Quick Summary:
WhatsApp is a valuable guest communication tool for hotels looking to connect with guests across different journey stages. It’s best used for casual, timely messages and works alongside email and SMS. In this guide, you’ll find use cases, pricing details, privacy considerations, and what to expect when implementing WhatsApp at your hotel.
WhatsApp is present in nearly 3 billion phones, making it one of the most used messaging applications across industries and areas, including hospitality and hotel guest communication.
But what makes it the right choice besides the amount of users? How to create a WhatsApp hotel communication strategy? And what role does it play in comparison to emails and SMS in hospitality?
These are all valid questions we will explore in this article.
There are a few reasons that turn WhatsApp into a wise decision when managing hotel guest communications. One of them has to do with the number of touchpoints in your guest journey and the number of properties of your brand.
The more your brand grows, the more complex it gets to reach your guests at the right time, and here is when experiencing with instant messaging can bring good results.
In the second place, WhatsApp is not just fast, it’s familiar and trusted. It’s an application that you trust to help you communicate and get the answers you need, even from businesses. So why should it be different for hotels?
Finally, having a WhatsApp-only communication strategy is not what this is about. The whole point is about using the right channel for the right moment and the right guest; finding the right distribution to accomplish that, and the right CRM to power your WhatsApp hotel communication strategy.
Your guest journey can fit different channels if they are all used to communicate the right messages. Choosing the best one depends on the tone, your intention and your guests' preferences.
Talking about WhatsApp versus email for hotels is inevitable. Email has been the preferred form of communication by brands since the era of the internet and computers. But we know that has changed and with reason.
SMS and WhatsApp have become more common due to their different characteristics and because they allow for messages to have a different tone. What does this mean?
For Adrie Vreeke, CEO of Capsule Hotels, the most important thing is to understand what channel your guests use and leverage it. In this video, he breaks down his approach to WhatsApp for guest communication.
Learn more about building a multi-channel strategy for your guest communication.
Many properties use WhatsApp as a way to send confirmation messages but there are unlimited possibilities when it comes to using WhatsApp for hotel guest communication.
This is how some of our customers are using it:
- Online check-in reminders:
The team at Capsule Hotel needed to increase online check-in rates and email wasn’t reaching people on time. They switched this communication to WhatsApp, and the numbers started to skyrocket since it was a more timely way of reaching guests.
- “Is everything okay?” message:
The team at Gambino Hotel in Germany added this touchpoint using WhatsApp as a more familiar and instant way of reaching guests and showing they care about their experience.
The message is triggered automatically, a few minutes after check-in has been completed.
- Boosting sales on-site:
The Usual, with properties in the Netherlands and Belgium, use WhatsApp as a way to increase sales on items that are not as popular.
While no one would be reading their emails while on vacation, people do check their phones, and an offer of drinks for the bar or a discount for dinner at the hotel restaurant performs better than via email.
Again, all these messages are automatically sent to guests at different points of their stay, based on the guest journeys the team built with Bookboost.
Anne Williams, Digital Marketing Manager at The Usual, breaks down their approach in this video.
- A faster way to communicate with the front desk:
Guests have questions, and they don’t want to have to call reception or, worse, have to go downstairs to the lobby to get answers.
According to Jakob Lindh, Head of E-commerce at Nobis, WhatsApp works perfectly to address concerns and questions from guests once they are on the property.
This is one of the main questions properties considering implementing WhatsApp have. Is the cost of WhatsApp for hotel guest communication worth it?
Let’s split your WhatsApp messages into two aspects: the ones you receive and the ones you send.
When guests contact you via WhatsApp, you have a 24-hour window to answer messages for free. Some platforms, like Bookboost, will show you how many hours you have left to answer those messages to avoid incurring unwanted costs.
The price will vary depending on whether it’s a marketing campaign or a utility campaign. It will also depend on the country you are sending messages to.
When using WhatsApp, it is key to have a tool that gives you access to templates, analytics and automation to help you make the most out of this channel.
Discover how Bookboost CRM enables you to create more efficient guest communication
They can use their landline number if needed. And you receive the whatsapp messages to that number.
Although WhatsApp is popular worldwide, it is possible to find people who prefer other channels. This will depend on the demographics of your guests.
However, it doesn’t have to be a deal breaker.
Bookboost offers the possibility of having a backup channel, which means if the guest doesn’t have a WhatsApp number, an email or an SMS can be sent instead of that message, allowing your guest journey to remain consistent and deliver value.
One of the biggest concerns from hoteliers is around spam communications and how to avoid guests thinking their messages are scams.
The good news is you can stop worrying about it. When you use WhatsApp, your communications will come from a verified number, and it can even be the existing front desk numbers or landline numbers your hotel currently uses.
- WhatsApp is ideal for casual, real-time guest communication across different journey stages.
- It complements email and SMS, each serving different purposes in a multi-channel strategy.
- Hotels use WhatsApp for check-in reminders, guest care, upselling, and front desk support.
- Most guest replies are free to receive — costs mainly apply when the hotel initiates the message.
- Concerns around spam or guest opt-in are addressed via verified business numbers and fallback channels.
- WhatsApp works best when integrated with CRM tools to automate, track, and personalise messages.
Creating a successful guest communication strategy is not about choosing one channel and abandoning all the others. It’s about understanding your brand and your guests and choosing strategically.
Hotels that have succeeded with their guest communication and drove revenue out of it, were experimenting with a mix of channels, depending on the purpose of the message, the guest preferences and the costs involved for the property.
Now you have all the answers you need to understand more about the use of WhatsApp for hotel guest communication and why is worth it to implement it into your property.
To discuss more in detail about the results or see how Bookboost can help you send WhatsApp messages automatically and create guest journeys, book a demo.
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