Ms. Willmott

Sales & Marketing

Personalized, Interactive Marketing is the Future

By Kristie Willmott, Group Director of E-Business & Customer Development, Jumeirah

Let's start with a scenario: Ms. World Traveler receives an invitation - on her Blackberry, cell phone, maybe by email - that could have come from a close friend. The invitation encourages her to try a resort that seems to have read her mind - that knows exactly what she likes most, that has everything she's been looking for in a luxurious weekend escape.

Or, perhaps while browsing through her favorite luxury boutique she passes by a large screen that says "Hello!" A handsome man onscreen invites her to find out more about the hotel behind him by touching images around him. She explores the spa, the restaurants, the swimming pool, the sumptuous suite accommodations.

Convinced, she makes a reservation online. Upon arrival there is no check-in: she is greeted by name and presented with a card. The elevator knows which floor to take her, her door unlocks as she approaches and the room is everything she imagined it would be, including her personal favorites in the mini-bar and bath. The flat screen television welcomes her with suggestions for dining and some special offers to her liking at the boutique downstairs. Later, as she enters the dining room, she is greeted by name and a server makes suggestions of dishes and wines she can't resist. And so it goes, throughout the stay: Ms. World Traveler is close to believing that this fabulous resort was built just for her.

Historically, the finest hotels were those that treated guests like royalty; their every individual need and wish were anticipated and met. It is also true that, historically, many of those guests WERE royalty, or fabulously wealthy and well-known. Their particular tastes and expectations were communicated by retinues of servants or spread from GM to GM by word of mouth and reputation.

Today's world of travel is profoundly changed. Thanks largely to technology, we live in an "It's all about me" world for everyone - from kids with their first cell phone to group tour travelers to celebrities and heads of state. This "make it for me" world was developed by Gen X, who demand it; discovered by the Baby Boomers, who take to it; and is taken for granted by the Millenniums, our future customers. Simply put, consumers expect to get what they want when they want and how they want it. As Dr. Lalia Rach has written, "Knowing me - that's luxury."

So why then, do we as hoteliers too often serve up information, offers and incentives to broad market segments with so little consideration of the individual and his or her particular preferences, cultural nuances, age, even how he or she relates to the technology that provide the information? (As early as 2001, a study by Booz-Allen and Hamilton identified as many as seven different online behaviors, including what time of day a consumer goes on line, that play a pivotal role in the success of online advertisements and web site interactions, yet many of us continue to treat the web as another static media - one size fits all).

Today's marketing is all about personalization of the interaction between buyers and sellers. Amazingly, the scenario described above is no fantasy: the hardware and software technology already exists, from RFID (radio frequency identification) and proximity marketing to interactive billboards that engage with viewers on an individual or group basis, to highly sophisticated revenue optimization solutions and knowledge management systems. We can create a website that will talk to each individual who visits. We can connect interactive billboards to cell phones. These technologies are being used by many industries, notably retail marketing (some supermarket chains can even determine what products shoppers do not buy in their stores and market that product specifically to the individual at check out), and they are continuing to improve faster than I can write about it.

The last few years have seen such rapid development of personalization and recognition technologies that we can, if we want to, communicate with our customers on an individual basis. Through IT we can do for thousands, if not millions, what the general manager at The Ritz could do for a handful using a little black book. We have the technology to target our marketing with pinpoint accuracy and to sell virtually every aspect of the hotel experience, in real time, at point-of-sale while the customer is in-house. The technology is not the issue: accurately understanding the information we collect and using it wisely is the challenge. Does it make any sense to have access to a wealth of detailed consumer data if we continue to use direct mail mass marketing?

Though it has tended to adopt technology piece-meal instead of organically, and though it continues to operate with what customers increasingly view as inconsistencies - collecting extensive guest information online during the reservation process only to expect the same guest to provide it again at check in, for example - the hospitality industry is making strides to maximize technology's potential. As early as 2000, some hotels adopted systems that enabled guests to use hand-held communications devices to interact with door locks and facilitate check-in and use of guest room televisions for check-out, dining reservations and information gathering is almost commonplace. Online concierge services are also becoming more and more usual. Increasingly, guests have total control of their room environment - including lighting, temperature, music etc. - as well as direct communications with all areas of hotel operations through "intelligent butler" technology in the room. RFID technology is being used to create self-service check-in systems, baggage management systems and personal recognition systems throughout the hotel that enable interaction with guests on an individual basis in restaurants, boutiques, spas and elsewhere. And, at the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago in 2006, some 73,000 attendees were able to use a sophisticated personalization technology to create their own profile of requirements and goals, based on individual needs, making it easier to match and connect buyers and sellers before, during and after the show.

Market leading companies are developing hospitality revenue optimization solutions that, based on business intelligence, analysis of competition, guest profiles, inventory and other factors, allow hotels to use a dynamic room rate system based on offering customer value. Imagine never having to publish room rates again! And, for the marketing departments, dynamic content management systems from young, entrepreneurial trend setters offer the capability to accurately 'tailor' web pages to suit the individual visitor based on guest data and preferences. Is the consumer a wine lover? Promote the hotel's wine list or special wine tastings. Does the customer favor spas, or golf? Is he or she likely to be attracted by "exclusive offers," or bonus points? The hotel's website becomes a million websites - one for each visitor.

The opportunities for using effective personalization and recognition technology in hospitality marketing and operations, clearly, are impressive, to say the least. And, they can be highly effective and valuable in generating brand awareness and customer loyalty even when they do not generate immediate sales. But, in closing, it is worth offering a note of caution: we do not have to be reminded that the line between managing personal data and invasion of privacy is sometimes hard to find. Consumer attitudes are complex and not always predictable. What one individual will accept, even appreciate, may depend on a multitude of factors, including age, income, education, cultural background, nationality, even politics. So, while the technology enables us to do virtually anything we want, in the final analysis, the most successful e-marketing solutions will be those that understand our customers best.

Kristie Willmott is Group Director of E-Business and Customer Development for Jumeirah. Kristie heads the online strategy to grow sales revenue and deepen consumer relationships. Kristie has held positions with Le Meridien, Utell and Virgin Atlantic Airways, where she developed web affiliate programs, 3rd party onward distribution, loyalty programs and sales. Kristie holds a First Class Bachelor of Arts Honors degree from the University of North London and is an Executive Officer on the HEDNA Board of Directors. Born in Holland and raised in the UK, Kristie now lives in Dubai, UAE. Ms. Willmott can be contacted at 971-4-3300111 or kristie.willmott@jumeirah.com Extended Bio...

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