Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 252 – Hotel Email Marketing Trends of 2024

Good day fellow hoteliers and welcome to episode 252 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast! My name is Pete DiMaio and along with Alyssa, Jeremy, and Christy, we are about to dive into the world of email marketing and uncover the top trends for success in 2024. Now let’s get this show started…

In The News:

Airbnb Crackdown Is Driving Occupancy at NYC Hotels:

• https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Airbnb-crackdown-windfall-for-NYC-hotels 
• New York enjoyed the highest December occupancy of any top 25 market in the U.S. at 86.6%, according to STR. The city’s average daily rate (ADR) also surged in December, rising nearly 11% to $393, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) shot up 15.6%.
• The spikes coincide with a plummeting of availability for short-term rentals of 30 days or fewer, which went from approximately 13,500 listings in August to under 3,000 in December, according to data from AirDNA, due to a New York City law enacted last year that made rental requirements much more onerous for hosts.
• Law 18:
  • No more than two paying guests can stay in a short-term rental at a time, no matter the size of the dwelling or the number of bedrooms.
  • Hosts must be physically present while their properties are being rented.
  • Hosts and visitors must leave the doors inside the dwelling unlocked, so occupants can access the entire unit.

The Main Topic: Top Hotel Email Marketing Trends in 2024

The same topic arises at the start of each new year, “Is email marketing still viable?” The answer is still a resounding YES. Not only will email users top 4.5 billion in 2024, but hotels that use email effectively typically see it as one of the top converting marketing channels. The question then becomes, “How do I use email marketing effectively for my hotel?” You’re in luck, that’s what we’re going to cover right now.

First and foremost, nothing we discuss today is going to help if you don’t have the right CRM or email platform to make it work. We’re not covering the finer points of the CRM today, just know that if your system can’t effectively personalize, segment, and dynamically trigger messaging based on user behavior, you won’t be as successful as possible.

Assuming you have a great CRM system, now we can start talking about the email trends that will shape 2024. You can read more about this as well in the link here or below in the video description. 

1. Focus more on the message and not just volume. 
   1. Tell a story
   2. Incorporate UGC
   3. Create more interactive content
2. Personalize with AI 
   1. Sophisticated segmentation
   2. Automate where possible
   3. Develop predictive analytics
   4. ABT Always Be Testing
3. Security is Paramount 
   1. Email Authentication 
   2. Best practices for unsubscribe, spam, engagement
4. Mobile is All That Matters 
   1. 85% of users are consuming emails on mobile devices
5. Adapt to Performance Metrics
   1. Today’s performance dictates tomorrow’s delivery

In closing, your property should be actively engaging your email database and testing to find the right messaging and frequency. This goes beyond just your periodic news or offer messages and into your automation.

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2023 Leisure Travel Trends Study

Get the 2023 Leisure Travel Trends Study at https://travelboommarketing.com/study. 

Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom or info@travelboommarketing.com.