Why Food & Beverage Data Belongs In Your Hotel CRM

As technology transforms ever more facets of our lives, the hospitality industry is adapting to changing demands. For hotels, attracting guests in the experience economy is no longer just about putting heads in beds. Guests are increasingly demanding personalized and meaningful outreach from hoteliers before, during, and after their stays. Hoteliers are taking notice. One of the most effective ways a hotel can refine customer outreach is to have a sophisticated strategy for collecting guest data. To engage a guest, after all, you have to know them: what they like, what they don’t, who they are. As many hotels are realizing, food and beverage (F&B) outlets are among the best sources of that data available on a property. As such, they not only help bring guests closer to the brand, but help hotels drive incremental revenue, too. SevenRooms and hotel CRM providers TravelClick help hoteliers take advantage of this large and expanding revenue opportunity. In combination, our systems allow hoteliers to view SevenRooms’ Food and Beverage (F&B) data as part of TravelClick’s Guest Management Solutions’ (GMS) guest profiles such that hoteliers can get a global view of guests’ experience with the hotel, inside and outside of the room. We recently sat down with Curtis Brewer, SVP and GM, Reservations, Guest Management (GMS) and Website Solutions at TravelClick, to better understand why F&B is important to hoteliers.

Why are hoteliers asking to see F&B data in their CRM alongside other guest data?

CB: F&B is increasingly important in hospitality and travel. More and more, we are seeing it inform where travelers go and influence their perception of the experience. Hoteliers are seeking ways to incorporate this information into online and on-property interactions with the guest.

What’s the value of seeing F&B data alongside other guest data?

CB: Our solutions bring siloed data together into one system to empower hoteliers to understand and recognize guests and deliver personalized experiences. To this end, hoteliers have historically lacked technology solutions that allow them to combine their understanding of room-related spend with non-room-related spend.

How are hoteliers planning to use this data?

CB: The hoteliers we speak with are focused on using the data across three key areas. First, there’s marketing. Hoteliers will be able to market to guests who have dined, but haven’t stayed, at the property. Additionally, F&B data can be used to further segment email campaigns and personalize marketing messages. The data also helps them recognize VIPs. Hoteliers will be able to see a holistic view of overall spend at the property to quickly recognize and reward their highest-spending guests. Finally, there’s personalization. Hoteliers will be able to effectively tailor every interaction online and on property with a unified, global view of guest data.

What should hoteliers do to take advantage of this trend?

CB: There are a few things we recommend our clients do:

In order to connect with guests, hotel systems first need to connect with each other. If legacy systems prevent operators from seeing a global view of guest data, hoteliers will be unable to bring customers back as powerfully as they could with the right technology. In today’s era of machine learning, targeted marketing, and scalable personalization, data is the most valuable currency an operator can have. Guest data in particular augments the ability to generate future revenue by empowering better marketing, visibility, and personalization. To see for yourself how SevenRooms helps hotel CRMs elevate the guest experience and drive revenue, schedule a demo here.