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Hotels spend enormous energy perfecting the guest experience once a reservation is confirmed, but what happens in the weeks between booking and arrival? That overlooked window is an opportunity to build trust, answer questions, shape expectations and even influence what guests choose to do once they arrive.
Here, Mita Jash, founder and CEO of Rippling Point Enterprises, explores what hotels miss when they treat pre-arrival communication as an operational task and how better communication can transform the entire guest journey.
—Interview by Jennifer Glatt, edited by Bianca Prieto
(Image courtesy Mita Jash)
What are hotels making guests figure out on their own before a stay, and what do you think is driving that disconnect?
I think hotels are assuming that guests may not want help from hotels (i.e., they’ll figure everything out because so much information is available on the internet). But they’d be surprised that, with everything else guests are doing when planning a trip, they just might want things sorted out for them. This could be:
Basics: Logistical info on parking, transport options, accessibility, hotel amenities and layout
Orientation of the area: Proximity to cafés/restaurants and transportation
Local expertise: The insider secrets and nuances that travelers crave and can’t get by Googling
Some hotels send an email with links to local attractions two to three days before arrival. From my perspective, that’s too late, especially for international travel booked well in advance. I like to have a decent itinerary set before departure. And two days before flying transatlantic, I’m focused on wrapping up work- or home-related tasks rather than researching the attractions I want to hit.
The concept of the concierge seems to be fading in my view. With luxury hotels, guests are paying for the service implicitly, yet it seems to only be available when guests ask for help; it rarely is proactive in my experience. And it’s a huge, missed opportunity to capture additional spend for the property.
Travelers can spend weeks researching a destination before they ever book a hotel. Why do so many hotels still treat that research window as separate from the guest experience, and what are they missing by doing so?
Some of it could be a transactional fixation. In other words, not thinking of that period through the guest experience lens until a reservation is made. But when travelers visit a hotel website and follow a property on social media platforms, I think hotels either miss or minimize that many have intent to book, [which] could be in a couple of weeks or a couple of months. In my opinion, hotels need to zero in on that intent.
Just as travelers invest in researching their trip, properties need to start investing in relationships with potential guests in those moments. When a hotel takes the view to provide valuable information to travelers as they research—regardless of whether they book with them or not—it stands out from the pack. And if a hotel clearly communicates what their brand is about and it clicks with a traveler, the room books itself.
“When the hotel engages, that anticipation flows into the property’s revenue.”
On the other end, by staying in touch with communications that remind travelers of the desire they felt initially, guests who were planning for later will be inclined to book that hotel because it stayed on their radar in a valuable way. A great way to do this is by creating an insider email guide that is offered in exchange for the email address of a website visitor or social media follower. Unless a hotel captures contact details before a visitor leaves its site or social profile, it risks losing the opportunity to stay in touch and nurture that relationship until the guest is ready to book.
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When hotels struggle with pre-arrival communication, what do you see as the biggest barriers? What tends to get overlooked in trying to solve them?
Expense: Budget limitations in hiring an agency or tech company to build out a system
Time: Figuring out how to reallocate focus from day-to-day tasks to set up email templates with guest segmentation
Skills: Worrying that copywriter expertise is required
Systems: Believing a pre-arrival framework is only possible with sophisticated systems
The point that gets missed is that value can be added with simple emails. For example, warm welcome communications are priceless because they create a human connection and build confidence that the hotel is looking forward to their arrival. Starting an email conversation and gauging interests makes it easy for staff to share their local insights and provides opportunities to discuss upsells.
While integration with PMS and CRM systems is great, it’s not essential for smaller properties. A system that splits responsibilities across teams and uses simple tagging and service level agreements works in conjunction with free and low-ticket vendor products that provide email templates, AI prompts and tracking tools.
What changes when a hotel starts treating pre-arrival communication as part of the hospitality experience, rather than simply a series of emails?
Guests feel cared for before they arrive. That’s what makes guests more inclined to spend on property. The hotel becomes more of a partner that comes alongside guests as they plan. Asking questions about trip objectives allows staff to add personal touches, help with planning and recommend experiences and upgrades. Excitement peaks before arrival. When the hotel engages, that anticipation flows into the property’s revenue.
The formula isn’t complicated. Look after people and they’ll be happy to spend with you.
Mint Pillow’s Take
Newsflash: The guest experience doesn’t begin at check-in—and there’s inordinate value in remembering that. Before arrival, travelers are already dreaming, researching, planning and deciding how they’ll spend their time (and money). That makes the weeks between booking and arrival a hospitality opportunity, not just an operational gap.
Take a fresh look at your pre-arrival journey. What questions could you answer before guests have to ask? Where could you offer genuinely helpful local insight? Are you creating a reason for guests to engage with you before they walk through your door?
The good news: You don’t need a sophisticated tech stack to get started. Try one warm, useful email. Ask guests what they’re looking forward to. Give your team a simple way to tag interests and follow up. Then watch what happens.
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