For hoteliers, adapting to the new mobile era means reaching new and return guests where they spend a significant amount time—on their smartphones. It’s just not enough to rely solely on your website to reach potential guests, especially today, where many use their phones for online searches and reviews. Research shows that 65% of emails are first opened on mobile devices.

It’s important to understand the integral role that mobile plays in the guest journey. From researching and planning, to booking and during the guest's stay, there are multiple the touch points hoteliers must account for in their marketing strategy. Mobile should definitely be part of the mix to reach and engage guests.

Having an active social media presence is also crucial to engage guests at the stage of their journey where they are looking to get inspired. Instagram and Pinterest, for instance, rely heavily on photography. This can serve as a great medium for hotels to showcase their property, amenities and local events. It also provides guests the opportunity to connect with the hotel’s social media platforms and share enticing posts that will inspire others to visit too.

Through Twitter and Facebook hotels can not only promote their news but also answer guests’ questions, adding another option for two-way communication that enhances service levels. And don’t forget to include video as part of your social media content as there is a big shift toward mobile video content. According to Cisco, 75% of all mobile data traffic is expected to be video by 2020. To ensure that all these efforts reach guests during the planning and selection phase, hotels need to invest in a strong SEO strategy that guarantees their hotel shows up in these mobile results.

With more emails being first opened on mobile devices than computers, it’s important to adapt your email marketing to mobile-friendly platforms in order to provide users with a better visual experience and content. To compete in the digital marketplace successfully, hotels need to understand the guest journey and its various touch points. Part of this strategy includes email marketing that is designed for a mobile-minded population.

Guest Journey Marketing