Hello! Welcome to the first lesson in our new module, Marketing Automation Foundations.
In our last module, we focused on understanding guest behavior through data, culminating in building and automatically distributing performance dashboards. You now have the tools to see what's happening on your website and in your campaigns. Now, we shift from passive observation to proactive engagement. This module is all about using technology to influence guest behavior at scale.
Today's lesson will build a crucial bridge between your expertise as a hotelier and the world of marketing automation. Our learning outcome is to map key moments in the hotel guest journey suitable for automation. We'll formalize the guest lifecycle you know so well, identifying the precise points where a timely, automated message can make all the difference.
1. What is a Customer Journey Map?
Before we dive into the hotel-specifics, let's start with the core concept. A customer journey map is a visual story of a customer's experience with a company. It's not about your internal processes; it's about seeing the experience from the outside-in—through the eyes of your guest.
To get a clear definition, please watch the first few minutes of this video on customer journey mapping.
Customer Journey Mapping Tutorial
This video from Jesper Lowgren provides a great introduction to the principles of customer journey mapping. It explains why it's a customer-centric approach and outlines the basic layers of a map.
Please watch from the beginning until 06:44. Focus on understanding the four key layers mentioned: the customer life cycle, situations/activities, customer needs, and customer experience. This will give you a solid framework for our discussion.
As the video explains, the journey map helps us understand a guest's needs, feelings, and actions at each stage. For us, this map becomes a blueprint for identifying where automation can enhance the experience, increase revenue, and build loyalty.
2. The Stages of the Hotel Guest Journey
While the video uses a car purchase as an example, the principles are universal. In hospitality, we can define a very clear set of stages that every guest goes through. Your experience as a hotelier will make these stages feel very familiar.
We can break this cycle into five key stages, each presenting unique opportunities for automation. Let's explore them one by one.
These two articles from Mews and ActiveCampaign provide excellent, practical breakdowns of the hotel guest journey. They are rich with examples of touchpoints and automation ideas that are directly applicable to your business.
For the first resource, 'How to automate your hotel customer journey' (from Mews), skim through the sections from 'What is the customer journey...' down to 'Post-trip'. Notice how they break the journey down and the examples they provide.
How to Optimize and Automate the Hotel Customer Journey
Now, do the same for the second resource, 'How to Optimize and Automate the Hotel Customer Journey' (from ActiveCampaign). Read through the five main stages from 'Dreaming and planning' to 'Post-stay and advocacy'. Compare their stages and suggested tactics to the Mews article.
Drawing from these resources, let's synthesize a clear, five-stage model and identify key moments within each.
Stage 1: Dreaming & Inspiration
- Guest Mindset: "I want to take a trip, but I'm not sure where or when." They are looking for ideas and inspiration.
- Key Moments & Automation Opportunities:
- Moment: A potential guest reads your blog post about local attractions.
- Automation: Offer a "Free City Guide" PDF in exchange for their email. Subscribing triggers a welcome email sequence showcasing your hotel and neighborhood.
- Moment: They browse your "Rooms" page but leave.
- Automation: Add them to a Meta Ads retargeting audience. Show them beautiful ads of your hotel and a soft call-to-action like "Your perfect getaway awaits."
Stage 2: Booking
- Guest Mindset: "I've chosen my destination. Now I need to find the best hotel." They are actively comparing prices, amenities, and reviews.
- Key Moments & Automation Opportunities:
- Moment: A guest starts the booking process but doesn't complete it. This is booking abandonment.
- Automation: Trigger an automated email. The first, sent an hour later, could be a simple, "Did you need help with your booking?". A second email, sent a day later, could create urgency ("Rooms are booking fast!") or offer a small incentive.
- Moment: A guest is on the booking page for more than three minutes.
- Automation: Proactively trigger a chatbot: "Hi! Have any questions about our amenities or booking process? I can help."
Stage 3: Pre-Arrival
- Guest Mindset: "I'm excited about my trip! I hope everything goes smoothly." They are looking for reassurance and ways to enhance their upcoming stay.
- Key Moments & Automation Opportunities:
- Moment: 7 days before check-in.
- Automation: Send a "Your trip is almost here!" email. Include helpful tips (weather, directions) and link to your concierge services. This is a prime moment for upselling (e.g., "Would you like to upgrade to a suite for $50/night?") or cross-selling ("Book your spa treatment now and get 10% off.").
- Moment: 24 hours before check-in.
- Automation: Send an email or SMS with a link for online check-in to save them time upon arrival.
Stage 4: In-Stay
- Guest Mindset: "I'm here. I want to have a great, seamless experience." They value convenience and attentive (but not intrusive) service.
- Key Moments & Automation Opportunities:
- Moment: Upon connecting to the hotel Wi-Fi.
- Automation: Redirect them to a welcome page with key info: restaurant hours, room service menu, and a chat link to the front desk.
- Moment: Morning of the second day.
- Automation: Send a brief, automated SMS: "Good morning, [Guest Name]. We hope you're enjoying your stay with us. Is there anything we can do to make it more comfortable?"
Stage 5: Post-Stay
- Guest Mindset: "That was a great trip. I want to share my experience and remember the good times."
- Key Moments & Automation Opportunities:
- Moment: 24 hours after check-out.
- Automation: Send a "Thank you for staying with us" email. Crucially, include direct links to leave a review on TripAdvisor, Google, or other relevant platforms.
- Moment: 3 months after their stay.
- Automation: If they haven't re-booked, send a "We miss you!" email with a special offer for a return visit, perhaps personalized based on their previous stay (e.g., a "family fun" package if they booked a family suite).
This map of touchpoints is the foundation of your automation strategy.
Test your understanding!
A business traveler has just booked a "King Executive Room" for a two-night stay next Tuesday.
Map one key moment from the Pre-Arrival stage and one from the Post-Stay stage that would be particularly relevant for this guest. For each moment, suggest a specific, personalized automation you could send.
Show answer
Here is one possible answer:
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Pre-Arrival Moment: The day before check-in.
- Automation: Send an email with the subject "Streamline your check-in at [Your Hotel Name]". The content could offer mobile check-in and ask if they need to reserve airport transportation or book a table for a business dinner at the hotel restaurant. This speaks directly to the needs of a time-conscious business traveler.
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Post-Stay Moment: 30 days after check-out.
- Automation: Send an email with the subject "Planning your next business trip to [Your City]?". The content could highlight your hotel's business amenities (fast Wi-Fi, meeting spaces) and offer a corporate rate or a loyalty program sign-up link. This positions your hotel as the default choice for their future business travel.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we've deconstructed the hotel guest experience into a structured journey map. By understanding the guest's mindset and actions at each of the five core stages—Dreaming, Booking, Pre-Arrival, In-Stay, and Post-Stay—we can pinpoint the exact moments where automation can deliver the right message at the right time.
Key Takeaways:
- A customer journey map is a customer-centric tool for visualizing the guest experience.
- The hotel guest journey can be segmented into five stages: Dreaming, Booking, Pre-Arrival, In-Stay, and Post-Stay.
- Each stage contains key moments (touchpoints) where automated communications can enhance service, drive revenue, and build loyalty.
- Mapping this journey is the foundational first step for building any effective marketing automation strategy.
What's Next?
We've identified the "what" and "when" of hotel marketing automation. In our next lesson, we will dive into the "how." The learning outcome will be to explain core automation concepts: triggers, actions, delays, and conditions. You'll learn the fundamental building blocks that all automation platforms use to bring the journey map we've designed today to life.