3 Simple Steps for more efficient Hotel Newsletters

There are many online features that can help Hoteliers create fascinating newsletters and stay in touch with their past and future guests, or even find new clientele for their hotels. Your Hotel Newsletters service is the ideal online way of communicating with your audience, making your Hotel more independent and profitable than ever.

But which are the main elements that Hoteliers should keep in mind, in order to achieve the best possible results from their Hotel Newsletter campaigns?

Step 1: Create your database, always focusing on quality audiences

The most crucial factor for an effective newsletter campaign is having a quality contact list. This list should consist of travellers who are interested in staying at your property. It is also very important to gather as many details as possible from your guests. This will allow you to send more targeted and effective newsletters, that will trigger their interest more easily. Thus, after finalizing all the details you wish to know about your audiences, choose the means that can help you collect this information.

1. Guests that have already visited your Hotel: Keep all the details you need from the travellers that have stayed at your property in the past. These are your most faithful clients, who will, most probably, visit your Hotel again or introduce it to their friends and families. Ask for their email addresses during check-in and send them a “reward” email with a coupon for a free drink at your hotel’s bar, creating a closer relationship with them.
2. Website visitors: It is a fact that thousands of travellers visit your hotel’s website every year, during their travel research. Think of a smart way to make them subscribe to your newsletters. Draw their attention with discounts or offers and collect as much information as possible, building a quality database with potential clients to your property.
3. New audiences: Finding new audiences with specific characteristics through the internet, is very easy nowadays. Social media are the ideal source for collecting many new contacts. Keep them loyal, by offering them special benefits and offers, for as long as they follow your hotel.

SMART TIP | Categorize your database in a way that will allow you to create personalized newsletters and messages, triggering your audiences’ attention more easily. Make sure to write down, besides their name, country and age, the source your visitors are coming from, to be aware of each contact’s level of engagement.

Step 2: Set up a communication strategy, based on each receiver’s profile

Having a specific plan for your communication strategy through your hotel newsletters service is very important. Keep in mind that the average person receives thousands of e-mails every year, therefore, you have to figure out a plan which will be useful and not annoying to your subscribers.

1. Concierge emails: If a subscriber is a current guest at your hotel, send them an email with important information about your property, providing them with tips that will increase their staying experience. Keep their enthusiasm high and bear in mind that your guests are already on vacation, so they would want to receive something light and easy to read.
2. Sales emails: Offers are always welcome and travellers love them! Create a range of quality and attractive offers, always based on your visitors’ status (current guests, website visitors, new audiences etc).
3. Entertainment emails: This kind of emails is the best way to make your audience dream about staying at your property! Present interesting information and tips about your hotel, but make sure to include something very special about the property, ideally with a personalized touch.

SMART TIP | Since most Newsletter tools provide automation mechanisms, create a “Welcome” Newsletter, for each visitor category and begin a good and direct communication with your potential or existing clients. For example, if the receiver is a current client at your property, you can send out some “freebies” or send some special offers to your new social media followers. If the subscribers come from your website, send them an Offer with a tight deadline, increasing the possibility for a new direct booking.

Chesa Stuva Colani, Madulain, Switzerland

Step 3: Pay attention to the interesting content and impressive design

Whatever the message you want to send, it has to be of high aesthetics and have an easy-to-read, interesting and understandable content. Create each type of Newsletter individually and never forget that your Newsletters reflect your hotel’s character!

1. Visual design: Create a different template for each Newsletter category you send. The visual needs of a sales email are completely different than those of entertainment emails, and this is something that requires careful work so that it’s done in the right way.
2. Texts: Your texts should not be too long and complex. It is much likely that your audience will lose its interest. People read most newsletters on their portable devices, therefore, your texts should be short and comprehensive.
3. Offers: Give credibility to your offers. Set short deadlines, or even include a coupon in your Newsletter, giving an added value to the communication. Avoid sending out poor or uninteresting offers. Use an offer only when you feel really generous and do not consider them an act of necessity.

SMART TIP | Maximize the personalization level, by sending personal emails to your subscribers using their names (newsletter services provide this option). It is much more possible for a receiver to read these personalized emails since they will not look like an advertisement or a spam message. Adjust your emails to your audiences’ categories, and achieve the maximum results for your Newsletter campaigns!