Guest journey, the customer journey in the hotel industry, and how to optimize it with payment technologies 

Tourism marketing, especially hotel marketing, is possibly one of the most complicated and sophisticated in existence. Similarly, its customer journey is also complex and delicate, known as the guest journey. There are many actors involved in the decision process, purchase and enjoyment of a hotel stay, and one of the most relevant in this case is the payment technology.

Let’s see what the guest journey is like in the hotel sector and how the right payment gateway can be decisive for the hotel’s success:

1. The potential customer identifies his need to travel

This first step of the „journey” is not often taken into account, but in terms of marketing and advertising it can be the most important.

Why wait for the potential customer to discover his need (or desire) to travel when we can be the reason why he decides to travel? A good definition of target audiences to be reached through personalized advertising will allow us to impact potential travelers and to be their favorite lodging option from the very first minute. 

2. The potential customer performs a search and comparison

Once the need to travel has been identified, the potential customer starts a search and comparison, from asking friends to comparing prices in OTAs, to reading in social networks and Internet forums. 

In this phase of the guest journey will come into play the satisfaction with the experience of previous guests and that we manage to be present in every corner of the internet where the potential customer can access looking for information. Including, of course, social networks, OTAs and a comfortable and attractive website. 

3. The potential customer makes the reservation at the hotel

We have succeeded: the potential customer has decided to book at our hotel and is going to become a customer. This is the first key point where choosing the right payment technology will make a difference, because until the payment is completed and the cancellation period is over, it is still not won.

Firstly, it is imperative to offer a fast, easy and trustworthy data collection and payment experience. The shorter the better, and always present the payment letter within the same web page and under the brand image of the hotel or OTA.

The cancellation policy will depend on many factors, but logically the more flexible it is, the more likely the conversion will be. In any case, it is important to have a payment provider that offers card tokenization and payment initiation technology, as together these tools allow for future collections without the need to re-request payment details and under the umbrella of PSD2 regulations (provided that SCA is also complied with).

It is also in this phase of the guest journey where we must pay special attention and care to the messages that the client receives from us until the moment of arrival at the hotel. Of course, it is essential to send them a booking confirmation with all the information they may need, always under the brand image of the hotel or OTA and with a close and understandable message. In the case of Paylands payment gateway, this message can be configured to be sent automatically from the same control panel, including the payment link if necessary. 

4. The customer enjoys his stay at the hotel

The key moment has arrived, the customer is about to enjoy his stay at the hotel and it is essential to avoid queues and waiting at the hotel reception. This can be achieved through the tokenization of cards, so that check-in does not involve collecting payment data again and is limited to the identification of the guest and the delivery of welcome instructions. Tokenization also makes it possible to collect all charges incurred during the stay without having to bother the guest each time.

These features of a specialized hotel payment gateway such as Paylands are a fundamental part of a successful guest journey. From there, each hotel will need to create its own differentiating strategy to offer experiences that are not just right and good, but special and memorable so that the customer will not hesitate to recommend it or stay again.

5. The customer leaves the hotel

And if check-in needs to be fast, check-out needs to be even faster. Fortunately, once again, card tokenization is the allied payment technology so that the customer can leave the hotel as quickly as they wish and their room charges can be collected without bothering them. 

Once they have arrived home, it is always a good idea to send them a personalized message offering promotions for future use and a short satisfaction survey. This data is extremely valuable for the hotel because it will allow you to correct mistakes and get closer and closer to offering a perfect and unforgettable experience. Maintaining e-mail communication with the customer is interesting as long as it is not abused (1 email per month, for example), as well as encouraging them to follow us on social networks through discounts, sweepstakes or any type of promotion that may interest them.

At PaynoPain we are experts in payments within the hotel industry and we understand the needs of hotels, booking engines and PMS, so we work every day to make Paylands the perfect payment gateway for a successful guest journey.

Paylands adapts to your booking engine and PMS. Find out more without obligation: