How Can Hotel Text Messaging System Improve Overall Guest Experience?
24 April 2024
Bri Barnett
The hotel and hospitality industry has always been very competitive, and engaging and securing customers have been their top-notch priorities. They rely on various marketing approaches and strategies, and hotel text messaging is one of them.
However, technological advancement has completely revolutionized the way people do hotel bookings and their travel ideas and expectations. In today's tech-centric era, travellers are tech-savvy and prefer their smartphones for almost every part of their hotel booking journey. As per the study, more than 72% of consumers prefer to travel and book their hotels with a company that communicates their travel plans, hotel-stay booking details, reminders, and updates through SMS.
In this article, we will discuss why text message marketing for hotels is the bridge for hotels to connect and engage with consumers, the main benefits of automated SMS marketing, and a few text etiquette tips.
Therefore, without further ado, let us get started.
Before implementing the SMS marketing strategy for your hotel, understand what it is and why your hotel needs to implement it.
What is Hotel Text Message Marketing?
In simple words, hotel text message marketing or hotel SMS marketing means when a specific hotel sends an SMS to various contacts at once. For that, they use text message marketing platforms. Studies have shown that consumers open SMS before any other form of mobile communication.
A hotel needs permission to send promotional text messages. Without it, they cannot send marketing messages to their contacts just because they have their mobile number.
Why Do You Need Text Message Marketing For Hotels?
One of the main reasons why, as a hotel owner, you need to implement text message marketing is its higher open and engagement rate. According to a study, almost 98% of people read text messages, and around 90% of people read text messages within the first 3 minutes of receiving the SMS. These rates are 5X better than email marketing.
Your guest will open and read the text message because the nature of the hospitality industry is personal. Guests trust and pay attention to the communication done by their lodge providers.
Here are a few reasons to include hotel text messaging in your marketing strategy.
1) It increases guest engagement.
When someone chooses to stay on your property for business or vacation purposes, they should feel completely engaged. Sending them personalized welcome messages can create goodwill and establish a strong relationship with the guest.
However, it would be best if you do not overdo it. Before sending more messages, first examine your SMS marketing campaign and monitor performance. Therefore, your guests do not feel bothered.
2) Improves revenue
Text messaging offers you an incredible opportunity to establish a solid one-to-one relationship with your consumer. It can potentially convert your one-time guest into a loyal customer who will drive direct revenue to the property.
You can send them a pre-arrival upgrade message, app download promotion, or late check-out alert to drive revenue and establish a personalized relationship.
3) SMS marketing is affordable.
Text messaging is a cost-effective solution. You can integrate hotel text messaging systems like Textdrip into your CRM or marketing platform. We ensure to offer the most competitive pricing in the industry to make SMS the most affordable solution for engaging with guests.
4) It improves performance.
When a well-thought-out SMS campaign is implemented, it can improve property operations. For example, you can send a stay survey SMS to your guests. When they send the review regarding their stay at your hotel, you can use it to improve the hotel operations.
Now that you know why you should opt for an SMS marketing strategy for your hotel, let us move to the next section. This section will discuss a few tips regarding hospitality text messaging.
Which Hospitality-Specific Text Messaging Tips Do You Need To Consider?
We have rounded up a few text messaging tips that you need to remember.
Tip-1 Use SMS for Brief Conversation
The hospitality industry is all about providing guests with good service, convenience, and comfort. Therefore, you need to think cautiously about situations in which sending SMS is better than using other marketing channels.
You should send a message to exchange short information. You can send details about booking activities, requesting extra items, ordering room service, booking a spa treatment, reserving a table at a hotel restaurant, etc.
However, there are many situations in which SMS is not the right medium to communicate with your guests. For example, if your guests have any complaints, it is better to discuss it with them in person or over a phone call. Therefore, your guest will not misinterpret any information or apologies. Also, if you want to relay any confidential information to your guest, you should talk in person.
Tip-2 Be Creative
If you want to achieve the best engagement from the guest, craft a unique SMS campaign. There are various scenarios in which hotel text messaging campaigns work well. However, think outside of the box so your business texting channel gets maximum attention and reach.
For example, if there is any cricket/football event or holiday, you can text your guests regarding free drinks or any special offer/discount. You can even request feedback from your guests regarding their stay at your hotel. A quick text has more chances to receive a response than a long email.
In short, there are many ways to craft an engaging text campaign, but make sure you create a unique campaign for your hotel to get improved engagement from guests
Tip-3 Don't Overshare or Over Text
You can use text messaging for hotels in many ways, but remember not to bombard them with too many texts. First, establish trust with your guests. If your guests do not trust you, then your SMS marketing campaigns have no meaning. It will not provide any value. Your guests will start ignoring your texts, delete them, or even decide to opt out of your messaging service completely.
Therefore, if you want your SMS list to grow, send necessary and relevant information to your guests regarding upcoming events, specialized offers, or current stays exclusive to the guests who have opted for your SMS service.
Tip-4 Maintain Professionalism
Follow TCPA regulations while sending text messages to your guests. Allow your guests to opt out of your service whenever they want. Keep in mind the following things to appear professional in front of your audience.
- First, introduce yourself. In the beginning text conversion, give information about your name and your hotel's name. It will make your guests aware of whom they are communicating with.
- Send text messages during business hours. It might happen that your guest is vacationing or on a business trip. Therefore, it is better that you be mindful of that.
- Whenever you receive any query or message from your consumers, respond quickly. For that, you can even use an automated text messaging system or use SMS templates to give fast responses.
- Write a clear and concise message. Use proper grammar, syntax, and capitalization for it.
- Try to write positive text messages. Don't give a one-word reply. Remember to include greetings and phrases such as "thank you" and "my pleasure."
Tip-5 Proofread Text Before Sending to Your Guest
Once you send the text message, there is no way to get them back. Therefore, you should double-check it before sending it to your guests. Keep the following checklist in mind.
- Your SMS must sound positive.
- Include text-appropriate subject matter.
- Time, date, and other information is accurate.
- Spelling and grammar are proper.
It is best to create text messaging templates to use daily. You can do it in hotel text messaging systems to ensure error-free messages are sent.
Let Textdrip Help You Keep Your Hotel Rooms Filled & Guests Happy!
In a nutshell, nurturing relationships with their guests is essential for hotels and the hospitality industry. Therefore, if you are a hotelier who wants to exceed their guests' expectations, Textdrip can help you build a successful hotel text messaging campaign.
With Textdrip, you can easily create and schedule personalized SMS that helps you manage communication with your guests and reach your potential consumers better. By including text message marketing for hotels in your communication strategy, you can book more rooms, keep your hotel rooms filled, and improve the overall guest experience. Textdrip's hotel text messaging system can send bulk SMS, automate your workflow, or send personal messages. Besides, you can even use ready-to-use SMS templates for hotels and hospitality businesses.
So, try Textdrip's free trial of SMS marketing for the hospitality industry and experience how this platform can elevate your hotel's outreach.
FAQ's
| What is hotel text messaging? |
Hotel text messaging means sending text messages to various consumers at once. Integrating automated SMS marketing, hotels can take advantage of it and enjoy increased ROI and consumer satisfaction.
| How does hotel text messaging benefit guests? |
Text messaging offers the following benefits.
- It can improve communications with staff members and guests, which can lead to boosting revenue.
- Using SMS, you can save funds and use them in other places.
- It gives an opportunity to nurture leads.
- Text messaging helps in improving productivity.
- You can integrate the system with other hospitality tools or software.
- You can collect guests' feedback and preferences, which can help improve your hotel's service quality.
| Can hotel text messaging integrate with existing software or tools? |
You can easily integrate hotel text messaging into existing software or tools to achieve a higher open and response rate.
| Is SMS marketing effective for hotels? |
Yes, SMS marketing is effective for hotels due to its high open rates, personalized nature, and immediate delivery. It lets hotels reach guests directly on their smartphones making sure that messages are seen and read.
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