La Quinta evolves its marketing approach to meet the changing demands of travelers
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Designing for the next generation traveler is a necessity that’s being adopted by companies and brands across the hospitality industry, from high-tech hubs at airports to virtual experiences that let you “try-on” a vacation before you go. In the age of digital nomadism, and at a time when young people are increasingly seduced by the prospect of new experiences, hotels are upgrading their experience to cater to the evolving behaviors by providing a more connected and relevant experience for each guest, with each visit.
In the newest episode of Above the Clutter with Pete Krainik, an NBTV Studios series presented by IBM, Krainik sits down with Julie Cary, hotel chain La Quinta‘s CMO, to discuss how the customer experience will come to evolve, and how it can be delivered with consistency and excellence. At the heart of the hotel brand’s marketing efforts, Cary says “customer experience is everything. It’s what we do.” As La Quinta plans to open an additional 80 properties, the marketing team has been tasked with establishing a new core set of company values so that each guest will feel assured by their hotel selection.
La Quinta’s marketing team owns the brand’s mobile channels, making it possible for them to strategically push deals and discounts when it’s most relevant for their guests. The company has launched three mobile initiatives with the intention of tracking customer data and preferences in order to provide a better hospitality experience each time a guest visits. ‘Instant Hold’ is the booking service which allows people to reserve a room using only their mobile number and ‘Ready For You’ lets guests choose their arrival time and receive text message updates when their room is available.
La Quinta also built prototypes for their future hotel locations to help customers access greater value from their loyalty points. ‘Instant free nights’ is a text-based service that asks guests if they want to receive a free night when a guest walks onto a La Quinta property and has points available to use. By tracking data in this way, the company is able to curate relevant marketing deals and deliver personalized experiences to each guest.
Booking and loyalty systems have long been engrained in the hospitality industry, but the integration of mobile rewards is becoming increasingly integral to a customer’s experience. As operational data is leveraged by marketing teams, and marketing content continues to dominate the mobile and social spheres, hotel brands are re-imagining the ways in which they can capture the attention of their guests and deliver excellent, longstanding customer service.
Images courtesy of NBTV Studios
