Today’s Lifestyle Hotel Needs Digital Guest Engagement
Lifestyle hotels are becoming quite the hot commodity, with some brands reporting room revenue increases up to 41 percent between 2019 and 2022. What’s making them so popular? Today’s hotel guests. In the wake of the pandemic, travelers are looking for hyper-local experiential travel opportunities that immerse themselves in the art, culture, history, and cuisine of the destinations they visit. And they want those hyper-local experiences to be hyper-personalized as well.
These qualities are the hallmarks of lifestyle hotels.
To personalize guest stays in the past, hotel staff would learn about guests and their preferences through face-to-face interactions. But today, much of that interaction has gone digital, particularly via the use of smartphones and personal devices. Research shows that while 7 out of 10 customers expect hotels to deliver personalized interactions, they also want minimal face-to-face contact with staff.
Let’s take a closer look at today’s lifestyle hotel guest expectations, and how the right digital guest engagement technology helps to satisfy them.
Expectation #1: They Expect You to Know Them
When a guest walks through your door, they want to be greeted by name, and warmly welcomed back if they’re a repeat visitor. An advanced hotel app lets you collect and store user analytics such as names, demographics, and interests in rich guest profiles that are easily accessible by team members. You can use this information to show you truly know them.
For instance, you can surprise guests by placing a customized welcome gift with products from local providers in their room before arrival. Fill it with kid-friendly toys or books for an arriving family, or special doggie treats if they’re traveling with little Fido.
Expectation #2: They Expect You to Know What They Like
Understanding guest preferences is key to creating the personalized experiences they desire. Through a guest’s app usage, you can track details like room temperature preferences, common services booked, and favored amenities. This data enables you to have everything set up just the way they like it prior to arrival. Perhaps on their last visit you learned a guest is allergic to down pillows. A quick check of their profile allows you to delight them by proactively switching to hypoallergenic ones before they even ask.
In addition, since the average person reads a new text within three minutes of receiving it, an advanced two-way messaging system helps keep guests happy and comfortable by letting you quickly address any questions or concerns.
Expectation #3: They Expect Personalized Recommendations
Beyond knowing what a guest likes, McKinsey research shows 67% of them expect you to deliver relevant recommendations. And the research further shows that this type of personalization drives repeat business and loyalty over time.
With the right platform, you can easily segment your guests and send automated messages that speak to their interests. You’ll help satisfy your guests’ deepest desires when you recommend the upcoming culinary tour for your foodies, a morning mountain-bike ride for your adventure seekers, or the opportunity to garden sustainably alongside locals for your nature lovers.
Expectation #4: They Expect You to Know Where They Are
According to a Hospitality Technology report, location-based services are in demand among guests. They want you to be able to deliver that ice-cold, local craft beer directly to the beachside spot where they’re basking in the sun. Or have their dining order hot, ready, and waiting for them when they return to the hotel after a day of exploring.
You can also use near-field communication (NFC) technology to make recommendations based on where they’re at on property. For instance, as a guest passes through the lobby, you can notify them about an upcoming history and culture talk taking place there soon. Or as they pass by the lounge, invite them to join you for sunset cocktails out on the patio.
Deliver Strong Digital Guest Engagement
To differentiate your lifestyle hotel, you need to deliver a hyper-personalized guest experience. And in today’s digital economy, that requires an advanced digital guest engagement solution. Personalization is a force multiplier. It leads to richer, long-term relationships with guests, repeat business, and it can help drive double-digit revenue growth. Need help implementing digital guest engagement at your lifestyle hotel?
[1] Bardoul, Kim. “Boutique Hotels Leading US Hotel Industry in Many Metrics.” CoStar, https://www.costar.com/article/1539980397/boutique-hotels-leading-us-hotel-industry-in-many-metrics.
[2] Lisignoli, Maria. “Experiential Travel Trend Emerges from the Pandemic.” WMTV – NBC15, 20 Aug. 2021, https://www.nbc15.com/2021/08/20/experiential-travel-trend-emerges-pandemic/.
[3] “The Value of Getting Personalization Right—or Wrong—Is Multiplying.” Mckinsey.Com, McKinsey & Company, 8 Nov. 2021, https://www.mckinsey.com.
[4] “Travelers Want High-Tech, Low-Touch Hotel Stays Shows New Oracle Survey.” Oracle.Com, https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/oracle-hospitality-in-2025-consumer-research-study-2022-06-01/.
[5] Soprano Design Ltd. “The Power of Mobile Communications.” Sopranodesign.Com, https://info.sopranodesign.com/the-power-of-mobile-communications. [6] Ibid., (3) [7] “2019 Customer Engagement Technology Study.” Hospitality Technology, https://hospitalitytech.com/2019-customer-engagement-technology-study.