Email Marketing for Hotels: Key Strategies in 2024

Email marketing is a popular marketing method because it is cheap and effective. Research, time and time again, has shown that it has a huge ROI, with some people placing a figure at about 38x of the initial investment. While email marketing for many industries can be straightforward, email marketing for hotels requires a bit of strategy. 

Why Email Marketing Is Essential for Hotels

We’ve already established that you need to create a tailor-made strategy to get results in the hotel industry. This kind of begs the question: Is it worth it? There are lots of other marketing channels, why waste time on email marketing? 

First, email marketing is more effective than most other marketing channels. Research has shown that it is more budget-friendly and can even generate a higher ROI than TV ads and even social media. Provided you do things well, you are getting premium value for your money.

Another reason why hoteliers should consider it is that it helps you build relationships with your customers. Hotels collect lots of information from their guests, which they can use to create targeted and engaging messages. With these targeted messages, hotels can build an ongoing relationship with their guests. 

This is very important because research has shown that companies that have a good relationship with their clients have higher customer retention rates. And it’s true, who would you do business with—a total stranger or a business that you have worked with over time and that has almost become your friend?

Even when these guests are long gone, email marketing helps you keep in touch. This way, these customers become preachers for your brand—telling the world that your hotel is one of the best places to visit. Honestly, marketing does not get better than that! 

So how do you get started?

Building and Segmenting a Hotel Email List

Collecting emails from guests

The success of your hotel email strategy relies on data. In fact, generally speaking, data is the fuel that drives marketing in almost all fields, not just for hotels. So, really, the more emails you can get on your list, the better. 

When you have new reservations, collect emails and attach relevant information to those emails. You should also have an email subscription on your website where prospects can sign up for your messages. With this, you can create a database of emails.  

If you can, having guest profiles on your website might be a great idea as well. Customers can create accounts and enter their contact details, their preferences, and many more. You can use this information wisely for your emails. We will explain that shortly, but before that, a quick one.

While it is important to build a good list, it is more important that you get consent from the recipients. In many European countries, there are laws against inappropriate use of customer data. Even if these laws do not apply in your country, sending emails to someone who did not subscribe to your list can affect your strategy and make you look like a spammer. 

Segmenting by stay preferences

Now that you have gotten your email database, it’s time to get to work. Remember we said you should collect details about your customers and prospects? This is where you put the details you have to good use through segmenting.

Segmenting is basically putting your audience in different categories based on who they are or what they want. Segmentation works on the assumption that your customers are different. So, by putting them in different categories of closely related people, you can send the right message to the right people. 

For instance, imagine sending a discount offer for a couple deluxe relaxation room to a single twenty-year-old traveler. To be fair, the offer may not be greeted with much enthusiasm, like when you send it to a married couple looking for a place to celebrate their anniversary. While the first message might sound annoying and may look like you are trying so hard to make a sale, the other one feels like you care about the needs of the couple. This goes to tell you how important segmentation can be. 

So while grouping your customers, you need to find common grounds like:

• Demographics—people of similar age groups, gender, For example, Gen Z females.
• Past interactions—what did they book the last time? For instance, booking with no breakfast .
• Booking history—are they first-time customers or returning guests? 
• Preferences—do they prefer more luxurious suites or are they comfortable with the basic offerings? 

Loyalty program sign-ups

There is one big downside to asking people to subscribe to your promotional emails—it’s promotional! So, from the moment you tell people you would like to send them marketing messages, you lose a lot of people. How about you try things a little different?

So, instead of promotional messages, how about you welcome them into your hotel’s family using a properly crafted loyalty program? You also send emails in your loyalty programs; however, the aim of the messages is not for retention or sales. You are simply sending messages that help you build a genuine relationship with your loyal clients. 

Imagine receiving an email from the hotel you used for your last summer vacation offering you the same room but with a modest 5% discount just in case you would be in town again this year. It might look like a small gesture, but then, it’s these small but thoughtful gestures that spark a sense of belonging and exclusivity that resonates deeply with guests. With such a sense of belonging, they are encouraged to return time and time again.

The best part is that it does not have to be some complex strategy to work. In fact, the best loyalty programs are built on simplicity and the need to make customers feel appreciated. It could be something as simple as: 

• A warm welcome email that introduces the perks of membership.
• Birthday greetings with a special offer.
• Early access to new amenities or services.
• A small but meaningful discount on direct bookings.

By framing your email strategy around a loyalty program, you’re not just collecting addresses—you’re building a community. You’re saying to your guests, “You’re more than just a visitor; you’re part of our story.”

So, as you craft your email marketing strategy, consider the power of invitation over subscription. Invite your guests to be part of something special, to join a circle of valued friends. In doing so, you’ll not only enhance your email engagement but also create advocates for your brand who are eager to return and share their experiences with others.

6 Key Strategies for Hotel Email Marketing 

1. Exclusive promotions for direct bookings

One of the best ways to let your customers know about your upcoming promotions is to use email marketing. Sending it to their mail instead of putting it on social media or somewhere else with the right touch of personalization gives them the impression that you’ve made the promotion thinking about them. This will make your customers feel unique, and it will make the promotion feel exclusive to them. 

Take a look at how Majestic and Co does this.

2. Seasonal and event-based offers

These are like promotional offers but with a little twist. So, everyone knows hotels are usually booked the most during holidays and special events like Valentine’s Day, spring break, etc. To make the best use of these events, your hotel marketing strategy should include offers that you present to your customers around that time. But don’t stop at the general events; to add a touch of personalization, you can also send special offers on special occasions of the customer themselves, like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, etc. 

Take a look at how Priceline achieves this with this simple email below. The carefully crafted email shows the customer what to expect in the coming Black Friday but adds a bit of the unknown. That way, clients are interested in clicking the link to find out.  

3. Personalizing guest experiences

We already mentioned the importance of personalization and segmentation. Now that you know it works, here is how you can effectively add some personal touch to your emails. Look at this example below; while it is a promotional offer, it is very personalized. 

It is not simply bearing the recipient’s name; it goes further to offer them a gift for their birthdays. The amazing part is that the getaway is just on the birthday of the recipient. Now, that is how you use personalization to your advantage!

4. Pre-stay and post-stay email campaigns

These two stages are key for client satisfaction, engagement, and retention. At the pre-stay stage, you want to create a vivid picture of what to expect in the mind of the customer. You can also add upselling and cross-selling to your pre-stay campaigns. After their stay, you want to give your customers offers that show they are always welcome back. See how The Inn at Union Square achieves all these with this thoughtful email:

5. Loyalty program promotions and rewards

We already mentioned the importance of having a loyalty program. However, what we didn’t tell you is that retaining a customer is 5x cheaper than getting a new one. So, here is a sample email showing how Nordic Hotels invites prospects to join their loyalty program.

Notice how the email is simple yet it delivers the message with clear, visible CTAs and the top three benefits that await the reader. 

6. Re-engaging inactive guests

Finally, if your customers do not seem to be coming back, you might consider giving them a gentle nudge. Just in case you are not sure how, here is how Millennium Hotel does it like a boss. Can you see how they added a touch of personalization in the email? 

To Sum Up

Finally, we know email marketing can be challenging for hotels—considering the many unique challenges that surround the industry. But then, challenging does not mean impossible or unprofitable. If you are willing to see it from the right perspective—see it as not just another box to tick but a golden ticket to showcase what makes your place special—that’s when magic happens.

Also, you should keep in mind that your guests are a diverse group of individuals. As such, your email strategy should be built with personalization in mind but with the goal of building lasting connections and relationships. Keep it fresh, keep it personal, and watch your hotel shine brighter than a just-polished lobby floor!