It’s Tuesday morning at The Avertine Resort. Ashley, the Director of Marketing, reviews her dashboard with satisfaction. The automated post-stay hotel email marketing campaign she launched a few weeks ago has already secured several direct bookings from summer guests, while her targeted Winter Business package campaign is gaining traction with returning business travelers.

As she sips her coffee, she uses an AI-enabled template to quickly craft another campaign targeting a guest segment celebrating upcoming anniversaries, offering romantic package upgrades and personalized dining recommendations based on previous restaurant choices. By noon, the spa has received six new bookings through yet another campaign featuring pre-arrival upsell emails, while her cart abandonment drip series maintains its impressive 69% open rate.

What once required hours of manual work now runs automatically, allowing Ashley to focus on benefiting the business through higher-level marketing strategy and innovation.

Let’s be clear: This isn’t pie-in-the-sky thinking. Properties are already achieving these results with sophisticated hotel email marketing solutions. By leveraging the right blend of technology, strategy, and guest data, you can transform your email marketing from a basic communication tool into a powerful force for revenue growth, operational efficiency, and enhanced guest loyalty. You just need to know how.

Why hotel email marketing matters in modern hospitality

Despite the buzz around social media and messaging apps, email marketing continues to be a revenue and loyalty-building powerhouse.

Email isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving. Today, there are 4.4 billion email users worldwide, expected to reach nearly 4.9 billion by 2027.

What’s really impressive? The travel and hospitality sector boasts a remarkable 98.6% email delivery rate — a clear sign that marketers are doing the hard work they should: maintaining clean data, using reliable platforms, and optimizing their tech stacks. And that means when you’re reaching out to guests, your messages don’t just get sent; they actually arrive right where they should.

The proof is in the numbers: 40% of hoteliers report improved guest engagement through email campaigns, and revenue from email marketing is projected to hit $13.7 billion by 2027.

With ROI numbers that other channels can only dream of, it’s no wonder savvy hoteliers are doubling down on their email marketing strategies. But here’s the thing: With so many properties (and other businesses!) vying for attention in the inbox, a fresh approach to your campaigns is necessary to stand out and drive results.

Success today requires more than simply sending emails — it demands the strategic thinking, clean guest data, hyper-personalization, and innovative tactics we’ll explore throughout this guide.

Common challenges in hotel email marketing

While email marketing has great potential to help you achieve your goals, there are some common challenges that every property owner needs to navigate.

1. The data dilemma

If you’ve been working in hospitality for any length of time, you’ve likely encountered the frustration of poor data quality: duplicate guest profiles, incomplete information, and data scattered across different systems. This fragmentation makes it incredibly difficult to create the personalized experiences guests expect. And let’s not forget about outdated contact information. There’s nothing more disappointing than crafting the perfect email campaign only to face a wall of bouncebacks.

2. The OTA email conundrum

Another challenge that hits close to home for many hoteliers is masked email addresses. When a guest books a stay through an online travel agency (OTA), you receive a masked version of their email address. This creates a significant barrier to building direct relationships with your guests and implementing effective email marketing strategies. While OTAs play a role in distribution, they can hinder your ability to nurture guest relationships through email marketing.

3. The automation gap

Despite the array of sophisticated technology tools available today, many properties still rely on manual processes for their email marketing. This means sending generic one-off email blasts instead of implementing automated lifecycle marketing campaigns that allow you to connect with guests before, during, and after their stay. And this results in missed opportunities to engage with guests at crucial touchpoints in their journeys.

4. The technical hurdle

Implementing a comprehensive hotel email marketing strategy requires a certain level of technical expertise. And while modern marketing platforms are becoming more user friendly, there’s still a learning curve that can feel daunting. From setting up proper email authentication to ensuring deliverability and interpreting analytics, the technical requirements can sometimes be overwhelming, particularly in light of the global shortage of IT workers in the hospitality industry.

The good news is that these challenges aren’t insurmountable. Throughout this guide, we’ll explore practical solutions for these hurdles, helping you transform potential roadblocks into opportunities for improvement and growth.

Top opportunities in hotel email marketing

Now that we’ve covered the challenges, let’s explore the exciting opportunities that make email such an impactful tool for your business growth. When implemented effectively, email marketing can transform your guest communications in ways that significantly impact your bottom line.

1. Personalization that wows

Gone are the days of “Dear Valued Guest.” Modern email marketing technology allows you to create deeply personalized messages — like pre-arrival emails that recommend activities based on past stays, suggest restaurants aligned with dining preferences, or offer upgrades based on previous room choices — that make every guest feel special.

2. Automation that works while you sleep

In early 2024, approximately 58% of marketing decision-makers recognized the value of automating their email marketing efforts. With the right solution, you can create sophisticated guest journeys that trigger the right message at the right moment, without lifting a finger, all while ensuring no opportunity for engagement or revenue generation slips through the cracks ever again.

3. Revenue generation beyond room nights

Hotel email marketing goes beyond just helping you fill rooms; it’s also an effective tool for generating ancillary revenue. You can leverage email to offer exclusive dining experiences to local visitors who previously enjoyed your restaurants or share early access passes to seasonal events with past attendees. Each email becomes an opportunity to capture additional revenue streams that might otherwise go untapped.

4. Build lasting loyalty

One of the most valuable opportunities in hotel email marketing is its ability to help you foster loyalty. Remember that consistent, valuable communication with your guests builds trust. Personalized emails celebrating special moments like a birthday or anniversary and welcome-back offers make loyal guests feel seen and more likely to return.

Setting the stage for your hotel email marketing

Before you can craft incredible email marketing campaigns, you need the right foundation: a CDP, CRM, email platform, and a compliance-first mindset.

CDP: The data brain behind your campaigns

If you’ve ever wished you could see the complete story of who your guests are and what they want, that’s exactly what a customer data platform (CDP) can do for you.

Think of a CDP as the brain behind your email marketing operations — it’s the technology that brings together all the fragmented pieces of guest information and transforms them into one coherent picture.

Without a CDP compiling all this data, you’re essentially looking at your guests through a keyhole when you could be seeing them through a picture window. A CDP provides you with a complete 360-degree view of each guest’s journey across your property or portfolio.

This type of information is essential for creating the kind of personalized, tailored hotel email marketing campaigns that lead to success. When you understand the full scope of a guest’s interactions with your property, you can craft messages that truly resonate, offer packages that align with their interests, and time your communications perfectly based on their booking patterns.

CRM: The key to segmentation and strategy

Now let’s review why a customer relationship management (CRM) platform is essential for transforming the unified data from your CDP into actionable email marketing campaigns. Think of your CRM as the strategic command center that helps you put your data to work.

Thanks to your CDP, you have a rich treasure trove of information about the preferences, stay history, and spending patterns of thousands of guests. But you need a way to effectively organize and analyze all this information. That’s where a CRM comes in. It takes information from your Rich Guest Profiles™ data and breaks them down into granular marketing segments ideal for personalized campaigns.

In fact, every time a visitor interacts with your property in any way, your CRM can use that information to make your segmentation even more precise. And this continuous improvement cycle helps transform your entire marketing approach, naturally improving your guests’ satisfaction.

Our data shows that by simply applying enough segment filters to reduce your segments to 5,000 recipients or less, you can increase your email open rates by about 15%. Bottom line: A CRM working with a CDP gives you the power to send the right message to the right guest at the right time to drive real results in your marketing efforts.

Hotel email marketing platform: Where strategy meets action

While your CDP unifies guest data and your CRM helps segment it effectively, your email marketing platform is the final piece of the puzzle that brings your email campaign strategy to life.

A robust hotel email marketing platform should include several key components:

• Campaign management: Build and schedule one-time and automated email campaigns with a system that includes an intuitive email builder with hospitality-specific templates, A/B testing capabilities, and campaign scheduling tools.
• Automation tools: Trigger emails based on guest behaviors and milestones – from booking confirmations to pre-arrival communications, post-stay survey, to anniversary messages.
• Analytics: Track your open rates, CTRs, conversion tracking, and revenue attribution to understand what’s working and where there’s room for improvement.
• Design and personalization: Use dynamic content to help you automatically customize email content based on guest segments, preferences, and behavior patterns.

Compliance: The best way to protect your reputation and guests

While it’s not the most exciting aspect of marketing, email compliance and delivery is crucial to make sure your campaigns don’t end up in SPAM folders, or worse, result in legal issues. Here are a few important elements to be aware of:

• Sender reputation: It takes time to build your sender reputation, but it can be damaged quickly. When customers consistently open your emails and click through your content, your reputation strengthens. But if your emails frequently bounce or recipients mark them as SPAM, your reputation suffers, and future emails may not even make it into their inbox.
• Double opt-in: GDPR and CAN-SPAM regulations require clear opt-in processes, transparent data handling practices, and easy unsubscribe options. A double opt-in process — where guests confirm their subscription via a follow-up email — may seem like an extra step, but it’s invaluable for maintaining a clean, engaged email list and protecting your sender reputation.
• Subscription management: Your subscription landing page should clearly communicate what types of emails guests can expect and from who. Giving your customers control over their preference options not only helps ensure compliance but also leads to better engagement rates.

7 steps to create your hotel email marketing strategy

Ready to transform your property’s email marketing into a revenue-generating machine? Creating an effective email campaign strategy doesn’t have to be overwhelming. These seven steps will guide you toward creating targeted email campaigns that keep your rooms full and your guests coming back for more.

1. Build your database at every touchpoint

Your marketing success starts with a robust database. Think of your email list as a valuable data asset that appreciates over time. The larger and more engaged your list, the more revenue potential you have. So collect guest emails throughout the guest journey — from your website to your front desk at check-in to onsite amenities. And make sure to capture guest preferences to help determine how to personalize communications and offers later.

2. Align emails to the guest journey

A critical aspect of successful email marketing is meeting guests where they’re at in their travel journey — from the inspiration and research stages to the booking, pre-arrival, on-property, and post-stay stages. Each stage presents unique opportunities to boost engagement and present upsells.

3. Understand your audiences

Always remember that segmentation is crucial for productive email marketing campaigns. You need to understand who your guests are and what motivates them. Use zero-party data (information your guests intentionally share with you) and first-party data (information you collect from your guests through their interactions with your property) to create segments that you can market specific offers to. This can be anything from promoting staycation spa days for locals to seasonal packages for international travelers.

4. Plan your calendar strategically

Strategic calendar planning is the backbone of successful hotel email marketing. Your email calendar should align with your property’s natural business cycles and seasonal demand patterns. In peak season, focus on upsells, but in shoulder season, promote experiences to drive more direct bookings. Low season is a great time to offer staycation packages to locals.

5. Reward loyal guests

Stop thinking about loyalty rewards in terms of points and start thinking about experiences. Use your email marketing to offer VIP exclusive experiences that money can’t buy, such as a private cooking class with your chef for your foodies. These types of experiential rewards create memorable moments that strengthen emotional connections to your property and drive repeat visits.

6. Automate, automate, automate

Transform your email marketing into a revenue-generating machine through strategic automation. Set up triggered emails for key moments in the guest journey, and watch them work while you focus on higher-level activities such as developing strategy. The best part? With modern marketing platforms you can automate personalization too.

7. Leave room for creativity

While structure and planning are essential, the best campaign strategies leave room for spontaneity and creativity. Having a solid foundation of templates and automated campaigns actually frees you up to be more creative when opportunities arise. Think of your email marketing strategy as a living document that evolves with your property and your guests’ needs.

9 best practices for successful hotel email marketing campaigns

Email marketing is a mix of art and science. These best practices will help you make sure your emails actually get delivered and hold your customers’ attention.

1. Create compelling subject lines

Your subject line is your first (and sometimes only) chance to capture attention in a crowded inbox. Use the CURVE Method (incorporate curiosity, urgency, relevance, value, and emotion) to drive more opens. And keep in mind that using personalization and numbers are known to increase open rates, featuring ALL CAPS and exclamation points can reduce them.

2. Don’t forget to include preview text

Think of preview text as your subject line’s wingman — it’s that snippet of text that appears below or beside your subject line in most email clients. While often overlooked, this valuable real estate gives you another opportunity to entice opens. If you leave it blank, the first line of your email body will likely be featured. So use this opportunity to provide that extra detail that might convince someone to open your email.

3. Format your links for clarity and clicks

Properly formatted links are crucial for both user experience and deliverability. Always use complete URLs starting with http:// or https:// to ensure reliable navigation, and make sure your links should stand out visually as well. Make them a contrasting color from your email’s background, but avoid making them look hidden which could trigger SPAM filters.

4. Prioritize your text-to-image ratio

Striking the right balance between images and text isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s critical for deliverability. Follow the 60/40 rule (images/text) and include at least 500 text characters in each email to avoid SPAM filters. And make sure to include descriptive alt text for your images.

5. Build trust with social proof

Make your emails more impactful by incorporating social proof to help build credibility. Include direct links to your active social media channels in your email footer, but don’t stop there. Consider featuring a “Guest Experiences” section with recent reviews or testimonials that highlight specific aspects of your property.

6. Make every word count

Effective email marketing copy is about more than just words — it’s about creating scannable, compelling content that works across all devices. Start with a clean, white-space-rich layout and use copy that’s direct and concise, with headlines that tell the story even at a glance.

7. Drive results with clear CTAs

Every email campaign needs a clear, compelling call-to-action (CTA) positioned above the fold. Your primary CTA should be a button that visually stands out against your email’s design. Make your CTA text action-oriented and specific. And, for secondary actions, use simple text links to avoid competing with your main CTA.

8. Trigger recognition with personalization

Your sender name is an important trust signal in email marketing. Use a name that’s instantly recognizable as your brand — whether it’s your hotel name, group name, or a familiar department like “[Hotel Name] Reservations” or “[Property] Concierge.” Since your recipients have either stayed with you or opted into communications, they should recognize who’s reaching out. This familiarity not only improves open rates but also reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as SPAM.

9. Double-check before you hit send

Make sure you check spelling, your segmentation choices, subject line, CTA links, and even mobile formatting before hitting “SEND.” One mistake can cost you revenue, so it’s worth taking a few moments to proofread your work before sending out your campaign.

Hotel email marketing benchmarks: Understand what success looks like

Let’s dive into key metrics that matter for your email campaigns from our 2025 Hospitality Benchmark Report, where we analyzed 1.8 billion emails across two distinct campaign types. Based on this data, here’s how you can expect your campaigns to perform.

Recurring hotel email marketing campaigns (like OTA winback, birthday promotions, and cancellation recovery) are automated and usually deliver high engagement, with an average 56.6% open rate and 15.17% click-thru-rate (CTR).

Meanwhile, one-time campaigns (like newsletters or one-time promotions) are built manually and average an open rate of 32.2% and a CTR of 2.37%.

In terms of revenue, the top global campaigns were as follows:

• Double opt-in (recurring campaign), with $1,479 in average booking value
• Newsletter (one-time campaign), with $1,257 in average booking value
• Cart abandonment (recurring campaign), with $1,289 in average booking value

While these benchmarks provide context, your specific goals and market conditions should guide your definition of success. Always compare your metrics against similar past campaigns to understand performance trends in your unique context.

How to choose the right email marketing platform for your hotel

With email marketing delivering an impressive $36 return for every dollar spent, selecting the right platform for your property is crucial. But not all email marketing solutions are created equal — especially when it comes to the unique needs of the hospitality industry. Let’s consider what to look for when it comes to choosing a solution that will drive results for your property.

Look under the hood: Integration capabilities matter

Your email marketing solution needs to play well with others, specifically, your PMS, POS, CRM, CDP, and other operational tools. Strong integration capabilities ensure your guest data flows seamlessly between your different systems, creating rich, unified guest profiles that empower you to deliver truly personalized communications. Without this foundation, you’ll struggle to create those targeted campaigns that drive engagement and revenue.

Hospitality-specific expertise is non-negotiable

Generic email platforms may offer flashy features, but they lack the industry-specific functionality your property or portfolio needs. What you really require is a solution that understands the unique rhythm and aspects of hospitality operations. This means having templates specifically designed for hotel communications, from pre-arrival welcomes to post-stay surveys. Your platform should offer the capability for automation workflows that match common guest journeys, backed by a customer support team that truly understands hospitality challenges and can provide industry-specific best practices and benchmarks.

Revenue attribution: Proving ROI

Your email marketing platform should clearly demonstrate its value through comprehensive revenue attribution. You need visibility into how your campaigns directly impact your bottom line — from tracking direct bookings and upsell revenue to monitoring amenity purchases and overall guest lifetime value. This level of clarity not only helps you optimize your strategy but also makes it easier to justify your marketing investments and demonstrate success to stakeholders.

Built for scale, easy to use

The right solution grows with your business while maintaining user-friendly operations. Whether you’re managing communications for a single boutique property or a large hotel group, your platform should offer an intuitive interface that minimizes training time and maximizes efficiency. Look for flexible templates that maintain brand consistency while enabling quick campaign creation and deployment. And it should offer the ability to manage multiple properties from a single platform without adding complexity to your workflow.

Fast time to value: Quick implementation

You shouldn’t have to wait months to see results from your hotel email marketing investment. Modern solutions offer a rapid implementation process that gets you up and running quickly. This means providing automated data synchronization that starts working from day one, and ready-to-use segmentation strategies that help you target the right guests right away, as well as a library of proven campaign examples you can customize to your needs. The goal is to have you driving revenue through email marketing within days, not months.

The complete package

The ideal solution combines robust CRM and CDP capabilities with sophisticated email marketing tools into one seamless platform. This integration enables you to create highly detailed customer profiles for segmentation while automating lifecycle communications throughout the customer journey. You’ll be able to drive incremental revenue through timely upsells, build stronger guest relationships through hyper-personalization, and continuously track and optimize your campaign performance.

The fact is, you’re not just choosing an email platform – you’re selecting a partner to help in your property’s success. You want a solution provider who understands the unique challenges you face with your hospitality marketing and provides all the necessary tools, support, and expertise you need to overcome them.

Transform hotel email marketing success into bottom-line impact

When presenting your campaign results to management, you need to speak their language. While open rates and click-through rates are important metrics for optimization, you need to translate these into metrics that directly impact your property’s ROI and Net Operating Income (NOI). Let’s break this down:

(Gross Operating Income + Other Income) – Total Fixed and Variable Expenses = Net Operating Income (NOI)

Your property’s NOI is calculated by subtracting all operating expenses from your gross operating income. Understanding your NOI is crucial because it directly impacts your property’s asset value, which is found by dividing your NOI by the current capitalization rate.

As an example, using a standard capitalization rate of 8%, a property with a NOI of $750,000 is valued at $9.375 million ($750,000 ÷ 0.08).

Now consider how your email marketing efforts play into this equation. When your campaigns shift bookings from OTAs to direct channels, you retain more revenue by reducing commission costs. Even small changes in NOI can have a big impact on your property’s overall value. For example, a modest 2% increase in revenue retention (moving from 83% to 85%) through direct bookings and successful upsell campaigns can add over a million dollars to your property’s asset value. Suddenly, that $50,000 investment in email marketing transforms into a discussion about millions in potential asset value enhancement.

This perspective changes the conversation. Instead of focusing solely on campaign metrics, frame your hotel email marketing strategy around its impact on NOI. Show ownership how targeted campaigns, automated guest communications, and strategic upsells contribute to reduced acquisition costs and increased revenue retention. When you speak this language, you’ll find a much more receptive audience for your marketing initiatives.

Ready to see how a strategic hotel email marketing program can impact your property’s overall profitability? Schedule a free consultation and demo today to learn more about Revinate solutions for your specific needs.