Pre-arrival is the key to a guest’s satisfaction. When it comes to measuring guest satisfaction, many focus only on the surface metrics, such as email open rates and Click-through Rates.
Those metrics barely scratch the surface when it comes to guest engagement.
Understanding How to measure the success of pre-arrival communications It is important to create a strategy which drives revenue and enhances the guest experience.
Some metrics may look good on reports, but don’t always tell the full story. If you are relying on only these pre-arrival traditional metrics, then it is time to dig deeper.
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You can measure your pre-arrival success by understanding and tracking the KPIs that are most relevant to guests, such as those that directly relate to their satisfaction and loyalty.
Open rates and conversion statistics are easy to track but can give an inaccurate picture of success.
High open rates may indicate interest. Do they translate into loyalty or action? Not always.
Here are some common mistakes that hoteliers make while reading their numbers.
– High open rate ≠ engagement: The email may be opened by guests to check the time of their check-in, and not for the content.
– Low click rate ≠ failure: Maybe the message accomplished its goal — informing the guest — without requiring action.
– Unsubscribes ≠ disaster: Sometimes it’s a sign your segmentation is working — irrelevant guests are removing themselves.
The traditional metrics for pre-arrival also ignore the emotional and experience side of guest engagement. These metrics do not show whether the message you sent helped build trust, create anticipation, or help guests feel more welcomed.
You’re only looking at a tiny part of the whole picture and could be making decisions based upon incomplete data.
Pre-arrival Strategy: How to create a pre-arrival plan that captivates your guests
To measure success before arrival, you should focus on KPIs reflecting guest engagement and satisfaction. Prioritise the following:
– Guest retention rates: The impact of pre-arrival marketing efforts can be measured by tracking how many guests return to your hotel after their initial stay. Low retention rates could indicate that there is a disconnect between the pre-arrival promise and what guests actually experience.
– Pre-arrival engagement levels: Monitor how guests respond to messages sent before arrival. Are they clicking on offers that are personalised, exploring other resources or responding to survey questions? If a guest is engaged by a packing list that is tailored to the room type or itinerary, they are already more invested in their trip.
– Guest sentiment analysis: You can use surveys or reviews as a way to find out how guests are feeling about the experience before their arrival. Did they find it useful? It helped set the right expectations. Positive attitudes often lead to a higher level of satisfaction.
These metrics are not only a way to see what’s working, but they also show where you can improve. These metrics bridge the gap between your pre-arrival activities and the overall journey of the guest, making you more effective.
Learn how to overcome pre-arrival noise and make your messages stand out.
You can use the maturity ladder to determine your current level.
Many hotel teams measure guest communication success based on what’s easiest to track — not what matters most. Use this Pre-Arrival Metric Mature Ladder Assess your current level to determine where you can go next.
| Stage | Focus | Example Metric |
| Level 1 Basic | Delivery | Open rate (Click-through rate) |
| Level 2 Interactive | You can also contact us by clicking here. | Offers for survey completion |
| Level 3: Emotional | Guest perception | Feedback comments and the Sentiment Score |
| Level 4: Business Impact | Outcome-driven | NPS, retention rate, and upsell revenue |
As you progress through the levels, you will be able to move from simply reporting numbers to making data-backed decisions Your bottom line will be affected.
Tracking the right pre-arrival metrics isn’t just about improving communication — it’s about driving real business results. Here’s an example of a simple touchpoint that can produce ROI:
A guest clicks on your pre-arrival offer → Adds a spa treatment → Enjoys a great stay → Leaves a glowing review mentioning the spa → Returns 3 months later for an anniversary trip.
Each of these steps can be linked to a different key performance indicator:
– Click rate → spa booking conversion
– Sentiment analysis → review quality
– Retention metric → return visit
You can see how pre-arrival communications affects these metrics when you track them holistically Not just email performance, but also revenue, loyalty and guest satisfaction.
After you have a clear understanding of how metrics relate to business value, your final step should be to ensure that the communication is in line with the guest experience.
Here are 8 pre-stay communication ideas that have proven to increase guest satisfaction.
Setting the right expectations is key to pre-arrival communications, but do you deliver on your promises?
No matter how well-organized your check-in procedure or luxurious your amenities are, guests can be disappointed by misalignment.
It is important to get feedback from guests after their stay in order to identify these gaps. If guests are consistently complaining about missing amenities or unclear instruction, Your messaging needs to be updated.
But to create a pre-arrival journey that is consistent and effective, you will need more than just the best intentions. You will need the correct tools.
There’s a place a hospitality-focused CRM like Bookboost Comes in. Bookboost offers automation, segmentation and multi-channel messages that are tailored specifically for hotels. This helps you design communication flow designs that not only inform and convert, but delight and delight.
Pre-arrival communications that are done correctly can build trust and excitement. When measured correctly, this proves that your guest engagement efforts have a real impact on business.
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