"Hey! You forgot something"
You've just checked out from a hotel and receive this email. What would you think?
During one of my last trips, I spent a few nights at a hotel. Nothing too fancy, but I really enjoyed my time there.
In the morning I had a very early check-out, so after waking up I quickly packed my stuff and made sure I wasn’t forgetting anything in the room.
A few hours after checking out from the hotel, I received this email:
From: Hotel xyz
Subject: Hey! You forgot something!
My first reaction: Panic.
Did I forget my passport? My wallet? Or just a sock?
I was already a few hours away from the hotel, on my way to the next stop of my itinerary.
Forgetting something in a hotel is annoying, because chances are you’ll never get it back or -if it’s something really important- you’ll have to change your plans.
Therefore, I immediately opened the email:
Dear xyz,
We want to thank you for your stay at Hotel xyz and we would be very grateful if you could leave a review on Google and/or your booking engine, as this is what helps us to keep working…..
……
At this point, I stopped reading the email.
I thought I had forgotten something important in my room, but in fact the hotel was just asking for a review! As a traveller I felt first relieved, then annoyed by that email.
But then again as a marketer I thought: Isn’t this a great way to draw a customer’s attention?
In fact, guest reviews and ratings are very important for accommodations that want to build a positive reputation -especially new ones.
After all, many guests base their choice on customer reviews when choosing their next stay.
Therefore, it’s understandable that hotels and accommodations want to increase the amount of their reviews and sometimes try some “tricks”.
Surely, from an email marketing perspective, this is the type of subject line that boosts open rates.
But from the guest’s perspective, it might have the opposite effect. Best scenario: Little engagement. Worst scenario: A negative impact on the perception of the hotel and ultimately, on the reviews.
Accommodations need to ask themselves these types of questions and increasingly think customer-first when defining their marketing strategy.
One thing is for sure: This email is a very creative example of email marketing.
Did you ever receive a similar email or have other examples to share?
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About me:
As a passionate traveler and tourism professional I’ve experienced the world: From hiking the Andes to flying Business Class, from camping in Serengeti to staying in luxury resorts in Maldives.
In my career as a marketer I’ve driven brand collaborations, scaled up communities and websites and helped tourism companies reach international travelers.
Beating Jetlag is where my authentic experiences as a traveler and genuine curiosity as an industry insider come together for behind-the-scenes travel content and resources.
For quick travel tips and hacks you can also follow me on Instagram or on Facebook.
Once I forgot a cell phone charger in a hotel in Rio. I wrote the hotel in Booking, but they told me to write to another email. Too much bureaucracy for a friend rescue the charger and I catch months later, in my next travel. I gave up. It was a brand new charger, I bought another one terrible but it was my fault no to check any piece of my room when leaving.