🧭 How to Make Your Guest Journey Feel Personal
How to Create a Personalized Guest Journey That Doesn’t Feel Automated
Creating a guest communication flow that feels human and personal is key to improving the guest experience and boosting engagement. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up a personalized guest journey using dynamic content, thoughtful timing, and targeted messaging — so your guests never feel like they’re receiving automated messages.
🛠 Step 1: Create Your Audience
Start by defining the guest groups you want to reach with tailored messages.
1. First-Time Guests
• Go to the Audience section (left-hand menu).
• Click the ”+” button in the top right corner.
• Apply the filter:
• “Count of previous reservations” = 0
• This will help you target first-time guests specifically.
2. Guests With Missing Information
• Create a second audience.
• Add the filter:
• “Missing Information” – select the fields that are important for you to collect (e.g. phone number, nationality, etc.)
• Add another filter: “Reservation status = Confirmed”
These filters help you segment guests based on their needs and your operational goals.
✉️ Step 2: Build Your Journey Campaign
Now that your audience is ready, let’s build a Before Check-In Journey Campaign.
Where to Start:
• Navigate to Campaigns > Journeys
• Select the “Before Check-In” campaign type
💬 Step 3: Personalize Your Message
Choose your preferred channel (e.g. SMS, WhatsApp, Email), and create short, friendly, and human-like messages.
📱 Example Message for First-Time Guests (via SMS):
Hey [Guest Name], this is [Your Name] from [Hotel Name]. I just wanted to quickly ask what time you expect to arrive.
If you use WhatsApp, feel free to reach out to us here: [WhatsApp Link]
⚙️ Setup:
• Audience: Use the one with “0 previous reservations”
• Trigger: Select a random, natural-looking time (e.g. 08:57) instead of on the hour ; this makes the message feel more personal and less like a system-generated message
📄 Step 4: Follow-Up with a Second Message
Create a second message that continues the flow naturally.
📄 For Guests With Missing Info:
Just noticed we’re missing a few details from your booking. Could you quickly fill out this form when you get a chance? [Insert Online Check-in Form link]
⚙️ Setup:
• Audience: Guests with missing info + reservation confirmed
• Trigger: Select another slightly random time (e.g. 09:11) — not too far from the previous message to create the feeling of a natural, flowing conversation
➡️ For help creating and attaching the online check-in form, check out our guide:
🤝 Final Tips
You’ve now built a flowing, human-feeling communication journey!
Here are a few final tips:
• Avoid robotic language – write as if you were messaging a friend
• Use random times to trigger messages (not just sharp hours like 09:00)
• Match your tone to your brand voice (fun, professional, casual, etc.)
• Keep it brief and consistent
✅ Result
With just a few thoughtful steps, you can design a guest journey that feels like a one-on-one conversation, not a series of automated messages.