New Perspectives for CRM and Loyalty in the Post-COVID Era

The hospitality industry has suffered a great deal during the pandemic, however, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Several COVID-19 vaccines are ready for distribution and there are high hopes that many things will be getting back to some semblance of normal in 2021. This obviously does not mean that the industry is out of the woods, but it can now get ready for guests' return.

Now, more than ever, it will be incredibly important for hoteliers to ensure that guests feel a sense of confidence, comfort, family, and community. The CRM platform will take center stage in helping to create those connections with guests on the path to recovery.

Hospitality Net has gathered insights from a panel of industry experts for our Special Series: Visioning a Post-COVID Era in CRM and Loyalty, to explore this topic.

Ryan Hamilton sees customer relationship management (CRM) in the coming year will prove especially paramount within the group business/event sector of hospitality, as sales teams are expected to manage an increasingly dynamic workload.

Modern hoteliers, especially in a post-COVID world, must make a profit from the opportunities data offers and surpass times of crisis in which manual processes are even less viable due to the lack of staff, states Michael Toedt. This requires the definition of a sustainable digitalization and CRM strategy and a comprehensive rethinking and reorientation of the IT in hotels.

Michael Bennett's view is, in the post-COVID future, it is paramount that hoteliers leverage their technology and CRM stack to personalize every touchpoint of the guest experience. It is all about those surprise and delight moments that make an impression and get guests talking.

To advance loyalty programs beyond ubiquitous "points-for-stay" models, innovative hoteliers are evolving loyalty programs to make guests feel genuinely valued. Tanya Pratt believes that there is a secret formula. The secret? Using advanced technology and data to appreciate them "holistically" - factoring brand engagement, social influence, and spend - and rewarding them in a personalized fashion.

Finally, Mikael Fries firmly believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a new set of challenges for hoteliers, making it critical to ensure that they are leveraging the right tools and technology such as CRM solutions.

Click here to view the full World Panel discussion.