Building customer loyalty: devising a strategy for a tourist establishment
Volatile travellers, a daily challenge
These days, a simple online review or a last-minute offer can make a loyal customer switch to the competitor opposite. However, welcoming more and more new visitors costs between 5 and 8 times more expensive to those who already know you (source : HubSpot). And that's why customer loyalty is becoming a priority for hotels, bed and breakfasts and campsites that want to secure their income while offering a friendly service.
Why focus on loyalty?
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Increase in the average basket If a regular guest feels confident, they are more likely to book a higher category or a spa treatment.
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Digital word of mouth Former customers are more likely to leave a 5-star review and share your address on networks.
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Financial stability Filling out part of the schedule with regular feedback to smooth out the impact of the low seasons.
In other words, loyalty fuels growth without inflating the advertising budget. In this article, we'll be looking at best practice, essential features, real-life examples and a number of practical tips to ensure that every departure is transformed into a future arrival.
Understanding the expectations of modern travellers
Before launching a customer loyalty, You need to know what your guests are really looking for.
A frictionless experience
Quick check-in, reliable Wi-Fi, contactless payment: these little touches create a lasting positive memory. Visit booking engine & channel manager d’Hotel Web Design already facilitates this fluidity by eliminating double entry and synchronising each channel (https://hotel-webdesign.com/moteur-reservation-channel-manager-hotel-chambre-hote).
Friendly personalisation
Travellers want to feel recognised. A simple «Welcome, Mrs Legrand! Your room looks out over the garden, just like last time» makes a lasting impression. To achieve this, centralise every preference in a CRM tool connected to your booking engine.
Shared values
Choosing a hotel is about more than just the price: going green, buying local produce for breakfast or supporting the community are just as important. Display your actions openly, for example on a page dedicated to your environmental commitment.
Hotel Web Design is the web agency 100% dedicated to the hotel industryWe can help you with all aspects of digital communication for your accommodation: booking websites, natural referencing specialising in the hotel industry, Google Ads referencing and Google Hotel Ads, social networking campaigns, graphic charters and logos for hotels.
Make an appointment today for free advice on how to optimise the digital management of your accommodation.
The pillars of a successful loyalty programme
Creating a clear advantage
Customers need to understand their benefit immediately: free nights, upgrades, bar credit, etc. Keep the promise simple: «Book three stays and benefit from a guaranteed upgrade the fourth time».
Easy to join
Forget lengthy forms: an e-mail field at the time of booking is all you need. Thanks to the’Hotel Web Design, Club membership is automatically activated when payment is made.
Progressive rewards
A tiered system motivates customers to return to reach the next stage:
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Level 1 Welcome drink.
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Level 2 late check-out offered.
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Level 3 free night in low season.
Regular (but not intrusive) communication
An e-mail every two months, designed as a friendly letter: ideas for getaways, hotel news, points balance. Use a short, engaging subject line: «Only 10 points left before your upgrade!»
Digital tools: building the technical foundation without jargon
You don't need to be an engineer to get the right equipment - you just need to choose the right partners.
Connected booking engine
A modern engine doesn't just sell rooms. It stores preferences, automatically applies member discounts and transmits this information to your PMS. The’Hotel Web Design does all this without commission.
CRM hotel light
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Unique customer file : stay history, allergies, special requests.
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Automatic segmentation : family, business trip, romantic getaway.
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Email scenarios : reminder on D-90, birthday, reactivation after 18 months' absence.
Enhanced Google Business Profile
A complete profile reassures future visitors: opening times, recent photos, rapid response to reviews. Google reports that 70 % of «hotel near me» searches end up on a local listing (Think with Google, 2024). Insert a direct booking link in your listing to turn interest into a sale.
Intuitive dashboards
Watch each week: return rate, average loyal basket vs. new guest, number of reviews obtained. The Looker Studio table proposed by Hotel Web Design consolidates these figures without complicated Excel.
Best practices in the field: what really works in
The thoughtful pre-stay
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E-mail D-5 weather, restaurant recommendations, arrival time reminders.
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SMS J-1 express check-in link.
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Short survey firm or soft pillow?
The wow moment on arrival
A smile, a local refreshment, Wi-Fi already set up. The customer feels expected, not just registered.
Surprises during your stay
A handwritten card for a birthday, a free dessert at the bar, an impromptu guided tour. These gestures generate a stronger emotional attachment than a simple price reduction.
The frictionless start
Invoice ready, taxi ordered, bottle of water for the road. Before they walk through the door, offer them a privilege code valid for 12 months: the first seed of the next visit.
Post-stay follow-up
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E-mail D+2 thank you and invite you to leave a review.
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E-mail D+30 Short satisfaction survey (3 questions).
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E-mail D+90 : seasonal activity idea + promotional code.
Three inspiring examples: different sizes of establishment
The urban boutique hotel (40 rooms)
The aim is to capture the «bleisure» traveller who returns every quarter.
Key action: «3 nights = 1 meeting room free» package.
Result: 35 % of corporate customers have already made three stays in one year.
Rural guest house (5 bedrooms)
Objective: to increase the off-season return rate.
Key action: free Provençal cookery workshop after the second visit.
The result: an average stay of 1.4 nights and an increase in the local basket (wine, jam).
Eco-responsible campsite (80 pitches)
The aim is to win the loyalty of families.
Key action: points card convertible into free activities (tree climbing, bike hire).
Result: 50 % of the families registered have already booked the same period next year.
Trends to watch
Predictive personalisation
The systems learn your tastes: if you liked the relaxing massage, the engine will offer you the spa package on your next visit.
Soft gamification
Badges, photo challenges, prize draws: these fun ways of getting people involved are not expensive.
Eco-bonus
Extra rewards for customers who refuse the daily cleaning or come by train. Your values become a lever for customer loyalty.
AI chat support
Instant 24/7 answers to availability questions, loyalty points, local advice. Google points out that 53 % of travellers prefer a chat for simple requests (Think with Google, 2025).
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
| Trap | Consequences | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards too complicated | Discouraged customer | Communicate in no more than three sentences |
| Unfunded benefits | Margin impact | Calculate the cost before you promise |
| Too frequent e-mails | Unsubscribe | Limit yourself to one relevant message per month |
| Scattered data | Inconsistent service | Centralise with the Hotel Web Design suite |
To find out more, read the article “Create a hotel website that converts” on the Hotel Web Design blog (https://hotel-webdesign.com/blog/site-hotel-conversion).
Hotel Web Design is a Google partner with the Google Hotelsincluding our customers enjoy every day: information about your accommodation, availability and prices is sent continuously to the search engine, which displays booking links free from Google search, directly to your booking page. These free links represent around 15% of additional commission-free bookings for our customers in 2022! Read our article on free booking links from Google
Seven-step action plan
- Define a clear objective 20 % in returns in 12 months, for example.
- List your segments family, couple, business.
- Plan your benefits Upgrade, local experience, snack discount.
- Choose your tools booking engine, CRM, full-featured Google Business.
- Building the team Every receptionist must be familiar with the programme.
- Launch a pilot over three months with a segment.
- Measure, adjust, expand.
Ask for a quote
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Would you like a free demo? Test Hotel Web Design's booking engine and find out how it boosts your business. customer loyalty.
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Need a full audit? Contact the team via https://hotel-webdesign.com/contact and receive your analysis within 48 hours.
Conclusion: loyalty, a virtuous circle
Put the customer loyalty at the heart of your daily life creates a snowball effect: guests come back, share their enthusiasm, cost less to convince and spend more. Thanks to the simple tools offered by Hotel Web Design, You can move from intention to action without technical hassle. Start small, stay human, measure your progress: your schedule and your bank accounts will thank you.
Booking / reservation website
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Direct booking for your accommodation
- Bespoke booking/conversion site delivered turnkey, with training on the administration interface on delivery
- Adapted logo and graphic charter. Possibility of using your existing elements
- Specific referencing for holiday lets
- Integration of reservations module internal
- or integration of an external booking engine (Reservit, D-EDGE, MisterbookingRoomcloud, etc)
- Integration of specific HTML elements (review portals, customer reviews, weather, press, pop-ups, direct chat, etc.)
- Secure SSL / HTTPS
- Multilingual website & booking engine
- Simple, intuitive user interface
- High-availability hosting and domain name
- Delivery usually within 30 days
