Unlocking Growth: Enriching Your CRM with Valuable Guest Data

Your guests and property are teeming with information. However, without the right organization and consolidation, it’s hard to turn this data into actionable insights for your business. We’ll explore how to make the most of hospitality data collection so you can increase direct bookings, revenue, and satisfaction. 

The Challenge: Incomplete Guest Profiles

Most hospitality managers are familiar with the frustration of fragmented guest information. Your Property Management System (PMS) might capture basic reservation details, while valuable interaction data remains siloed across various channels—from front desk conversations to in-stay requests and post-stay feedback. This fragmentation creates several problems:

• Masked OTA emails that prevent direct marketing to guests
• Inconsistent guest recognition across touchpoints and stays
• Limited personalization opportunities due to insufficient preference data
• Missed revenue opportunities from upselling and cross-selling
• Ineffective remarketing due to incomplete contact information

The Solution: Akia and MEWS Integration

The integration between Akia's guest engagement platform and MEWS' property management system creates a powerful solution for hospitality managers looking to enrich their guest data. This partnership bridges the gap between operational efficiency and personalized guest communication, creating more memorable stays with less manual work.

How Akia Builds a Centralized Guest Profile

Akia's platform serves as a continuous data collection tool throughout the guest journey:

1. Unmask OTA emails: Convert anonymous bookings into valuable direct contacts by capturing email addresses through digital registration cards and pre-arrival questionnaires delivered by Akia Mini Apps
2. In-stay interaction tracking: Document all guest requests, preferences, and feedback during their stay through Akia's all-in-one messaging platform
3. AI behavior analysis: Akia Intelligence analyzes guest communication patterns and response rates to different offers and information, ensuring each stay is better than the last
4. Sentiment capture: Gather real-time feedback throughout the stay, allowing you to identify preferences and address concerns immediately

Seamless Integration with MEWS

MEWS serves as your operational backbone, while Akia enhances and enriches the data flowing into your system:

1. Bi-directional data sync: Guest information captured in Akia automatically enriches profiles in MEWS, ensuring your PMS contains the most comprehensive guest records
2. Centralized data repository: All guest interactions from multiple channels (text, email, OTA messages, social media) are consolidated in one place
3. Automated data enrichment: Contact information, preferences, and historical interactions are continuously updated without manual intervention
4. Enhanced segmentation capability: Richer profiles enable more sophisticated guest segmentation for targeted marketing campaigns

The Business Impact for Hospitality Leaders

Enriching your CRM with valuable guest data through the Akia-MEWS integration delivers measurable benefits:

1. Increased Direct Bookings

With unmasked OTA emails and enriched guest profiles, you can implement targeted marketing campaigns that drive guests to book directly on future stays. Many properties using this integration report a 15-20% conversion of OTA guests to direct bookers on subsequent stays.

2. Higher Revenue Per Guest

Personalized upselling based on known preferences results in increased spending. Properties utilizing enriched guest data for targeted offers see an average 23% increase in ancillary revenue from returning guests.

3. Improved Operational Efficiency

Staff spend less time gathering and inputting guest information manually, allowing them to focus on high-value interactions. The automated data collection typically saves front desk staff 5-7 hours per week at a mid-sized property.

4. Enhanced Guest Satisfaction

When guests feel recognized and understood across touchpoints, their satisfaction increases. Properties implementing comprehensive guest profiles report an average 18% improvement in guest satisfaction scores.

5. Better Marketing ROI

Targeted campaigns based on accurate guest data deliver higher conversion rates at lower costs. Email campaigns utilizing enriched guest data show open rates 2-3 times higher than generic communications.

Conclusion

The integration between Akia and MEWS transforms fragmented guest information into a cohesive, actionable database. By implementing this solution, hospitality managers can unlock new revenue opportunities, enhance operational efficiency, and deliver personalized experiences that turn first-time guests into lifelong customers. 

For more information on making sense of your property's data, tune into our webinar From Data to Decisions: How AI is Transforming Guest Relationships.