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Scoring is the Next Wave in Guest Personalization

By Terri Miller, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

It’s no secret — finding success as a hotelier is ultimately rooted in the understanding of value. However, it’s not just a matter of providing value to potential guests to gain their business and loyalty, it’s also recognizing the individual value they bring to you.

Our industry realizes the importance of the hotel rating systems available to guests – if a hotel’s rating is high, brimming with positive reviews, guests should follow. Travelers are ensured they are allocating their business to hotels that are most likely to meet (or even exceed) their expectations.

Now, imagine a scoring system that went both ways. What if your hotel could intuitively unlock the total value of each guest? After all, the lifetime value of a guest who books directly with your hotel is far more than that single reservation; it’s an opportunity to forge a long-term relationship. According to HFTP Hall of Fame inductee Cindy Estis Green, many hotels are spending as much as 35 percent of guest-paid revenue to put new heads in beds; therefore, hotels should always focus on curating long-lasting relationships. In fact, the White House Office of Consumer Affairs states loyal customers are worth (on average) up to 10 times as much as their first purchase. In today’s marketplace, the more you know about your guest the easier it is to leverage this data to demonstrate your value and streamline your customer-retention model.

With this in mind, many hoteliers are beginning to realize the advantages of implementing guest scoring systems derived from analytic-based insights. This allows them to gauge the tendencies and potential value of each guest that comes through their door. These insights are developed from algorithms that calculate a guest’s value to the hotel and brand based on attributes such as spend, social influence, and frequency of stay.

Concilio Labs’ Guest Intelligence platform provides a comprehensive Guest Profile with scores for Spend, Social Influence, and Loyalty, which contributes to an overall Guest Score. Along with these insights, hoteliers have visibility into a guest’s social accounts, upcoming stay details, and a persona based on their primary travel purpose.

Using this Guest Scoring system, hoteliers receive daily reports and mobile notifications with insights for VIP guests, as well as recommended suggestions of offers, welcome amenities, and upgrades, delivered at the right time through the right channel. Guest activities are also captured to determine real ROI on marketing campaigns, allowing you to better allocate your marketing dollars towards effective segments.

Understanding a guest’s motivations and how they make purchasing decisions is like having a crystal ball that allows you to anticipate their needs and expectations…during booking and before they arrive on property. Guest scores aren’t a new concept, but with the proliferation of social media and digital footprints, the flood of behavioral data available can give your hotel guest insights previously unavailable.

This is, without a doubt, the future of guest personalization — allowing you to see (and understand) the person behind each reservation.

About the Author:

The capability to understand today’s hotel guest is a priority for Concilio Labs. Terri Miller and her team developed a way to leverage hotel and public data to help hoteliers provide exceptional relevant experiences to its guests. As CEO of Concilio Labs, Terri is responsible for driving the strategic and tactical growth of the company, while ensuring innovation is at the forefront when delivering solutions hoteliers truly need. Her wealth of experience in business, management, and technology guides all facets of the company’s success. Prior to Concilio Labs, Terri was the Vice President of MICROS eCommerce leading the creative, delivery, and technical departments. With a passion for delivering results, Terri continues to grow Concilio Labs with a focus on becoming the leader in developing and delivering smart hotel products and services.