Customer loyalty is an important aspect of nearly every industry, and repeat business can make the difference between a company failing or thriving. Canada gets a lot of repeat tourism, as visitors often fall in love with the country and want to come back again and again. We welcome over 20 million tourists each year, leading to booming business for hotels.
The question for hotel owners, though, is how to get the same customers coming back to their hotel each time rather than trying somewhere else.
Now might be a good idea to sit down and rethink how you approach customer loyalty as part of your business.
Loyalty is Important for Every Industry
Hotel owners who want to introduce customer loyalty programs should look to other industries to see how it is done. Every business that operates in a competitive industry should be taking steps to make sure that they win customers away from their rivals. One industry which has led the way in terms of fostering customer loyalty is the coffee sector. There are more than 8,300 coffee shops in Canada, highlighting just how much rivalry there is. Cafes try to get repeat customers by offering points that can be redeemed for free drinks, as well as doing other promotions like 50% discount days or buy one get one free discounts after 2pm. Of course, coffee shops will also try to add a personalized touch, such as writing the customer’s name on the cup, even when it’s a multinational brand.
The online casino industry is another example of a highly competitive sector in Canada where players often like to stick with their favourite developers, despite the veritable wealth of choice on offer. For instance, NetEnt has become a mark of quality, and some players actively seek out slots made by the Swedish developer. Fans can find out where they recommend playing them by visiting the brand’s official site. This means that players can stay loyal to the developer while playing at a number of different online casinos, if they so choose.
Rewarding Customers for Returning
Compared to online businesses, hotels are more restricted in what they can offer repeat clients. For instance, unless they are part of a chain, they can’t provide guests with a new location for their next holiday. So, they need to do enough to encourage customers to come back to the same place every time – they visit. For this reason, hotels try to show off their location and highlight all of the on-site amenities.
There are a few small ways in which hotels can encourage travel loyalty and get customers coming back every year. One of the best things that owners can do is provide gifts to guests to make them feel special. When they arrive, give them a unique experience. For example, you could store their favourite drinks on file and have these ready upon arrival. When they get to their room, you could lay out their favourite fruit in the bowl or leave a snack that they love. All this information can easily be acquired through basic questionnaires when anyone books a stay at the hotel, or it can be collected during previous visits.
While many travellers want to explore as much of the world as possible, there are some who enjoy familiar, reliable settings. Hotels can employ a number of techniques to foster customer loyalty and keep customers coming back year after year. For the holiday goer, the special feeling of being looked after can help them make lifelong memories (that include your brand).
