With the right technology solutions, any property can collect guest data. However, it's what hotels and resorts do with the data that is important.

To create personalized experiences that stand out from the competition hotels must know their guests and be able to provide exceptional experiences. Today, there are technology solutions available that help hotels securely capture and use guest data effectively. By creating a detailed guest profile that multiple departments can easily access, hotels can empower their staff. With a full view of the guest, hotels provide information to their staff members that improves productivity, increases guest satisfaction and staff experiences, and ultimately generates more revenue. Service levels improve because the properties are helping make their staff members' jobs easier, and with that, guests have a better experience and properties can build loyalty.

Before the Guest Arrives

Properties can start building guest profiles before the guest steps foot on the resort. Booking solutions can help the guest customize their stay in advance, and at the same time, they capture preferences and other information about the guest for the property to use. By offering direct online booking to guests, hotels can integrate their property management systems (PMS) with their reservations systems, and automatically capture critical information for the guest profile. Personal details and the reason for the guest's stay can help generate pre- and post-visit communications to promote services, amenities and specials, plus encourage return visits.

With a solution that automatically collects guest information and communicates with other systems, a hotel prevents tedious manual tasks like exporting targeted guest lists. With rich profiles that reveal guest interests, behavior and trends in spending, properties can send targeted email campaigns to those guests suggesting additional activities they may want to book based on their interests and past behavior.

Loyalty programs are another resource to capture guest information including preferences – whether favorite food and beverage (F&B) items, restaurants, special events, spa services, or activities.

Once the Guest is On-site

Once the property has access to a full view of its guests, staff members can further understand guest expectations and how the guest is most comfortable interacting with the property. Push notifications and targeted ads encourage guests to take advantage of relevant special offers throughout their stay. By monitoring guest purchases across the property (whether charged to their credit card or room, or through touchless payment options), hotels can connect with their guests and create exceptional stays through room upgrades, sending a favorite wine to the guest's room, or securing hard-to-get tickets for an event or restaurant reservations to a popular restaurant.

Through a single view of the guest, hotels can analyze guest preferences and previous stay history to provide exceptional service levels and create customized personal experiences. An additional benefit to the hotel is labor management and inventory procurement. Through the integration of multiple systems to collect accurate data, staff can analyze guest preferences and spending trends to predict behavior. By properly using this information, properties can optimize inventory and staff, and exceed guest expectations.

After the Guest Departs

Sending a highly targeted offer to the set of guests most likely to react promotes marketing efficiency, staff productivity, and boosts revenue. Hotels can recognize a return visit or special celebration and remind the guest why they chose that property in the first place. Through the guest profile, staff members stay informed, boost loyalty, and have the ability to enhance each guest's stay.

Connecting with the guest throughout their journey – from property research to online booking, from arrival to departure, and even after they return home – allows a hotel to stay top of mind and reinforces guest loyalty. Properly using a technology solution to capture and organize guest information then share it across departments ensures hotels can target marketing at the most appropriate guests and create incredibly personalized experiences.

Make sure your team is at the top of their game. Providing the tools they need to get a 360-degree view of the guest allows them to craft a personalized experience that pleases the guest and boosts loyalty. Don't just create a guest profile; capture relevant data to create a truly exceptional experience that makes the guest want to return.