The 2015 edition of the TripAdvisor TripBarometer report asked hoteliers, “How important do you think each of the following is for your business?” The results? Eighty percent of hoteliers agree that increasing repeat business is ‘very important’ to the future of their hotels, and 77% of hoteliers want to increase direct bookings.

But, guest expectations are changing and the hospitality environment is becoming increasingly competitive. According to recent studies, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach guests. But, how do hotels differentiate themselves when nearly 82% of consumer inboxes are promotional or transactional in nature? How can hotels break through the noise?

To differentiate themselves, hotels need a way to reach guests with targeted marketing promotions based on their personal preferences, to drive items like room upgrades, spa bookings, or future stays. With a unified platform for managing every aspect of guest relations, hoteliers could enhance the guest experience before, during, and after the hotel stay, resulting in happier guests and increased revenue.

An additional problem? Hotel email marketing success has traditionally been difficult to quantify. Metrics like open and click rates were (and still are) used to measure the success or failure of campaigns. But, these metrics don’t provide a direct tie to revenue. Hotel marketers need to figure out which campaigns are actually driving revenue for the hotel and which are less successful money-makers, in order to prove value and quantify the impact of their email marketing efforts.

Fortunately, the technology exists to provide direct revenue attribution to each email campaign. Makena Beach & Golf Resort in Maui is a Revinate Marketing™ customer. The email below was sent to its database of past guests.

The result? Engagement, direct bookings, and directly attributable revenue. This campaign earned:

31.8% open rate
54 reservations
$135,960 in directly attributable revenue

Of course, this success story isn’t just about the revenue generated. It’s about the direct attribution, which allows the hotel to tie revenue directly to specific campaigns. In email marketing, learning what works and what doesn’t is half the battle, and it’s clear from the revenue generated that this campaign worked. Makena Beach & Golf Resort is running a highly successful email marketing program, and they have the revenue data to prove it.

Want to drive more direct revenue and connect with guests? Download our free Email Marketing Strategy Guide. Never before has there been a more jam-packed, industry-specific guide to help hoteliers master the art (and science) of email marketing. Over 40+ topics with actionable insights, strategies, and best practices for email marketing.