Reaching and Retaining Guests With First-Party Data

Skift Take

In this video from Skift Future of Lodging Forum 2023, we hear from hospitality leaders at Sojern and Marriott International about what hotel marketers should be thinking — and doing next — in order to develop first-party data, understand guests on a one-to-one basis, and increase profitability.

Sojern

In this video:

• Why it’s important now: Hotel marketers need to be thinking about first-party data to deliver the personalized experiences customers expect.
• Creating a foundation: Used together, data–hashed emails, first-party data, and historical booking data create a foundation for hoteliers to target the right audience with the right message at the right time to drive direct bookings.
• Keeping up with privacy regulations: Hospitality brands must adhere to the privacy laws in the country where the traveler resides, so they need to partner with an organization that understands global privacy standards.
• Why you should start today: Regulation is only going to increase, and first-party data will become more valuable whilst third-party data will become scarce. Start collecting first-party data today — the next step is activating it.

Over the last few years, hospitality brands have increasingly focused on first-party data in response to new privacy regulations and the phasing out of third-party cookies, as well as customer demand for personalized messaging and offers. But how exactly does first-party data work, and how can it drive loyalty for today’s blended traveler?

In this video from Skfit Future of Loding Forum 2023, Josh Beckwith, managing director of global strategic accounts and partnerships at Sojern and Sofia Rovnova-Nixon, director of media strategy and martech at Marriott International, chat with SkiftX content director Alison McCarthy about the challenges and opportunities hotel marketers face as they develop first-party data programs. “With a first-party data strategy, you’re not going to nail it right away,” Rovnova-Nixon said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

This content was created collaboratively by Sojern and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.