Pre-arrival is the key to a guest’s satisfaction. Many people focus on superficial metrics such as email opens and click-throughs when measuring guest satisfaction.
These metrics are only a small part of the guest experience.
Understanding How to measure pre-arrival success 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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Understanding and tracking pre-arrival KPIs for guest messaging, particularly those that relate directly to guest satisfaction, loyalty and satisfaction, can change how you measure success.
It is easy to track metrics like open rates or conversion stats, but these can often mislead you about success.
High open rates may indicate interest. Do they translate into loyalty or action? Not always.
Here are some mistakes that hoteliers often make when they read their numbers.
– High open rate ≠ engagement: They may open the email to see the check-in time and not 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.
Traditional pre-arrival measures also miss out on the emotional and experience side of guest engagement. The metrics don’t tell you if your message created trust, anticipation or made the guest feel more welcome.
You’re only looking at a tiny part of the whole picture and could be making decisions based upon incomplete data.
Find out more about the pre-arrival strategies: How to create a pre-arrival plan that captivates your guests
Focus on KPIs which reflect guest satisfaction and engagement to truly measure pre-arrival. Here are some to prioritize:
– Guest retention rates: It is important to track how many of your guests return for a second stay. This will reveal the impact that pre-arrival has had on long-term. 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 the way guests respond to messages sent before arrival. Do they click on personalized offers or respond to surveys? The guest who is more engaged with a packing guide tailored to his or her room type and itinerary will be more invested.
– Guest sentiment analysis: You can use surveys or reviews as a way to find out how guests are feeling about their experience before arrival. Was the information they received useful? It helped set the right expectations. Positive feelings often translate into higher satisfaction with their stay.
These metrics show not only what is working, but also areas that need improvement. These metrics bridge the gap between your pre-arrival activities and the overall journey of the guest, allowing you to be more effective.
Learn how to overcome pre-arrival noise and make your messages stand out.
Mature ladder: Evaluate where you are in your life.
Many hotel teams measure guest communication success based on what’s easiest to track — not what matters most. Use this Pre-Arrival Maturity Metric Ladder Assess your current level to determine where you can go next.
| Stage | Focus | Example Metric |
| Basic level | Delivery | Open rate (Click-through rate) |
| Level 2: Interactive | Engaged in a variety of ways | Clicks to complete the survey |
| Level 3: Emotional | Guest perception | Comments and feedback on 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. This is a simplified example to show how one touchpoint could generate 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
By tracking these metrics holistically you can begin to see the impact of pre-arrival communication Not just email performance, but also revenue, loyalty and guest satisfaction.
The final step, once you’ve understood how metrics are tied to business value is to make sure your communication matches the actual guest experience.
Here are 8 pre-stay communication ideas that have proven to increase guest satisfaction.
It’s all about setting expectations. But are you actually delivering on what you say?
Even if your guests are delighted by your smooth check-in or luxurious amenities, a misalignment of the guest experience can cause them to be disappointed.
The feedback you receive after your stay is crucial to finding these gaps. If guests are consistently complaining about missing amenities or unclear instruction, Your messaging needs to be updated.
To build an effective and consistent pre-arrival experience, you’ll need more than just good intentions. You’ll need the right tools.
Where is a? hospitality-focused CRM like Bookboost Bookboost is a great tool for creating communication flows that not only inform, but also convert and delight. Bookboost’s automation, multi-channel messaging, and segmentation are designed specifically for hoteliers. They help you create communication flows that will not only inform but also convert and delight.
Pre-arrival communications that are done correctly can build trust and excitement. It is also a way to measure the impact of your guest engagement initiatives.
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