Personalization is not just about personalized pricing; it’s a revenue driver and powerful conversion tool for all commercial strategy disciplines that is capable of increasing revenues by up to 40%. I brought this topic to HSMAI’s Revenue Optimization Advisory Board for discussion. In this article, I outline our group’s key ideas for effective personalization.

1. Understand Your Guest’s Needs

To effectively personalize pricing and revenue optimization, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of guest preferences and needs. This requires collecting and analyzing data about guest behavior, preferences, and purchase patterns. By understanding what aspects of the product or ancillary offerings resonate with guests, hotels can tailor their pricing strategies and digital guest journey experiences accordingly.

2. Get Granular with Segmentation and Leverage Technology

Segmenting customers based on their preferences and behaviors allows hotels to offer targeted content and custom offer options that are most relevant to each segment. Technology plays a crucial role in personalization and revenue optimization. Hotels that leverage AI and data analysis to gain insights into guest preferences and behaviors will take the lead in enabling automated personalized offers. Direct bookings benefit the most from personalization, as this segment is most likely to have the guest data available for analysis and the customized communication and offers. The next step is how to partner with travel agencies and third-party partners to customize guest communication while being compliant with data privacy regulations.

3. Partner with all Commercial Strategy Disciplines

Collaboration between revenue optimization professionals, marketing, sales, distribution, and reservation contact center teams is essential to leverage personalization effectively. Personalization isn’t just personalized pricing, it’s a true personalized experience. This collaboration ensures that personalized pricing, targeted ads, customized guest journey and revenue optimization efforts are aligned with the overall commercial strategy of the hotel.

4. Take an Iterative Approach

Personalization and revenue optimization strategies should be continuously evaluated and refined. By analyzing guest data, monitoring the effectiveness of revenue optimization strategies, and collecting feedback, hotels can iterate and improve their personalization efforts over time. This approach allows hotels to adapt to changing guest preferences and market dynamics, ensuring that personalization efforts remain effective and relevant.

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Questions for your team:

  • What are the best practices for personalized pricing with hotel rooms? Ancillary revenues?
  • What recommended systems should be in place for ideal personalized pricing?
  • Where should an independent or franchise brand hotel start with wanting to implement personalized pricing?
  • How should revenue optimization professionals collaborate with marketing professionals to create a commercial strategy approach to personalized pricing? How can the areas divide and conquer?

About HSMAI

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as the Marketing Strategy Conference, Adrian Awards, Sales Leader Forum, and HSMAI ROC. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at hsmai.org.

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