Regency Hotel Management Finding Travel Industry Opportunities in 2020
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit the travel industry hard. Any dollars spent on marketing needed to prove their worth. Throughout the year, our partnership with Regency Hotel Management became very nimble. We needed unique messaging and promotions on a per-state basis as each property had different COVID-19 guidelines and mandates to follow. This unprecedented challenge pushed our team to generate new marketing ideas that helped our client not only survive the pandemic but thrive through it.
The Challenge
The comprehensive and strategic marketing plan we started the year with quickly got thrown out the window, but we adapted to needs as they arose. One element, however, that remained from the original plan was the annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotion.
This has historically been a great revenue generator and way to give back to hotel guests during the holiday season. But we knew we couldn’t just rely on what we've previously done; we needed to find new ways to make the biggest revenue impact for each property, and adjust our messaging to the moment.
The Results
The early bird Black Friday email alone accounted for 19% of all 2020 campaign revenue. The cross-channel campaign was successfully executed across email, websites, and social media. Seeing the success that the early bird Black Friday email generated, we worked with the Regency team to pull together a “Last Chance Cyber Monday” email deal to go out that Friday. The quick turnaround paid off in a big way. That email generated 20% more bookings.
After the last Cyber Monday email went out and a social post was published, we tallied up the results.
All in all, through fostering greater loyalty with email subscribers, a comprehensive Black Friday & Cyber Monday campaign, and taking advantage of opportunities as they arose, the 2020 campaign only generated 3% less in revenue per property than 2019. A nominal loss and a huge win in the middle of a pandemic.
19%
of 2020 revenue was attributed to the Black Friday email
20%
more bookings generated by the follow up Cyber Monday email
Our Approach to the Solution
Over the years, we’ve worked closely with individual Regency properties to grow and maintain and grow their email marketing lists. This channel provides one of the highest ROIs for Regency and is a great way to continue to build loyalty and awareness with past guests. We wanted to find a way to thank these loyal subscribers for staying with the properties over the years and to give them something special in a challenging year. To do this, the first element of the 2020 Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign involved a deeper discounted stay to email subscribers only.
The targeted segmentation and early access added a level of exclusivity to the promotion that conveyed just how much Regency values its guests. Offering discounted stays in the middle of a pandemic was a bold move that paid off big in the end.
"It is always a challenge to stand out during Black Friday and COVID made this especially challenging. While informing travelers of the safety measures each property was taking, we were still able to capture the attention of our audiences with simple yet effective messaging. Because of our strategic approach in regards to targeting, we were able to work as a team to ensure we were delivering the right message, to the right people, at the right time."
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