Hospitality Marketing

It’s no secret that Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) play a major role in hotel bookings—but they don’t come without their own set of unique challenges for the modern hotelier. If you’re looking to convert OTA guests into loyal, direct-booking customers, it’s time to rethink how you engage with them across their journey. 

As a hotelier, you’re not just selling a room—you’re offering a complete experience. But to deliver a great guest experience (and encourage repeat stays), you need to understand your guests better than ever. That’s where aggregated data and derived variables come into play. 

In an uncertain economy, hotels and resorts must navigate rising costs, unpredictable demand, and shifting guest expectations. And in order to thrive, hospitality leaders need more than good instincts—they need reliable, flexible technology that maximizes every marketing dollar and deepens guest relationships. 

In today’s ultra-competitive hospitality landscape, delivering a memorable guest experience is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. But even the most breathtaking ocean views or high-thread-count sheets won’t keep guests returning if hoteliers fail to understand and engage them on a personal level. That’s where your guest data becomes invaluable. 

In an era where guest expectations continue to evolve and hyper-segmentation is considered the norm, leveraging data effectively can help hotels provide personalized experiences, increase direct bookings, and drive guest loyalty. In a recent webinar hosted by the BC Hotel Association and Ascent360, speakers, Paul Hawes & Scott Buelter examine how hoteliers, from small independents to multi-property conglomerates, can make data-driven decisions that create meaningful guest experiences. 

It’s no secret that personalization is key to engaging your guests. For hotels, delivering timely and relevant messages to guests can make all the difference in securing direct bookings and encouraging repeat stays. Webhook-triggered emails, also known as behavioral emails, are an effective way to achieve this. 

In today’s increasingly digital world, learning how to leverage your data to enhance the guest experience—across all channels and touchpoints—is more important than ever. First-party data is collected by you, straight from your guests through various in-person and digital interactions. It provides hotels with accurate, reliable, and actionable insights. Some examples of first-party data include social media conversations/engagement, data in your CRM or CDP, survey data and guest feedback, and visit history.   Unlike third-party data, which is often costly and less precise, first-party data allows hotels to build stronger relationships with their guests, reduce dependence on intermediaries, and ensure compliance with evolving data privacy regulations. By harnessing first-party data effectively, hotels can personalize guest experiences, optimize marketing strategies, and drive more direct bookings, ultimately leading to increased profitability and long-term success. Data Accuracy and Reliability First-party data offers hotels and resorts a distinct advantage in ensuring data accuracy and reliability. Since this data is gathered directly from guests through interactions such as online bookings, loyalty programs, and in-stay behaviors, it reflects real-time and authentic guest preferences. Unlike third-party data, which can be outdated or based on broad assumptions, first-party data allows hotels to make well-informed decisions that enhance guest experiences and drive revenue. By leveraging data directly from their own sources, hotels can reduce dependency on unreliable external data providers and ensure their marketing and operational strategies are based on verifiable guest behaviors.   Accurate data is key to making informed decisions on room pricing, service offerings, and guest engagement. When hotels rely on precise first-party data, they can personalize guest experiences more effectively, anticipate trends, and reduce wasted resources on generic marketing campaigns that may not resonate with their audience. Eliminate Data Silos One of the biggest challenges in the hospitality industry is fragmented data across different systems (i.e. PMS, Spa, POS, and F&B), leading to operational inefficiencies and missed revenue opportunities. First-party data, paired with platforms such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Data Platforms (CDP) help eliminate these silos by integrating data from various sources, such as reservation systems, loyalty programs, guest feedback, and on-property interactions.   When data is centralized, marketing, front desk, housekeeping, and restaurant teams can work together with a unified view of the guest. For example, if a guest has specific room or dining preferences noted during a previous stay, this information can be shared across departments to provide a seamless and personalized experience upon their return. Breaking down data silos allows for improved communication, better service coordination, and a higher level of guest satisfaction. Enhance Guest Personalization First-party data enables hotels to offer personalized experiences that cater to individual guest preferences. By analyzing past stays, dining habits, and preferred amenities, hotels can tailor their services to meet each guest’s unique needs. For example, if a returning guest prefers a specific room type, enjoys spa treatments, or follows a plant-based diet, hotels can proactively customize their offerings, creating a more memorable stay.   Personalization extends beyond on-property experiences—hotels can use first-party data to craft personalized marketing campaigns. Instead of sending generic promotional emails, hotels can deliver targeted messages that include exclusive offers relevant to each guest’s past interactions. This hyper-segmented approach increases engagement, boosts guest loyalty, and enhances the likelihood of repeat bookings. Reduce Dependence on OTAs Many hotels and resorts rely heavily on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) for bookings, often paying high commission fees that cut into their profits. First-party data helps hotels build direct relationships with guests, which may ultimately reduce their dependence on OTAs. By collecting and leveraging guest data through direct bookings, email campaigns, and loyalty programs, hotels can drive more bookings through their own channels.   Encouraging direct bookings through exclusive incentives, such as loyalty points, member discounts, or personalized packages, helps hotels retain more revenue while fostering stronger connections with their guests. Additionally, having direct access to guest data allows hotels to engage in ongoing communication, providing them with the ability to nurture relationships and encourage future stays without relying on third-party intermediaries. Privacy Compliance With increasing data privacy regulations, such as GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL, hotels must ensure that they handle guest data responsibly. First-party data collection allows hotels to comply with these regulations more effectively, as they have direct control over how data is gathered, stored, and used.   To maintain compliance and build trust with guests, hotels should implement transparent data policies, clearly outlining what data is being collected and how it will be used. Obtaining explicit guest consent and providing easy opt-out options are essential to ethical data handling. Additionally, data security measures, such as encryption and restricted access controls, should be in place to protect guest information from breaches.   By prioritizing privacy compliance, hotels can strengthen their reputation as a trustworthy brand. Guests are more likely to share their information when they feel confident that their data is being handled securely and ethically. Conclusion First-party data is a critical asset for hotels and resorts looking to optimize guest experiences, improve operational efficiency, and increase direct bookings. By focusing on data accuracy, eliminating silos, enhancing personalization, reducing OTA dependency, and ensuring privacy compliance, hotels can leverage first-party data to drive long-term success. As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, those who embrace first-party data strategies will gain a competitive edge in delivering exceptional guest experiences while maintaining data security and regulatory compliance. A hyper-personalized guest experience starts with accurate & reliable first-party data. Discover how Ascent360, the Gold Standard of Hospitality Customer Data Platforms, helps hotels collect & enrich first-party data from multiple sources at once (i.e. PMS, F&B and Golf) and leverage it to truly surprise & delight their guests. Request a demo today!   {{cta(‘a4f650e9-e5e9-4500-ac2d-48d17688c531’)}}

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves throughout the world and is transforming the way people do business. While AI is still evolving and being tested, it is already making an impact on marketing, messaging, and the way hotels and resorts communicate with their guests. It is enabling true one-to-one communications, interactions, and transactions at scale, and we are seeing this rapid growth coinciding with the use of customer data platforms (CDPs).