The Cost of Overlooking a Loyal Guest
Anyone in hospitality knows the saying: the client is king. And nowhere is this truer, where every guest expects (and genuienely deserves) an outstanding experience, especially when they’ve been returning year after year.
The Power of Loyalty
My family has a tradition: every year during the Halloween break, we go to the same spa hotel in Italy. If I’m not mistaken, we’ve been their clients for 20 years...and we’ve sent countless friends there, too. This hotel doesn’t have a loyalty program or membership scheme, but I always hoped they had a CRM that kept track of their guests and recognized returning clients.
Apparently, that isn’t the case.
A Series of Surprising Mistakes
As always, my father recently sent a booking request for our usual Halloween group, nine rooms in total. Since we’re a large party and loyal guests, I expected a straightforward, personalized reply. Instead, the hotel quickly asked for the ages of the kids joining us, which is understandable for an accurate quote, but what followed was unexpected.
The first quote they sent included only the rooms for the families with children, completely ignoring the other four families in the original email. The second mistake? Our regular “tariff” wasn’t applied. After we pointed it out, their revised quote wasn’t much better. This time, they included all the rooms, but gave a miserable discount and made an error that made us laugh out loud: several rooms were quoted as “Deluxe room at €3,450 instead of €2,890.” (The prices here are fictitious, but you get the idea.) If you call paying more a discount, that’s not good business!
Why Getting It Right Matters
We understood the mistakes, but we couldn’t accept them, not after 20 years of loyal business. This hotel likely won’t go out of business over one blunder, but is it fair to treat one of your most loyal guests like just another number? In the last 12 months alone, we’ve stayed there four times and brought friends who booked as well. Once a year, we organize this group booking of nine families. Shouldn’t they take a moment to recognize who we are before hitting send on a quote?
I know prices can change, and I understand the need to update offers. But before sending them, shouldn’t you check who’s writing? Shouldn’t you know if it’s a regular guest?
Loyalty Is a Two-Way Street
This experience made us feel a bit “used”, as if our loyalty counted for nothing and only profit mattered. Speaking as both a guest and an ex-entrepreneur, I understand the business side, but I also know you ultimately make more money by keeping your loyal guests happy.
A simple check in your CRM or booking history can make the difference between a guest who returns for the next 20 years and one who decides it’s time for a change.
Final thought:
In hospitality, every loyal guest should feel like more than just a booking reference. The small details (recognition, accurate offers, and personal care) make all the difference in an increasingly competitive world. For me, each experience is a lesson that shapes how I grow and serve others. After all, it’s by reflecting on these moments that I keep moving forward and keep asking myself, What’s Next?
