The market for pubs with rooms has grown in recent years and with that, pubs have increasingly invested in accommodation. But four walls and a bed isn’t enough anymore – these days travellers don’t book rooms, they book experiences.

The technology pubs use is integral to helping them broaden the guest experience beyond the room. Furthermore, better integration between the systems that power the guest journey will not only result in guest satisfaction and return visits, but operational efficiencies too.

Here are five things you need to consider:.

Make the online booking journey effortless

The guest experience starts with discovery and booking so the online journey should be easy and seamless. It is also the point where pubs can drive auxiliary spend. Pubs that have experiences built directly into the booking journey, based on guests’ needs and preferences, will be the ones that increase conversions and their bottom line through personalised upselling.

The right booking platform isn’t just about helping pubs increase their revenue either. It can reduce their costs and operational workload, especially when there are multiple properties. If there are lots of independent systems to manage all operations, integration will mean that improving operations will come as a natural byproduct of having technology partners that talk fluidly to each other.

Integrate technology systems

From preferred rooms to dining choices, today’s guests expect businesses to know their preferences and tailor their experience accordingly, but delivering this level of personalisation requires a 360-degree view of guest data.

Integrated technology systems are key. Running bookings, payments, CRM and operations on separate platforms can create data silos, but integration that ensures guest data flow across the business can help pubs understand their guests, their likes and dislikes, and important dates. A special occasion upgrade will make guests feel valued and they are more likely to rebook.

Sell experiences, not just rooms

Historically, travellers would go on a pub’s website just to book a room. Today, they want more than a place to sleep. They want memorable stays that include food, drink, local experiences and value for money. The real value isn’t in locking clients in when they book - it’s in giving them the freedom and flexibility to create brilliant experiences.

Pubs that know their guests will earn more, which is why the data is so important. It will help pubs offer personalised experiences that boost the value of each booking. At the same time, a pub that remembers an anniversary and offers a bottle of wine with dinner or a drink on the house is bound to make a guest feel special.

Give guests control and flexibility during the booking journey

Booking journeys need to feel intuitive, joined up and personal. And if the technology underpinning that is fragmented, the experience falls apart. Ease of access, simplicity and consistency is what guests want - and now expect.

The more control guests have during the booking process, the more confident they will be about completing their reservation. If pubs can be flexible too, even better. An early check-in request, if it’s possible, will help improve the guest experience. The additional benefit of giving guests control of their booking is that it will reduce the time staff spend answering routine questions or manually adjusting bookings and give them more time to deliver excellent service.

Start preparing for AI-powered booking journeys

Social media has very much upped the ante on what guests expect when discovering, exploring and booking accommodation and because of this, we will start to see more use of AI.

Embedded into the booking flow, AI can transform a static booking journey to one that is visual, curated and personalised so the booking journey feels just like scrolling social media. It has the ability to change a generic booking experience into a hyper personalised one that will enable pubs to upsell in areas like food and drink, local culture and grow auxiliary revenue. Like a discovery engine, it will let guests scroll, explore and select experiences. It will make them feel like they’re curating a trip, rather than just booking a room.

That’s not to say that the industry should stop making efforts to optimise the mobile booking experience, but to be aware that AI will be the future gamechanger.

By Lucy Prothero - Enterprise Sales Director