Hotel email marketing has become a game-changer for creating meaningful connections with guests. It’s one of the most direct and personal ways to engage your audience, build loyalty, and increase direct bookings. With so much competition in the hospitality industry, a well-crafted email strategy can help your hotel stand out by delivering tailored experiences that resonate with your guests.
In this post, we’ll walk through some effective hotel email marketing examples and strategies and give you practical tips to implement right away.
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Why is hotel email marketing important?
Email marketing plays a vital role in acquiring and engaging customers. Here’s why it’s so effective:
- Direct communication. Using third-party platforms like Booking.com can make it challenging to stand out from competitors and build direct relationships with your audience. On the other hand, hospitality email marketing lets you reach out to both new and loyal customers directly, helping you foster stronger connections.
- High ROI. When compared to other advertising methods like Google or Facebook Ads, email marketing for hotels offers a much higher return on investment. You can reach a wide audience with minimal cost. If done right, hotel email marketing can generate $36 for every $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available.
- Personalized experiences. Using customer data, hotels can deliver highly personalized content such as tailored offers, personalized stay recommendations, or post-stay follow-ups that are likely to improve customer satisfaction and increase customer retention.
- Increased direct bookings. Email marketing for hotels allows you to promote exclusive deals and loyalty programs to encourage direct bookings. It can help you cut back on commission fees from third-party booking sites and reduce dependency on online travel agencies.
- Boosted efficiency. With hospitality email marketing, hotels can automatically send timely messages, such as booking confirmations, pre-arrival information, and personalized offers, without relying on other platforms.
- Social proof. Sending follow-up emails after a guest’s stay is a great way to collect reviews and feedback. You can then showcase positive reviews on your website to boost your hotel’s reputation, while constructive feedback can help you improve the quality of your services.
In short, hotel email marketing is a powerful way to increase bookings, build loyalty, and strengthen long-term customer relationships. By consistently staying in touch through email campaigns, you can gain valuable insights into guest needs and consistently improve their experiences.
Tips and tricks for effective hotel email marketing
To get the most out of hotel email marketing, having a well-thought-out strategy is key. Here are some practical tips to help you effectively communicate with your guests.
Segment your audience
Before setting up any email campaign or automated flow, it’s crucial to really understand your audience. By grouping your guests based on factors like past stays, preferences, booking history, or location, you can send them more relevant, engaging content.
Leveraging such data points will allow you to create personalized emails that speak directly to every customer’s needs — whether they’re leisure or business travelers. Common segments also include VIP guests, first-time bookers, off-season travelers, or loyalty program members.
Write compelling subject lines
Subject lines are often the deciding factor in whether your email gets opened or ignored. To boost your open rates, keep them short, engaging, and clear. Adding a sense of urgency or promoting exclusive deals can also be extremely effective. For instance, you can try something like: “Exclusive Discount for Your Next Stay” or “Limited-Time Offer: 20% Off This Weekend!”
Here’s a real hospitality email marketing example from Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel. They used the subject line “Don’t Miss Out: Habibi Live at the Ritual Pool” to create urgency while also giving key details about an event happening at the hotel.
Create relevant content
When you’re writing an email, think of it as creating content that resonates with your audience. Start by considering why people come to your area. Are there year-round natural attractions or popular annual events? This type of information can help you create effective email copy that feels personal and relevant, increasing the chances that your guests will engage with it.
Here is a hotel newsletter example from Ace Hotel that highlights events happening in September across the cities where their hotels are located. This approach makes their campaign versatile, allowing it to appeal to guests in different locations while offering something interesting to various audience segments.
Personalize your emails
Personalization can take many forms, depending on what your email software can do. The easiest way to start is by using the guest’s name in your campaign’s subject line or greeting. But if you want to go a step further, consider using dynamic content to recommend specific services based on their past visits — like suggesting a spa package if they’ve booked one before. You can also highlight local attractions that match their interests, making the content feel more relevant.
Below is a hotel email example that sums up a guest’s booking history for the year, celebrating key milestones along the way. It’s a smart use of customer data to create a more engaging experience.
Use high-quality visuals
While your copy is key, email visuals play an equally important role in grabbing attention and making your newsletter more engaging. High-quality images or videos of your property, local attractions, and amenities can make a big difference in how memorable your emails are. Always use professional photos or videos to show off what makes your hotel unique.
It’s also essential to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly since many of your guests will be reading them on their smartphones. Take a look at this example from Soho House — they created a newsletter that’s mostly visuals with just a short bit of text. All the images have a consistent color tone, giving the email a cozy, cohesive feel that aligns perfectly with their brand.
Offer exclusive deals
One of the main advantages of hotel email marketing is the ability to share special offers directly with your guests. You can promote exclusive deals like early-bird discounts, seasonal packages, or loyalty perks. Last-minute deals for weekend getaways or holiday specials are also great ways to fill rooms during slow periods.
Offering promotions that are only available to your email subscribers can drive new sign-ups and reward returning guests. For example, Marriott Hotel offers email subscribers perks like free nights and late checkouts after they join the mailing list. Highlighting these kinds of benefits can encourage guests to keep coming back and regularly check their inboxes for new deals.
Leverage testimonials
Encouraging guests to leave reviews after their stay is a smart move for hotel email marketing. Not only do reviews help you spot areas for improvement, but they also provide valuable social proof you can feature on your website to reassure future guests. By showing what your real guests think, you can build trust and make it easier for people to choose your hotel.
Take a look at the hotel newsletter example below. Thompson Hotels sends a short email with a link to a survey asking guests about their experience. This simple step lets them gather feedback and improve, while also creating content they can share on their website or social media to attract new guests.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to boost your hospitality email marketing strategy. By using some or all of these tips, you can create more targeted, effective campaigns that connect with your audience and lead to more bookings.
Hotel email marketing examples
Although there are various strategies for hotel email marketing, businesses typically choose what best fits their needs. Let’s explore some examples of successful hotel email campaigns.
The Hoxton
This hotel email marketing example from The Hoxton highlights local events and activities in Chicago, where the hotel is located. The email shares useful information about each event, including helpful links, and even discount codes for some activities. It’s likely the hotel earns a commission from tickets bought using these custom codes, creating a win-win for both the hotel and its guests.
Here’s another hotel email example from the same chain. This newsletter’s design takes a more minimalist approach with more illustrations than text. It offers a discount code for the entire stay and adds a playful twist by suggesting humorous excuses to take a day off. Not only does it help guests save money, but it also brings a bit of fun to the email.
Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel
Here’s a great hotel email marketing example from Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel. After signing up, they send a simple subscription confirmation email. It’s a good practice to let subscribers know what kind of content they can expect from the hotel. In this case, Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel keeps it low-key, thanking new subscribers and reassuring them they will not be sending too many emails.
Tradewinds Hotel
In hotel email marketing, sending booking confirmation emails is a standard practice. Tradewinds Hotel makes sure to include all the key details in one email — reservation dates, check-in and check-out times, hotel amenities, and contact information for any questions.
They also use icons to highlight the facilities, making the email much easier to scan.
Placemakr
Here’s a hotel email marketing example from Placemakr. The email is sent to guests shortly before check-out, reminding them in case it slipped their mind. It also gives them the option to request a late check-out for an extra fee.
Ennismore Hotels
Ennismore Hotels uses hotel email marketing to announce the opening of a new hotel in Paris. The newsletter includes a special code for the occasion, allowing subscribers to book a room at a discounted price.
It also features photos of the rooms and common areas, along with details about the facilities.
Ace Hotel
Similar to the previous hotel email example, Ace Hotel sends a newsletter introducing a new hotel in Toronto. They took a slightly different approach by providing more information about the district and the hotel’s amenities. The email includes direct links to book a room, reserve a table at the restaurant, or browse their online shop for merchandise.
Speaking of online shops, here is another hotel newsletter example from Ace Hotel. To celebrate their anniversary, they’re offering a range of 90s-inspired items. This lets guests know about their unique offerings and gives them a chance to view several options in one email.
Hotel June
Hotel email marketing is often used to share seasonal discounts or limited-time offers. For instance, this email from Hotel June informs subscribers about current promotions, like 50% off the third night in Malibu or 10% off stays in West LA. Along with these deals, the hotel chain highlights amenities like the swimming pool and nearby beaches. The email also includes a brief overview of spring events happening at the venue.
Marriott
For hotels that offer memberships or loyalty programs, email marketing can encourage members to book again or choose a particular hotel over others. For instance, in this email from Marriott, guests are invited to earn bonus points by booking a stay that meets certain criteria. The email also highlights several hotels across different states, giving users inspiration and helping them choose a place to stay in their desired location.
Renaissance Hotel
After check-out, it’s a good idea to collect feedback to improve your service and encourage guests to return. Renaissance Hotel sends a survey email to find out if guests enjoyed their stay. NPS email surveys are an effective way to gather feedback because they’re easy to fill out and don’t require guests to visit other websites.
These hotel newsletter examples show different ways to connect with guests. Depending on your hotel’s strengths, you can use one or more of these strategies to keep in touch with your visitors and add value at the same time.
How to do hospitality email marketing with SendPulse
To connect with guests and promote your services, it’s essential to choose the right email marketing software that can help you achieve your goals. In this section, we’ll look at how to create and manage email marketing campaigns for hotels using SendPulse.
Create a campaign
To launch your first hotel email campaign, log into your account and create a mailing list. You can upload your contacts or add them manually and segment them based on various criteria. Next, choose an email template or create a custom one from scratch to set up your campaign.
Customize your email
SendPulse offers a library of pre-made templates tailored for various industries and events, which you can customize to fit your needs. Simply click on any element to change its style or move it around. You can add elements like columns, images, videos, buttons, and text. With integrated AI tools, you can also refine your email copy for better flow and more effective messaging.
Automate your email
In hotel email marketing, many emails can be sent automatically after a guest takes an action, like making a room reservation or cancellation. With SendPulse, you can create automated flows triggered by specific events.
To access these features, go to the Automations section in your dashboard and choose a drag-and-drop editor or templates. You can edit various flow data, including when emails are sent and at what times. You can also use multiple marketing channels to send automated messages, including email, SMS, web push notifications, messaging app campaigns, and more.
SendPulse lets you run one or multiple automated flows for a mailing list and create flows that start when a variable value changes. For instance, this could apply when a user’s location switches. Another option is dynamic emails triggered by events, which allow you to update variables or any other data displayed in your email.
Analyze and refine
Once you’ve sent your email, you can track open and click rates, along with other key metrics, to evaluate the success of your campaign.
The bottom line
Effective marketing strategies help hotels build brand recognition, showcase their unique features, and stand out from the competition. Hotel email marketing keeps your brand fresh in guests’ minds, while automated messages improve their experience by providing helpful information before, during, and after their stay.
Consider using SendPulse as your email marketing solution. This software offers a comprehensive set of tools that let you create email campaigns from scratch and fully automate them without any web design or programming background. Plus, you can take advantage of other SendPulse features for your website and social media channels, making your hospitality marketing effective across all platforms.
Give it a try today and turn inquiries into bookings!
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