In today’s ultra-competitive market, customers have a vast array of options to choose from when looking to book a hotel.
The main objective for any hotel should be to meet and exceed the expectations of its customers to such an extent that they want to return. Not only does this generate potential recurring revenue, but the positive reviews these customers will give you online and through word of mouth will be beneficial for generating new customers.
In this competitive environment, hotels need to go the extra mile for their guests; a standard room with a bed for the night will no longer cut it for many customers. There is a need for hotels to provide a more wholesome customer experience, from the initial point of booking right through to post-stay communications, in order to meet expectations, build loyalty and increase the likelihood of recommendations online and to their friends.
From the point of booking onward, personalising the guest experience becomes key. Customers will be more inclined to return if they feel a hotel has made the effort to ‘get to know them’ and has tailored their experience.
The problem is this often proves difficult due to data being held in disparate systems meaning they can’t create a full 360-degree view of their guests. By integrating your CRM or finance system with your other hotel systems, it will be possible to collate data about your guests in one place, allowing you to utilise this in order to better understand their preferences and personalise their stay.
The same logic runs true for marketing communications with a customer after they have stayed with you. Customers will be more attracted to deals that meet their needs and interests. For example, if your hotel has a golf course, you would be better marketing ‘golf and stay’ deals to someone who you know has played golf with you before, rather than someone who has no interest in doing so.
Integrating systems such as your reservation system and property management system allows you to take your marketing to a new level with personalised communications to customers that will offer them exactly what they are looking for.
The importance of data integration can also be highlighted as early as the booking process. The first way a customer is likely to interact with your hotel is when they are booking a room, whether this is online, over the phone or via email. However, hotel room rates often change based on availability, competitor pricing and more, on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.
In this scenario, failure to have your systems integrated means that you would need to change the room rate manually on several different platforms such as your booking system, website and third-party sites. Not only does this take up unnecessary time inputting data manually, but it also risks errors that mean providing a customer with inaccurate information.
If actual bookings are transferred manually from one system to another, there is a chance that a mistake could be made that would lead to a customer’s booking being missed. This could lead to a worst-case scenario of a guest turning up to your hotel with no reservation.
Modern day customers expect a seamless booking experience, no matter what method they are using to do so, and it is crucial for hotels to achieve this in order to avoid risking losing bookings.
Cloud Data Exchange, a cloud-based integration solution developed by the award-winning Eureka Solutions, is the perfect tool to enable the integration of business systems, allowing hotels to gain a more complete picture of their customers.
Developed on the Google Cloud Platform to ensure total security, Cloud Data Exchange seamlessly automates the transform of information between systems such as ERP, CRM, Accounting and Ecommerce.
With the ability to develop bespoke integrations to suit your needs, Cloud Data Exchange is the tool that can help you provide your customers with a truly personalised experience.
If you think Cloud Data Exchange could be the solution that your hotel needs to improve your customers’ experience, increase their likelihood to recommend you and boost your marketing power, then register today.
To find out more about what Cloud Data Exchange can do for you, and to discover more about the benefits of integrating your systems, contact us today.
