16 Ideas for Planning Hospitality Customer Engagement Events

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the hospitality industry. In its wake, hoteliers were forced to transform their processes and elevate the customer experience to maintain a competitive edge. Boosting customer engagement remains a priority for many hotels, and successful event marketing has become a significant part of any strategy.

Customer engagement events can foster positive guest perceptions of your hotel and give them memorable experiences that keep them returning for more. With many hotels revising their engagement strategies, finding fresh ways to engage guests is crucial to elevate your brand and foster lifelong loyalty.

Why Are Customer Engagement Events Important in Hospitality?

Customer engagement — or guest engagement in hospitality — involves interacting with guests through your chosen marketing channels to keep them engaged throughout their journey with your brand. It directly impacts brand trust and aims to create lasting connections with guests, building loyalty and encouraging referrals and repeat bookings.

Since the pandemic, hotel owners and managers must find creative ways to deliver unique experiences. Genuine interactions with your guests encourage positive emotions toward your brand, and 86% of consumers say a personalized experience increases their loyalty. Some of the many benefits of customer engagement in hospitality include:

• Improve customer satisfaction: Guests should feel at home in your hotel and comfortable to reach out so that you can meet their needs.
• Boost customer loyalty and retention: The happier your guests are, the more likely they will return to your hotel and recommend it to others.
• Elevate your image and reputation: The correct forms of engagement make guests feel favorable toward your brand before they’ve even checked in, which is vital in a competitive industry like hospitality.
• Improve overall performance: Engaged guests are likely to give you honest feedback, allowing you to improve your performance and stay abreast of ever-changing customer expectations.
• Increase employee satisfaction and retention: Customer feedback can help hotel management create a positive working environment, and 79% of employees would rather stay in a job where they feel valued, even if it means earning less.

Engaged customers feel connected to your brand and often become brand advocates, which increases your revenue and boosts the overall profitability of your hotel.

16 Ideas for Planning Hospitality Customer Engagement Events

Hospitality is a competitive industry, and the question remains — how do you stay ahead of the curve and give guests the personalized experience they expect?

Improving your guests’ engagement requires a sound strategy to build anticipation and incorporate hospitality event ideas that appeal to your target customers. The following techniques and engagement ideas can meet guest expectations and make you stand out from the crowd:

1. Build Anticipation

The guest experience starts long before they check in to your hotel. You can create a connection and build anticipation with carefully curated, personalized content. Take your time to build guests’ excitement and consider the following strategies:

• Request a pre-arrival survey: You can only personalize the guest experience when you have the necessary information. Asking your guests to fill out a quick survey before they arrive gives you valuable information you can use to provide quality, memorable service. When you know about special needs and guest preferences in advance, you’ll come across as attentive and prepared, giving them a frictionless experience.
• Use social media: Staying active on social media builds anticipation and provides a platform to highlight deals and special events. It lets guests communicate with you on a channel that makes them comfortable.
• Consider a virtual concierge system: Like all industries, automation frees up valuable time, allowing your staff to focus on keeping guests comfortable. A virtual concierge service makes it easy for guests to book extra services, organize wake-up calls and select meals. Inform your guests about this service before they visit so they can familiarize themselves and make requests in advance.
• Send a welcome message: A simple welcome message is a great way to introduce your hotel and build positive associations. It makes your guests feel appreciated before they walk through your doors and lets you acquaint them with the hotel. Remove friction from the initial guest experience by providing important information in advance, like how your check-in process works and the best way to reach your destination. You can also inform them about additional services or special offers, like spa days or outings.

2. Offer Welcome Drinks and Snacks

Guests often arrive at hotels tired and stiff from travel. It’s the chance to make your first one-on-one engagement stand out from other hotels. A refreshing drink will be welcome after a long journey. You can vary your offerings depending on the guest and time of arrival, such as fresh orange juice in the morning, sparkling water on a hot afternoon or a fragrant glass of wine in the evening.

Give your guests an authentic VIP experience and welcome them to your part of the world with locally sourced luxury chocolates or treats baked in-house. If there’s a food or dessert your hotel is famous for, consider giving your new guests a sample to set the tone for the rest of their stay.

3. Give Guests Personalized Tours

A hotel tour lets you connect with your guests and highlight your hotel’s unique features and facilities. Go beyond showing them their hotel rooms and help them get familiar with the building layout and location of your key facilities. If they’ve booked any special services, be sure you show them how to get there. Always include your hotel’s selling points, like the spa, swimming pool, bar and room upgrade options.

Are there any fun facts or intriguing stories in your hotel’s history? Ensure you add these to help guests form a connection with the hotel and staff.

4. Create Themed Dining Events

Dining is a part of any hotel stay. You can use your guests’ pre-arrival surveys to make personalized dining recommendations, like vegan dishes or kids’ specials for families. When your guests know what you provide, they’re more likely to stay and eat with you instead of looking for options elsewhere.

Find creative ways to keep dining enjoyable with themed dinner events. Add something unique and keep guests in the hotel by switching up the menu and adding a theme. All it takes is a little imagination. You can try anything from a night celebrating local cuisine to a murder mystery evening or a black tie event.

5. Host Cooking Classes and Tastings

A willing chef and some adventurous guests are all you need for this type of event. Highlight your staff’s skills with a hands-on cooking class so guests can engage with your catering staff and learn something new. You can also organize a food and drinks tasting to showcase the restaurant and bar and give guests ideas for what to order when they sit down for a special meal.

6. Incorporate Holidays and Changing Seasons

Keep your calendar updated with popular and obscure holidays you can celebrate in your hotel. Consider a Christmas in July celebration, organize an Earth Day tree planting, deck out your bar for St. Patrick’s Day or organize a bonfire night for Halloween. Depending on the type of guests and the layout of your hotel, many holidays lend themselves to guest engagement.

Seasonal changes provide a unique guest engagement opportunity. You can have a pumpkin spice latte special in the fall or offer summer picnic baskets. In spring, you could decorate guests’ rooms with fresh blossoms or offer hot chocolate as a winter nightcap. Try incorporating local fare into your menu or give guests celebratory seasonal food baskets upon arrival.

7. Personalize Guest Accommodation

Creating a connection with your guests is about providing bespoke experiences. Consider why your guests stay with you. Are they coming for business, a family getaway or a chance to relax and unwind? Your pre-arrival survey gives you this information.

When you know why your guests are coming, give them an experience that sets your hotel apart. Get creative with welcome baskets suited to your guests, like providing working guests with a business trip kit or kid-friendly kits for families.

Aside from welcome kits, put yourself in your guests’ shoes and consider what else they might need during their stay. Some options include:

• Daycare and nanny services.
• Work stations.
• Quiet outdoor spaces for reflection.
• Kids play areas.
• Blankets for winter breakfasts.
• Promotional loungewear for quiet nights in.

Try to anticipate everything your guests need during their stay and provide it beforehand, integrating engagement opportunities and giving them a streamlined individual experience.

8. Implement a Loyalty Program

Guests feel valued when you recognize their loyalty. Consider setting up a loyalty program to give guests extra perks for repeat stays. Offering discounts and attractive prizes like hotel merchandise gets them invested in achieving the reward goals.

9. Take Advantage of the Outdoors

Our lives get so busy that many rarely get an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Encourage your guests to take in the beautiful hotel surroundings with outdoor events. When the weather allows, organize a lunchtime picnic or offer al fresco breakfasts. You can even take your dinner time to the next level by planning an open-air soiree with live instrumentals or setting up a big screen for an outdoor movie night.

If your venue allows, create some excursions for your guests, like hiking at a nearby location, birdwatching or visiting some local attractions.

10. Leverage Social Media

Featuring guests on your social media accounts and encouraging them to interact creates a connection and keeps them engaged after their stay. Many people come to hotels to create memories. If you’re facilitating the process, you’ll stay at the top of guests’ minds years after their visit.

Posting relevant, engaging content is a powerful guest engagement strategy. Consider hiring a professional photographer for special events to capture the moments people want to remember. Some social media ideas for your engagement strategy include:

• Video walkthroughs of your property.
• Pictures of special events and highlights.
• Positive guest reviews.
• Fun activities nearby.
• Special events and celebrations.
• Discounts and specials.

People who aren’t staying with you can follow your events from home, and you’ll be the first hotel they think about when they’re coming to your area.

11. Consider Mental and Physical Wellness Events

Everyone comes to a hotel for a different reason, but most people respond positively to health and wellness opportunities, whether they’re visiting for business or pleasure. Health and wellness events leave guests feeling refreshed and content, which is excellent for engagement.

Provide guests with various options depending on their preferences and fitness levels. Some health and wellness event ideas include:

• Yoga classes.
• Open-air Tai Chi.
• Meditation sessions.
• Massage stations.
• Outdoor walks.
• Smoothie or juicing stations.

Elevate your approach to wellness by weaving it into the fabric of your hotel’s offerings. Consider health and wellness promotional gifts, eco-friendly apparel and other small touches that show guests you value their wellbeing and are interested in sustainability.

12. Integrate Some Competition

Gamification is a popular concept in the hospitality industry, and many hotels use it to improve the effectiveness of traditional loyalty and engagement programs. People love a little competition. Integrating gamification elements, such as badges, quests, tasks, challenges and leaderboards, can boost engagement and encourage guests to frequent your hotel.

Whether you opt for friendly competition in your loyalty program, structured events such as quiz nights or quests to encourage guests to explore the local scene, you can maintain a competitive edge and keep guests invested in the results.

13. Give Your Guests the Inside Scoop

Only some people enjoy the tourist thing. Some guests visit your location to get a genuine local experience. Setting up events to highlight local culture can engage your staff and guests. Show your guests where the locals go with area tours, pointing out popular shops and landmarks.

If there are local food, drink or music festivals throughout the year, find ways to include your guests, like negotiating special prices, hosting pre-drinks or setting up an afterparty event. You could even start your own food or drink festival during peak times.

14. Ask for Feedback

Guest feedback is critical to improve your engagement strategy. Send a message to your guests on their departure date, thanking them for choosing your hotel and asking if they would leave a review. Hotel guests read up to 12 reviews before booking, and you want yours up there, encouraging new guests.

Reviews are also crucial for your internal guest engagement strategy. Guest feedback gives you real-time improvement opportunities and highlights areas where your system is working. Guest engagement requires agility, and knowing where to adjust your performance lets you elevate each guest’s experience.

15. Refine Your Customer Engagement Strategy

The interactions between hoteliers and guests are changing, but the impact of successful customer engagement is as important as ever. Use data from guest reviews and staff experiences to identify your weakest engagement areas and focus on improving them. If something is working, ask yourself why. Can you replicate the engagement event in creative ways to enhance guest connections?

16. Elevate Your Brand With Unique Promotional Gifts

Guest experiences are all about personalization. Promotional gifts are the perfect finishing touch to any guest’s experience. For example, a well-thought-out parting gift like a branded travel mug, complete with coffee. This unique touch sets you apart from the competition and has guests leaving with a smile.

Get creative and consider promotional gifts representing your brand, from custom-branded travel sets to luxury winter blankets. The ultimate parting gift keeps guests engaged every time they use it and promotes your brand to their friends and family.

Elevate Your Guest Experience With ePromos

Guest engagement is crucial in a dynamic industry like hospitality. Every guest who walks through your lobby is a potential lifelong connection, and ePromos can help you give your guests the experience of a lifetime. We understand the demands of the hospitality industry, which is why we offer a 110% satisfaction guarantee.

Browse our selection of unique hospitality gifts, or work with our experienced team to refine your guest engagement strategy today!