Innovative hotel marketing: Leveraging vouchers to attract new guests

Unlike a monetary gift card, which can be used for any service, a hotel may offer a Voucher tied to a specific activity or event, such as high tea, spa treatments, or hair salon services, often with an expiration date. These vouchers are associated with a unique SKU, redeemable only once, and come with specific terms and conditions. Upon receiving the Voucher, the recipient must contact the hotel to book the experience in advance and present the Voucher at the time of redemption. 

When guests have a great experience at their hotel, it opens doors to new revenue opportunities. They want to come back and return to enjoy something they didn’t get to experience the previous time. By encouraging voucher sales, customers can purchase vouchers for themselves or as gifts for friends and family, endorsing the hotel’s offerings. These vouchers, whether for future stays or special experiences, create a sense of anticipation and excitement.  

Boosting customer loyalty: Vouchers enhance guest satisfaction, leading to brand advocacy and repeat visits, ultimately increasing hotel revenue and fostering long-term customer loyalty.This reduces your hotel’s reliance on OTAs and increases the hotel’s control over guest interactions and revenue. 

Attract new guests: Vouchers can attract new customers who are seeking specific experiences that your hotel offers. In fact, 44% of customers visit a location for the first time because of a gift card or voucher, introducing your hotel to potential guests who may not have considered visiting before. 

Enhances off-peak occupancy: Vouchers can be used strategically to attract guests during off-peak times, ensuring steady occupancy rates throughout the year. Additionally, pre-purchased vouchers provide immediate cash flow, which is especially beneficial during slower seasons or economic downturns.  

Generates additional revenue streams: By selling vouchers, hotels create an additional revenue stream, generating income even before the actual service is provided. In addition, 75% of gift card recipients tend to overspend (2023 Gift Card and Voucher Sabre statistics,) opening further revenue opportunities beyond the initial sale. 

Seasonal promotions: Creating limited-time voucher offers for holidays, anniversaries, or special events can boost revenue and attract guests seeking unique and thoughtful gifts. By aligning voucher promotions with seasonal events and celebrations, hotels can increase bookings, expand reach, enhance guest experiences, and drive substantial revenue growth. As per Sabre stats, (2023) December is the best-selling month. Nearly half of all gift card and voucher revenue is made in the last quarter of the year.

Crafting effective voucher campaigns is essential for maximizing their impact and driving both short-term revenue and long-term loyalty. Here are our tips for creating and implementing successful voucher campaigns:  

Identify your target audience:  

Tailor your voucher offers to different segments of your audience. For example, a partner seeks a romantic dinner voucher for Valentine’s Day, whereas a daughter may seek a Spa Treatment voucher to gift for Mother’s Day. 

To ensure your offers resonate and encourage purchases, understand the preferences and behaviors of your target audience. Utilize guest data from past stays, surveys, customer feedback, and market research to create compelling and relevant voucher offers.  

Design appealing offers:

Ensure your vouchers offer clear and compelling value. The perceived value should exceed the cost, encouraging guests to make a purchase. Offer exclusive experiences unavailable through standard bookings, such as private dining or VIP amenities. Limited-time offers create a sense of urgency, prompting immediate purchases. 

Develop engaging marketing content that highlights the benefits and exclusivity of your vouchers. Use high-quality images to showcase the experience, emphasize the savings or exclusive access, and include positive testimonials and reviews from past guests who have redeemed vouchers. Real-life experience builds trust and demonstrates the true value of your offers.  

Promoting your vouchers:

Using a variety of channels to promote your vouchers ensures they reach a broad audience. Promote your vouchers on your hotel’s website and blog by creating articles and landing pages optimized with relevant keywords to appear in searches for special experiences. 

Leverage social media platforms, where many people look for hotels. Video content, such as YouTube videos and TikToks, is increasingly effective for hotel marketing. Encourage guests to post content on their own channels to broaden your reach and build trust with both current and potential guests.  

Send targeted email campaigns to your customer database and loyalty members, highlighting the benefits and urgency of your voucher offers to guests who already recognize your hotel’s value. 

Effectively tracking and measuring the success of your voucher campaigns is crucial to understanding their impact and optimizing future efforts. Here are our tips on how to approach this successfully. 

Key metrics to track:  

Voucher sales  

• Track the total number of vouchers sold during the campaign. This metric provides a clear indication of the campaign’s reach and appeal 
• Measure the revenue generated from sales to assess the financial impact and ROI 

Redemption rates 

• Calculate the percentage of vouchers redeemed by determining the proportion of sold vouchers that are used. High redemption rates indicate successful engagement and satisfaction 
• Analyze when vouchers are redeemed to identify trends and peak periods 

Average spend per redemption 

• Track the additional spending by guests who redeem vouchers beyond their voucher value. This helps you understand the total financial contribution of the campaign and the additional revenue generated.  

Channel performance  

• Monitor which marketing channels, such as email, social media, and paid campaigns, generate the most voucher sales and redemptions 
• Use different hyperlinks to your landing page for each channel to gather this data   

Customer feedback  

• Collect feedback from guests who purchase vouchers and redeem vouchers to understand their experiences and satisfaction levels 
• Conduct post-stay or post-experience surveys to gather insights on how the vouchers influenced their decision to stay or book and their overall experience 

By tracking and measuring these metrics, you can gain valuable insights into customer behavior, campaign effectiveness, and overall financial impact. This data-driven approach allows you to make informed decisions, optimize current and future campaigns, and maximize the benefits of using vouchers as a strategic marketing tool.  

Next Steps:

Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of how vouchers can enhance your hotel’s marketing efforts and drive revenue, it’s time to put these strategies into action. Here are our next steps to leverage vouchers effectively.

Assess your current offerings  

• Review your existing services and amenities to identify which can be packaged into attractive voucher offers  
• Consider creating unique experiences exclusive to voucher holders to add value  
• Utilize Sabre’s Hotel Gift Card & Voucher program to take your customer experience to the next level  
• Check out our St. James Paris case study! 

Segment your audience 

• Use guest data to segment your audience into distinct categories (e.g., business travelers, tourists, families, couples) 
• Tailor your voucher offerings to fit the specific needs and preferences of each segment  

Launch a multi-channel marketing campaign 

• Promote your vouchers across various channels, including your website, blog, social media, and emails  
• Leverage our integrated marketing solutions to streamline your campaigns and maximize reach with ease 

Implement a tracking system 

• Set up systems to track voucher sales, redemption rates, average spend per redemption and channel performance  

Evaluate long-term impact 

• Periodically review the long-term impact of your voucher campaigns on customer loyalty, brand advocacy, and revenue growth 
• Use these insights to plan future campaigns and continually improve your marketing strategy  

By following these steps and leveraging Sabre’s Gift Cards & Vouchers, you can effectively attract new guests, boost sales during off-peak times, generate additional revenue, and enhance the overall guest experience.  

Implementing a strategic and data-driven approach with Sabre’s solutions will ensure your campaigns are successful and sustainable, contributing to the long-term growth and profitability of your hotel.  

Related Articles:

• Hospitality and Hotel Marketing Insights and Trends
• The Concept of Attribute Based Selling (ABS) in Hospitality Technology « Sabre (sabrehospitality.com)
• Saint James Hotel Case Study « Sabre (sabrehospitality.com)
• Personalizing the Guest Experience to Increase Hotel Revenue (skift.com) 
• Sabre Unveils the Next Evolution of Hospitality Retailing: SynXis Retailing « Sabre 
• Hotel Gift Card Program « Sabre Hospitality
• Why hoteliers are moving on from dynamic packaging to SynXis Retailing « Sabre Hospitality 
• Ways to Unlock Total Revenue Using Gift Cards (skift.com) 
• Embracing E-commerce practices in Hospitality « Sabre (sabrehospitality.com)

Written by Maura Valentine