Amandine Devergies Ginguené

Out-of-the-box perspectives on how AI-enabled technologies can boost guest loyalty and retention in the hotel industry

Jan 16, 2024

In addition to the conventional ways of using AI-enabled technologies to boost guest loyalty and retention in the hotel industry, covered in the article https://amandinedevergies.com/blog/how-ai-enabled-technologies-can-boost-guest-loyalty-and-retention-in-the-hotel-industrythere are also some out-of-the-box perspectives that can offer new and innovative possibilities for hotels and their guests.

How AI-enabled technologies can help hotels create gamified loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems

Gamification is the application of game elements and mechanics, such as points, badges, levels, leaderboards, and challenges, to non-game contexts, such as loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems. Gamification can help hotels boost their guest loyalty and retention by engaging their guests in fun and interactive ways, motivating them to achieve their goals, and rewarding them for their actions and behaviors.

AI-enabled technologies can help hotels:

  • Design and implement gamified loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems, such as by using game design principles, such as goals, rules, feedback, and challenge, and creating engaging and immersive game scenarios, narratives, and characters.
  • Personalize and adapt gamified loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems, such as by using machine learning, adaptive learning, and user modeling, and providing different levels of difficulty, complexity, and variety, based on the preferences, behavior, and feedback of each guest.
  • Measure and improve gamified loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems, such as by using analytics, visualization, and gamification metrics, such as engagement, motivation, and loyalty, and using them to optimize and enhance the game elements and mechanics.

Examples of relevant AI tools and platforms:

  • Bunchball provides hotels with game design, implementation, and management, and help them engage and motivate their guests.
  • Badgeville provides hotels with personalization, adaptation, and analytics, and help them customize and optimize their gamification strategies.
  • Gamify provides hotels with game creation, delivery, and measurement, and help them create fun and interactive experiences for their guests.
    A person is checking a colorful digital leaderboard displayed on a large screen, holding a smartphone in their hand. The leaderboard shows progress bars in various colors, each associated with different scores and icons.
    A hotel guest checking a leaderboard highlighting customers' feedback, loyalty points and rewards.

How AI-enabled technologies can help hotels create social loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems

Social loyalty is the concept of using social media, online communities, and user-generated content to enhance guest loyalty and retention. Social loyalty can help hotels boost their guest loyalty and retention by encouraging their guests to share, connect, and interact with each other and the hotel brand, creating a sense of belonging, trust, and advocacy.

AI-enabled technologies can help hotels:

  • Create and manage social media, online communities, and user-generated content, such as by using natural language processing, machine learning, and chatbots, and providing them with content creation, moderation, and distribution.
  • Engage and influence their guests on social media, online communities, and user-generated content, such as by using natural language generation, sentiment analysis, and social media analytics, and providing them with content curation, recommendation, and feedback.
  • Reward and incentivize their guests on social media, online communities, and user-generated content, such as by using blockchain, smart contracts, and tokenization, and providing them with rewards, incentives, and recognition.

Examples of relevant AI tools and platforms:

  • Sprout Social provides hotels with content creation, moderation, and distribution, and help them reach and engage their guests.
  • Influitive provides hotels with content curation, recommendation, and feedback, and help them create and nurture loyal advocates.
  • Bazaarvoice provides hotels with rewards, incentives, and recognition, and help them increase their guest loyalty and retention.
A person in a room, whose face is not visible, is holding a smartphone displaying colorful app icons and a heart-shaped token with a check mark.
A hotel guest participating in a gamified loyalty program that rewards them for engaging with the hotel and other guests on social media and online platforms.

How AI-enabled technologies can help hotels create emotional loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems

Emotional loyalty is the concept of using emotions, values, and aspirations to enhance guest loyalty and retention. Emotional loyalty can help hotels boost their guest loyalty and retention by appealing to their guests’ emotions, values, and aspirations, creating a sense of connection, affinity, and loyalty.

AI-enabled technologies can help hotels:

  • Understand and analyze the emotions, values, and aspirations of their guests, such as by using sentiment analysis, emotional recognition, and personality analysis, and providing them with emotional insights, profiles, and segments.
  • Communicate and interact with the emotions, values, and aspirations of their guests, such as by using natural language generation, storytelling, and emotional design, and providing them with emotional content, narratives, and experiences.
  • Align and match the emotions, values, and aspirations of their guests, such as by using personalization, recommendation, and persuasion, and providing them with emotional offers, incentives, and feedback.

Examples of relevant AI tools and platforms:

  • Kairos provides hotels with emotional insights, profiles, and segments, and help them understand their guests better.
  • Affectiva provides hotels with emotional content, narratives, and experiences, and help them engage and delight their guests.
  • Persado provides hotels with emotional offers, incentives, and feedback, and help them motivate and influence their guests.
    A smiling couple holding hands and walking into a hotel lobby, where they are greeted by a friendly receptionist.
    A smiling couple holding hands and walking into a hotel lobby, with a staff member greeting them warmly.

    How AI-enabled technologies can help hotels create experiential loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems

    Experiential loyalty is the concept of using experiences, rather than products or services, to enhance guest loyalty and retention. Experiential loyalty can help hotels boost their guest loyalty and retention by providing them with unique and memorable experiences, rather than just a place to sleep, creating a sense of differentiation, satisfaction, and loyalty.

    AI-enabled technologies can help hotels:

    • Create and deliver unique and memorable experiences to their guests, such as by using virtual reality, augmented reality, and immersive technology, and providing them with virtual tours, interactive games, and immersive storytelling.
    • Personalize and adapt unique and memorable experiences to their guests, such as by using machine learning, adaptive learning, and user modeling, and providing them with different levels of immersion, interactivity, and variety, based on their preferences, behavior, and feedback.
    • Measure and improve unique and memorable experiences for their guests, such as by using analytics, visualization, and experiential metrics, such as engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty, and using them to optimize and enhance the experiences.

    Examples of relevant AI tools and platforms:

    • Navis provides hotels with virtual tours, interactive games, and immersive storytelling, and help them create and deliver immersive experiences for their guests.
    • Layar provides hotels with different levels of immersion, interactivity, and variety, based on their preferences, behavior, and feedback, and help them customize and optimize their experiences.
A vibrant digital artwork depicting a traditional Asian architectural landscape emerging from a smartphone, with human figures interacting on the phone’s screen, symbolizing the blend of tradition and technology.
A hotel guest exploring a cultural site with a guide, with the hotel’s app on their smartphone.

How AI-enables technologies can help hotels create ethical loyalty programs, rewards, and feedback systems

Ethical loyalty is the concept of using ethics, such as privacy, security, and trust, to enhance guest loyalty and retention. Ethical loyalty can help hotels boost their guest loyalty and retention by ensuring their guests’ privacy, security, and trust, creating a sense of respect, confidence, and loyalty.

AI-enabled technologies can help hotels:

  • Ensure their guests’ privacy, such as by using blockchain, smart contracts, and encryption, and providing them with secure and transparent data storage, sharing, and processing.
  • Ensure their guests’ security, such as by using biometrics, facial recognition, and authentication, and providing them with safe and convenient access, identification, and verification.
  • Ensure their guests’ trust, such as by using transparency, accountability, and explainability, and providing them with clear and honest communication, information, and feedback.

Examples of relevant AI tools and platforms:

  • Winding Tree provides hotels with secure and transparent data storage, sharing, and processing, and help them protect their guests’ personal and financial data.
  • Loyyal provides hotels with safe and convenient access, identification, and verification, and help them prevent fraud and identity theft.
  • Provenance provides hotels with clear and honest communication, information, and feedback, and help them demonstrate their social and environmental impact and values.
A guest receiving a complimentary upgrade from a hotel manager, who shakes their hand and smiles.
A guest receiving a complimentary upgrade from a hotel manager.

Conclusion

I hope that this article has inspired you to explore the possibilities and benefits of AI, while taking an out-of-the box perspective on how it can help boost guest experiences.

This article is complementary to the previous one: https://amandinedevergies.com/blog/how-ai-enabled-technologies-can-boost-guest-loyalty-and-retention-in-the-hotel-industry

Thank you for reading.

Note: In line with my passion to use technology to help humans’s efficiency and creativity, this article has been written with the support of BingAI & Bing Image Creator.

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