CRM
A study found that 78% of travellers are more likely to book with properties that offer personalised experiences, with almost 50% willing to share the personal data necessary to promote an individualised stay. This tells us that personalisation, segmentation and unique communications are important to the guest experience. But how do you do this at scale with guests from all over the world? The answer is a hospitality CRM system.
What is a CRM?
CRM is a software system that helps businesses manage interactions with their customers. In the hospitality industry, this translates to nurturing relationships with guests, from the very first inquiry to the post-stay feedback. By effectively using a hospitality CRM, your business can:
- Provide exceptional guest service: A CRM system stores valuable guest data, allowing you to personalise their experience throughout their stay.
- Boost loyalty programs: a hospitality CRM system helps track guest preferences and reward returning customers, keeping them coming back for more.
- Streamline marketing efforts: CRM insights can help you target your marketing campaigns to the right audience, maximising your return on investment.
What are the advantages of using a CRM system?
CRM systems are highly valued for their reliability and efficiency in streamlining customer data and assisting with communication. Below, we’re going to discuss in more detail the reasons why a CRM system can help your business.
Personalised engagement
A CRM system empowers you to make guests feel special. By storing guest data and preferences, you can send targeted communications that resonate and delight, furthering your relationship with a guest. This includes sending a thoughtful birthday email with a special offer that can turn a casual guest into a loyal one. Another example of this personalised engagement includes welcome emails. A warm welcome email followed by additional messages highlighting amenities or local attractions shows you care and leaves guests with a great first impression.
On the flip of this, CRM can manage post-stay surveys, assist with guest feedback and provide future offers.
Audience insights
CRM isn't just about storing names and emails, it paints a reliable picture of your guests. Through your CRM system, you’ll be able to track preferences and conduct demographic analysis that helps you to understand your guests in more detail and tailor their individual experiences.
By knowing your audience intimately, you can develop a tone of voice (TOV) that resonates and craft offerings that cater to their desires, sent with personal touches that encourage them to be loyal return customers.
Track campaign performance
Marketing is all about return on investment and a CRM system helps you track the revenue generated from specific marketing campaigns, providing a more detailed breakdown of how things perform. With your CRM system, you’ll also be able to see which campaigns drive the most bookings and tailor your budget accordingly. By measuring the effectiveness of your campaigns, you can optimise your marketing spend and maximise your impact. Win-win.
Loyalty through smart tracking
Hospitality CRM helps you identify your most valuable guests. You’ll be able to see how often guests return and reward them for their loyalty. Additionally, a CRM system can help design and manage tiered loyalty programs that incentivise repeat business.
Streamlined communication channels
A CRM offers a central hub for all your guest interactions. Email and SMS marketing through your CRM allows for targeted email blasts or segmented SMS campaigns to promote special offers or events.
Audience segmentation
Another key advantage is the ability to segment your audience based on demographics, preferences, or booking history. Through targeted campaigns, send specific communications to relevant audience segments. For example, promote family packages to guests who have travelled with children in the past, and romantic stays for guests who check in as a couple.
Keep guests informed
Lastly, a CRM system facilitates quick and efficient communication for the big and little things. Should you have a new menu launch, simply send an email to all. Special event announcement? Get the word out quickly and efficiently with your CRM system.
By employing a CRM system, your business can build stronger relationships, personalise the guest experience, and ultimately drive more bookings and revenue. With a little help from Cab Hospitality of course.
We can help
We understand the unique challenges faced by hospitality businesses and come with recommendations of advised systems to implement, tried and tested marketing methods and over 20 years of experience. We partner with you to not only implement a powerful CRM system but also leverage it to supercharge your guest relationships and drive business growth.
When you partner with us, we become your CRM confidante. We'll help you choose the right CRM system for your needs, handle the setup process, and develop routine roadmaps to nurture guest relationships, including welcome emails, email campaigns and post-stay surveys. What’s more, our team will work alongside you to build communications that resonate with different segments of your guest database, maximising engagement.
With two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, we’re very familiar with the issues hospitality businesses face, and more importantly, how to combat them. Our team of skilled digital marketing experts will become an extension of your team, assisting with CRM success and beyond. To find out more about our services or to learn a little more about how we tackle CRM, please get in touch.
Proud partner for over 20 years
CRM Results To Be Proud Of
113.68%
INCREASE IN SUBSCRIBER DATABASE YOY
153.42%
INCREASE IN OPEN RATE YOY
125.31%
INCREASE IN CLICK RATE YOY
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hospitality CRM system?
A hospitality CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system helps hotels, restaurants, and venues manage guest relationships, from first enquiry to post-stay follow-up, by storing data, tracking preferences, and personalising communications.
How does a CRM benefit hospitality businesses?
A CRM allows you to personalise guest experiences, automate marketing, build loyalty, and increase repeat bookings. It helps you understand your audience and communicate more effectively at scale.
Why is personalisation important in the hospitality industry?
Guests are more likely to book and return when experiences feel tailored. A CRM enables personalisation through guest data, letting you send relevant offers, reminders, and thank-you messages that make visitors feel valued.
What types of hospitality businesses can use a CRM system?
Hotels, restaurants, spas, and event venues of all sizes can benefit. CRMs help manage everything from guest preferences to dining reservations and post-stay marketing campaigns.
How does a CRM improve guest loyalty?
By tracking repeat visits and preferences, a CRM lets you reward loyal guests through targeted loyalty programmes, special offers, and personalised communications that encourage repeat business.
Can a CRM help with email marketing?
Yes. A CRM can integrate with your email platform to automate personalised email campaigns, from welcome messages and special offers to post-stay surveys and seasonal promotions.
How does a CRM help segment your audience?
CRM systems group guests based on demographics, travel patterns, or booking history. This segmentation allows you to send the right message to the right audience, such as family deals or romantic getaway offers.
What kind of guest data can a CRM collect?
A hospitality CRM can store contact details, booking history, preferences, special dates, past communications, and feedback, helping your team deliver a more personalised experience.
Can a CRM system help reduce marketing costs?
Yes. By improving targeting and automating campaigns, a CRM ensures you’re reaching the most valuable segments of your audience, reducing wasted spend and increasing ROI.
How can a CRM help track marketing campaign performance?
CRMs monitor engagement metrics, bookings, and revenue generated by each campaign, allowing you to see what’s working and refine your strategy accordingly.
What CRM systems do you recommend for hospitality?
We work with and recommend several leading hospitality CRM solutions, chosen based on your business size, goals, and integrations with your booking or POS systems.