Filling in the Blanks of Guest Data

Summer is a busy season for many of you, and we’d hate for you to miss a golden opportunity to extract more value from your channel bookings. Capturing additional data around each guests’ stay helps you fill in guest profile gaps required to fuel marketing success.  
 
As digital technology and social media evolve and improve, getting in front of prospective guests becomes easier in some respects and harder in others.

Digital platforms make it easier to reach out directly to those audiences who either have a proven interest in vacation rentals or fit a core demographic. That targeting helps stretch your marketing dollar and controls your ad spend.

But because it’s never been easier to target, pretty much everyone is trying to do it. It’s not enough to capture guest data, nor is it enough to craft a basic campaign around it. You need to know what data is most important for the experience you want to deliver.

When it comes to targeting, no audience is more receptive to promotion and outreach than your actual, flesh-and-blood guests. In this article, we’ll share some tips and tricks for capturing guest data and using it to target and re-target. In the world of marketing, it’s the difference between a shotgun and a laser. Like Dr. Evil, we like friggin’ lasers.


What Data Makes Sense for You? 
Who you are as a company, and who you’re trying to become, weighs into how you solicit and use guest data. Before you decide which data matters most, it helps to know your business goals. In many cases, simply being deliberate and thoughtful about how you use guest emails in a campaign is enough. But if your aspirations include, say, a more tailored guest experience, then you need to figure out how to incentivize guests to provide their preferences and tastes — and be ready to accommodate them.

Consider also your preferred — or at least your most effective — marketing tactics. This will help you determine what guest information is most crucial. For example, if you butter your bread almost exclusively through digital campaigns, then the most vital piece of data for you is an email address and at least a first name. But if you lean more on direct mail or localized/targeted ad placements, you need something that indicates the guest’s location, at least a ZIP code if not a full physical address.

The point is, know what data you need first, then figure out how to get it. 


Data is Valuable, So Provide Some Value in Return 
Customer relationship management, or CRM, is transforming the hospitality industry. From powerful, enterprise-level tools like SalesForce to old-fashioned spreadsheets, it’s never been easier to improve your marketing by using data you already have. 
 
Of course, not all property managers use a CRM. In many cases, the property management system (PMS) is the de facto CRM. Regardless what you use, it’s safe to say that more detail is better when it comes to customer records. But accuracy trumps detail any day of the week. Having your guests’ blood type on file doesn’t help anyone if the rest of their record hasn’t been updated since 1996.

The big advantage of a CRM is that you can attach virtually any data you want to a customer record. But the kicker is that your CRM is only as good as your policies and procedures around maintaining those records. For example, if a guest requests more blankets but you’re not in the habit of adding such notes to your CRM, then they’ll probably have to ask again the next time they stay. That diminishes one of the main selling points of a vacation rental vs. a hotel — a more personal experience.

As the methods of capturing customer information have become more sophisticated, so have customer expectations for getting something in return. How often do you read a blog post on a company website without being encouraged to “sign up for specials and updates” or “join our email list?” 

Customers are usually savvy enough to expect some value in exchange for their data. The more you ask for, the more value you should provide in return. If you’re asking them for more than a name and email, like feedback on their stay or a pre-arrival questionnaire, be prepared to offer them something in exchange, whether it’s a discount on a future visit or some free swag.

Sources of Guest Data 
OTAs 
Your primary source of guest data is, of course, what gets passed along to you from the OTA if that’s where the booking originated.

Unfortunately, what OTAs provide your property will vary widely from channel to channel. Most will at least pass along a name and email but that might be it.

But before you grouse about OTA fees, consider what they’re bringing you. Not only are they generating leads while you sleep using the power and reach of their platform, but in many cases those leads are actually booking with you. If you let guests who physically come to your property leave without gathering or verifying information in YOUR guest record, that’s on you.

As former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi famously said at a hotelier conference a couple years ago, “If they come through me, you pay me once, and if they come back to me again and again, shame on you. You should make them a loyal customer.”

How do you build loyal customers? Through multiple touches over time. By establishing credibility, trust, and top-of-mind awareness. You can’t do any of that unless you know who they are and at least one reliable way to reach them.

Direct Bookings 
However your booking engine is configured to work with your website, you’ll capture much of the same information as OTAs when a guest actually books. However, you also have the option of capturing additional information such as their preferences, special accommodations, or the purpose of their visit.

Again, though, be prepared to offer either direct value or the promise of future value, such as a mailing list for exclusive discounts or packages. The more information you want, the more you should be prepared to offer. Otherwise you might as well be saying, “Please verify your information so we can market directly to you.”

Social Media 
One of the best arguments for maintaining some social media is the ability to target and retarget those customers. Facebook’s advertising tools, especially, make it simple to reach out to people who follow you or to model an audience based on them. And as with most platforms, better targeting means a lower cost per click (CPC).

Actual Guests 
Capturing data from guests before, during, or after their visit is a great way to round out your customer records and gather additional guest intelligence. Not only does it help you improve your service and amenities, but it provides a great reason for you to reach out after the fact and thank them for their feedback or provide special offers that show you value their patronage.

OTA guests may assume that you already have all their information. If you have the chance to ask during check-in, simply asking them to verify their information is correct can help fill in some of the blanks, e.g. “And is your email address still babyspice718@aol.com?” or “Please verify your information is correct then initial here.” 

Tactics for Capturing Additional Data From Guests 
A booking is the ultimate compliment and validation of your marketing efforts. Whatever you did to get them there has worked and now you’re focused on delivering the best possible experience. But a stay is also an opportunity to capture new information and correct old information.​

Getting New Information 
Let’s say you are located in a touristy area with tons of activities and attractions. You’d like to know which of these are attracting more of your guests to the area so you can maybe work on building some package deals or co-marketing arrangements, but you’ve never asked guests for that kind of information before.

Where do you start? 

• An obvious place is your own website, or when they walk into the office to check in. In addition to the standard information you need, you might add some optional fields for questions like, “What brings you to the area?” 

• Make an introductory, concierge-like call to guests a few days before arrival. Sometimes guests get confused who they’re dealing with when booking a stay, and nothing begins a great relationship better than a proactive call to help guests have a great stay. 
• After check out, ask in a follow-up email or call as part of a “How can we improve?” type of survey. It may seem incidental to them, but to you, it may be almost as important as feedback about your property.

Verifying or Updating Current Information 
There are lots of opportunities to make sure your guest profiles are up to date. Email addresses, in particular, change all the time. If you pay good money for email marketing, then it also pays to verify current emails as often as possible. A long list of bad emails that bumps you into a new tier of MailChimp pricing can be a waste of money.  

• A classic way to verify guest data is through an email newsletter signup or a loyalty program. A physical card, website landing page, or just a link sent after the fact can help you check the email they supply against your CRM (or bounced email list) to see whether it’s new or not. 

• Guest books and comment cards are a simple, yet effective way to collect or verify guest information. Apart from the feedback, it’s an opportunity to reach out to the guest after the fact to thank them for filling out a card or to offer recourse. As an added bonus, it allows you to verify whether they provided their real contact info. 
• Another, little-known method to do this is through a captive portal or splash page that requires a name and/or email to connect to your property WiFi. This probably isn’t practical unless you’re a fairly large company and operate a condo-hotel, but it’s a great way to capture current emails from guests that may have changed since their last visit or contact.

Summary
Summer is a busy season for many of you, and we’d hate for you to miss a golden opportunity to extract more value from your OTA bookings. The additional guest data you capture around each stay will fuel your success in booking repeat stays. Don’t miss out! 
 
Online bookings are growing faster and faster thanks in big part to the ad spend budgets of the OTAs and listing sites. The digital-first behaviors and preferences of new generations are also driving this shift. (They even call your homes an “AirBnB” and not a “vacation rental”!)  
 
With millions of guests booking via these channels, avoiding them is risky business. So rather than cut OTA channels out, we believe strongly they should be part of everyone’s marketing mix along with a few data collection strategies that help you build strong relationships with your guests. And wringe out maximum value from the acquisition costs you’re paying.  ​