The power of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming an essential component of digital marketing within the hotel industry, helping to draw in and retain guests like never before.
In this blog article, we will explore the significant impact of AI on digital marketing campaigns, revealing actionable insights to enhance operational effectiveness and provide unforgettable guest experiences.
What is AI?
Artificial intelligence, AKA AI, is a type of computer science that aims to develop intelligent machines and systems that can complete tasks usually requiring human intelligence.
These machines can understand their environment, learn and make decisions based on data available to them.
They can then be utilised to perform several different tasks depending on the information provided and the actions needed.
Understanding AI in digital marketing
For some, the thought of allowing themselves to trust a robot to carry out digital marketing tasks can seem quite daunting. How can it carry out tasks to its fullest potential without some element of human interaction?
The reality of the situation is, whilst it seems like an absurd concept, AI models can work in our favour by boosting efficiency and streamlining processes. Think of them as virtual personal assistants, capable of completing tasks quickly and effectively.
AI in hotel digital marketing
There are several methods in which AI models can be used in digital marketing for hotels.
Customer relationship management
Prime examples of this are personalised marketing and customer relationship management (CRM), AI implementation can take hotel digital marketing to the next level.
Through understanding customer preferences, AI algorithms can provide valuable insights for, and also create, tailored marketing campaigns. These offer personal recommendations, exclusive offers, and targeted messaging, all of which can significantly improve customer communication and engagement.
Everything guests desire in a getaway is right at their fingertips.
Email marketing
For starters, we’ve already established AI personalisation, this can also be applied to producing email marketing campaigns in terms of generating increased engagements. Even for seemingly simple tasks like crafting eye-catching subject lines, AI excels.
For instance, let's say your hotel's spa services are a key selling point, and you want to captivate your email subscribers. Utilising an AI like ChatGPT with a simple prompt such as "eye-catching subject lines for hotel spa services email marketing" provides 10 instant examples:
Whether you use these prompts as they are or make some tonal tweaks, the key takeaway is that AI generates effective subject lines in seconds, saving you from creative blocks. They are designed to increase open rates, keeping you ahead of the curve.
Copywriting
Not only is something like ChatGPT excellent for writing catchy subject lines for emails, but it’s also the power that can be utilised for other copywriting tasks that form large chunks of your marketing.
For example, ChatGPT can assist in writing the actual copy for your email campaigns, it can create descriptive and engaging social media content and even assist with blog writing and idea formation.
Guest communication
Let’s face it - guests want effective customer service, not one-size-fits-all strategies.
Enter real-time customer care with virtual assistants and chatbots. Powered by AI, they’re capable of responding to FAQs, helping with bookings, and offering tailored advice instantaneously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Even if you are not physically present, your visitors will still feel cared for and heard, which can only lead to increased clicks and sales, and positive customer feedback.
Data analysis
AI can help to collate, process and then analyse huge amounts of data, and data from multiple sources.
This means you can pull data from website analytics, customer interactions and social media and identify patterns and trends that can help inform your future marketing efforts.
Not only this, but it can analyse guest reviews, social media mentions and feedback to gain insights into guest satisfaction levels, allowing you to identify issues quickly and enhance the guest experience.
Revenue management and pricing
Perhaps to be taken with a lot of caution, AI can assist with your hotel's revenue management and pricing optimisation.
These algorithms can comprehensively analyse market trends, competitor pricing, historical data and demand trends to optimise ideal room rates.
The AI can then provide recommendations on specific pricing strategies that could work based on the data collected.
Conclusion
It’s important to realise the rapidly changing environment AI operates within to understand its true power and the opportunities it creates.
By accurately leveraging emerging AI technologies, hotels can make a real change in their digital marketing efforts. Hotels can improve guest engagement, deliver personalised experiences, create content and ultimately drive revenue.