Email campaigns 101: What to send & why

Email marketing is still having its moment, despite the rise of AI digital marketing efforts. Email marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools for connecting with guests, building loyalty, and driving revenue. Across our portfolio, we are seeing an email conversion rate YTD that is 6.5X higher than paid social and 11X higher than display.

When it comes to your hotel’s digital marketing strategy, email campaigns aren’t meant to be one-size-fits-all. Learn how your hotel can optimize it's email campaigns in our full blog below. 

One-time campaigns

One-time email campaigns are sent manually at a specific time and with a specific goal in mind. These email types are ideal for promoting time-sensitive offers or delivering important property updates and upcoming events. 

One-time campaign examples

• Room offers - Send offers, seasonal promotions, or flash sales to drive direct bookings. These types are great for A/B testing things like subject lines and messaging. 
• Events & announcements - Promote upcoming events at the property, new amenities, upcoming renovations, or local happenings to encourage direct engagement with your upcoming guests or local market. 
• Newsletters - Share a round-up of property news, local events, and upcoming sales or promotions to keep your property top-of-mind. This email type is great to send quarterly or even seasonally, though sending monthly is also an option. 

Why use these email types? 

One-time campaigns allow for flexibility and creativity. They’re perfect for driving direct bookings and keeping your audience informed about what’s happening at your property and in the area. 

Automated campaigns

Automated campaigns run in the background, sending the right message to the right guests using segmentation, and are triggered by a specific action, behavior, or timeframe. Generally, automated campaigns are split into two types: transactional and lifecycle. Transactional campaigns are tied to the booking engine activity, while lifecycle campaigns support the full customer journey and work to boost engagement. 

Transactional automated campaign examples 

• Confirmation, modification, & cancellation emails - These email types can be used to keep guests informed about their reservations, whether it’s to confirm a booking has been made, a guest has added an additional room to their reservation, or to confirm that a booking has been successfully cancelled. The former two also offer opportunities to upsell guests on amenity add-ons. 
• Cart abandonment - Utilize this campaign type to recover lost bookings by reminding guests to complete their reservation.

Lifecycle automated campaign examples

• Pre-arrival emails - Welcome guests before they arrive, provide helpful info about the hotel and the area, and suggest amenity add-ons/upsells. 
• Post-check-in emails - This email type is sent after check-in to enhance the guest experience and introduce available amenities. Use this email campaign to promote happenings at the hotel during the guest’s stay or recommend activities in the area. 
• We miss you - These email campaigns allow you to reconnect with past guests and encourage repeat stays with a personalized incentive. Utilize language like “come back to see us,” “create more memories,” or “book another unforgettable stay”. This email type is typically set up to send 365 days after a guest’s check-out if they have no future stay already booked. 
• Lead nurturing - Re-engage cold or warm leads with timely offers and updates that encourage them toward booking. 
• Qualification Emails - This email type is triggered when a guest meets a specific criterion, such as joining your loyalty program. 
• OTA winback - Use segmentation features to encourage guests who booked via an OTA to instead book direct next time. These emails are a great opportunity to promote direct booking offers such as “15% off when you book direct.” 
• Birthday emails - Create personalized and meaningful connections with guests using this email campaign. Send over a special offer or complimentary perk to celebrate their big day and encourage bookings.
• Cancellation recovery - Win back guests who cancel by offering an incentive for future stays. 
• Messaging upsells - Highlight add-ons such as room upgrades or personalized experiences to generate extra revenue. These types offer an opportunity to connect with guests further and make them feel special. 

Why use these types? 

Automated emails ensure timely, relevant communication without having to manually schedule email sends. They help nurture leads, improve guest satisfaction, and maximize revenue opportunities. 

Survey emails

Survey emails invite guests to share their feedback after a stay, which can be very valuable for improving your property and the guest experience. 

Best uses for this email type include post-stay surveys to measure satisfaction, quick polls to gather opinions on potential offers, and event feedback to improve future experiences. 

Why use these types? 

These emails provide direct insight from guests, help identify areas for improvement, and show guests you value their opinion and feedback. 

TLDR: What should you take away?

A strong email marketing strategy uses a mix of campaign types. One-time campaigns can create buzz and drive quick results, while automated campaigns keep communication consistent and personalized. 

By strategically combining these email types, you can boost bookings, improve guest satisfaction, and create lasting connections with your audience. 

Ready to up your email game? Connect with us to see how we can take your strategy to the next level!