and thoughtful, making the guest feel valued rather than pressured.

Start by understanding the unique selling points of each room type or service. Highlight what sets them apart and the value they offer. 

Bonus: Don’t forget about OTA guests 

Many hotels have been facing the challenge of reducing bookings from online travel agencies (OTAs). Hotels that rely heavily on OTAs often struggle to establish direct relationships with guests compared to hotels with a higher percentage of direct bookings.

While OTAs may not always provide extensive guest data to hotels, as they do not want hotels reaching out to their users too often, personalisation can still be achieved through thoughtful gestures and requesting specific requirements or preferences from guests. This step contributes to a sense of tailored service and leaves a lasting positive impression.

Additionally, a hospitality CRM can help hoteliers get in touch with OTA bookers and create a profile for each guest today. By utilising real data, hotels are able to analyse guests' preferences and develop personalised guest journeys. The key is to turn OTA bookers into loyal guests to your hotel and not to the OTAs. 

Bookboost: A CRM to make your pre-arrival experience more unique

Thinking about creating a pre-arrival plan for each and every guest can sound overwhelming, but if you have the right tools, it will turn into an easy task that will yield great results.

That’s where a CRM comes in. Using Bookboost Multi-Channel CRM for your guest journey will ensure that your guests receive personalised communication at the right time and using the right channel. 

Instead of email-only, you can open your guest journey to SMS and WhatsApp. Instead of spending hours manually sending each message, you can create workflows and use triggers to automate them and save valuable time for you and your team. 

As a hotelier, providing a personalised and valuable experience should be your number one priority. This includes the pre-arrival stage. Don’t miss the opportunity to turn every guest into a loyal one.