Gamification is basically the use of game-like elements for offering loyalty programs, making promotions, and staff training more engaging. Gamification in the hospitality industry is the new insurgence hoteliers are tapping into. By focusing on this new metric involving “enjoyability,” hotel companies exploit a new source of data, differentiate their brand in a crowded field, and drive amazing results.
Gamification makes repetitive, boring, or unpleasant experiences fun. Experts advocate focusing on the “enjoyability” factor as a critical success factor. The hospitality industry can see huge lifts in both revenue and satisfaction by making guests enjoy themselves. However, the question is: how can you do it?
Gamification in the Hospitality Industry-The Actionable Approaches
A new concept of fun activities has emerged, intending to make gamification in the hospitality industry more fun. The word “fun” is the most key consideration in these actionable approaches. Not only do hotels want the experience to sound and look good, but they also need it to be novel and in line with the brand’s spirit. However, the purpose is to give the experience that grows real business objectives by shaping an incentive to be more fun. The background should excite people and make them smile.
Here are four actionable examples of gamification in the hospitality industry around the world:
1-Gamification at the Booking Stage
The hospitality industry is among the most competitive in the world. You can see a cluster of direct competitors together in a specific region, while their online offerings can look similar. Often, hotels are forced to compete on price—a race that goes to the bottom. Many hotels are constantly searching for better ways to increase direct bookings, and many use gamification in the hospitality industry. For booking purposes, hotels can use different plugins on their websites, such as Gravity Booking. With the mentioned plugin, people in charge of running a hotel can mark holidays, add calendars, and do a lot more.
To encourage guests to reserve rooms on your website, it’s better to invite them to play a game during the booking process. You can use games that take only a few seconds to play, and you can entice them with a highly desirable grand prize, such as a discounted stay in your best room. Most people can’t win that grand prize; however, everyone who plays the game is guaranteed to win a late checkout, free breakfast, discounted city tours, room upgrades, free parking, or whatever is acceptable from the company.
The probability of winning big attracts people, and the guaranteed prize keeps them satisfied and engaged. Also, the game itself is a good way to create an initial positive experience with the brand.
2-Gamification at the Front Desk
Gamification in the hospitality industry helps make daily work more fun. That includes transforming the hotel’s check-in process and making it more exciting. Hotels are also looking for ways to make frequent customer waits at the front desk more bearable. The methods include offering a fresh cookie or a flute of champagne to reserving an agent for VIP guests. Another option concerning gamification in the hotel industry is to ask guests to play online games while they wait, with prizes like discounts on future stays.
Guests can play the games on their phones or kiosks positioned in line. Depending on their wait time, the games can be designed to be quick or to last a bit longer. Some hotels include leaderboards with their guests’ names and the highest scores, adding some spice of competition. These online games are a quick and easy way to give out coupons, add a social element to a guest’s stay, and make a better first impression.
3-Gamification in Emails
Email can be transformed into an interactive experience with an embedded game. The idea can be implemented with gamification in hospitality via games-embed emails. Clients can be lured back who haven’t stayed at the hotel in a while. Generally, “We Miss You” emails or direct mail offers are used to ask abandoned guests but a gamified email can be a good way to retain guests interested in the hotel.
Hotel companies can install a plugin on their website, such as myCred. Through this, hotels can not only notify regular customers about the bookings but also surprise them by giving them a special badge to honor their loyalty. Under the gamification umbrella in the hospitality industry, this idea can help hotels make more money.
myCred Birthdays
Everyone enjoys receiving gifts because it makes them feel valued. To make your visitors’ stay more memorable, hoteliers can use the myCred Birthdays extension; this add-on allows you to create a reward calendar that will gift your guests on their birthdays.
4-Gamification During Employee Onboarding and Training
Hospitality organizations have incorporated games into many aspects of the employee experience. Everything from the hiring process to team responsibilities and checking off individuals to learning the layout of a hotel can all be turned into a game. Gamification is a strategy that can be turned into a workplace experience that is more enjoyable for everyone.
Gamification in the hospitality industry can bring in highly motivated and impeccably trained staff, and games can prove to be a powerful way to achieve that. It’s not only fun; it’s a more effective way to market your industry. These enjoyable experiences create more productive employees while they lead to happier customers.
Final Words
Nowadays, almost every hospitality company uses “entertainment value” as a key performance indicator (KPI). It’s a game-changer in hospitality that separates the good from the great. Companies in the hospitality industry are discovering new data as a result of an increased focus on fun. Analyzing these data sets has given the hotel industry new ways to stand out from the competition. They’re always coming up with new and inventive ways to delight their guests with a pleasant surprise.
