The industry has no shortage of technology. A technology survey by the Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV) of 294 properties shows that 69% of hotel groups and chains already work with a CRM, while among independent and family-run hotels the figure is around half. 67% automate their communication before, during and after the stay. And they invest heavily: 40% of properties spend up to €25,000 a year on digital solutions, 29% up to €50,000, and 12% up to €100,000.

For Oliver Wolf, head of Partner and Event Management at the ÖHV, the conclusion is clear: whether to use digital tools is no longer up for debate. The real question is how those tools work together – and whether there’s a clear strategy behind them.

Sandra isn’t an isolated case. In many properties, guest data is scattered – in the PMS, in Excel sheets, in staff members’ heads. And after departure, often nothing happens at all: a post-stay gap in which the relationship simply breaks off.

“Many hotels do step three before step one,” says Björn Seidel. “They choose a mechanic – points, tiers, ten percent off – before they even know what they want and who they actually have in the house.”

Yet at its core, loyalty is something very simple. Björn likes to sum up guest communication in two words: relationship management. To explain it, he draws a comparison with private life:

Communicate, remember, surprise, repeat. Points, tiers and discounts are just the tool at the end of this chain – not its beginning.

1. You know your repeat guests.

But do you know how they book?The guest is greeted by name at reception, everyone knows which room he likes, the conversation flows like between friends. And yet he books through an OTA every single time. “They know me, they greet me personally,” Björn Seidel says, describing it from the guest’s point of view. “But which channel I come through – often nobody has ever checked.”That’s more than a detail. Oliver Wolf points to the Pareto principle that applies in many hotels: around 20% of guests generate almost 80% of revenue – depending on the property, 30 to 70. At the same time, winning a new guest costs far more than winning one back. If your most valuable guests come through commission-based channels, the hotel is paying for loyalty it already has.

2. The discount that achieves nothing

Many hotels reward repeat guests with a flat discount on the room. Björn Seidel asks an uncomfortable question: “If the guest comes for that weekend every year anyway – would he still come without the 20%? That’s the homework.”His advice: protect your margin. “Leave the room rates out of it.” Instead of cutting the room price, give added value that guests can experience: points to redeem in the restaurant or spa. An upgrade to the suite that has been empty for weeks anyway. Rico Müller, Key Account Manager Germany at Incert, cites on-top campaigns as an example: invest €100 in the menu and get an experience worth €150 – wine pairing included. An experience instead of a discount stays in the memory. A percentage doesn’t.

Employee involvement – involve people early, understand their needs, define processes together
Communication – don't explain what the tool can do, explain what becomes easier for the individual
Step-by-step rollout – pilot projects instead of a big bang, allow mistakes as part of the process
Training – hands-on, integrated into daily work, with fixed points of contact instead of a one-off online session

The most important shift in perspective: resistance to change is not an exception, and not a sign that something is going wrong. It's a logical, predictable reaction. Anyone who accepts that can factor it in from the start - instead of reacting with surprise when it shows up.

And: acceptance is not a question of age, but of mindset. Older employees aren't inherently harder to convince - young teams push back against automated processes just as much when the “why” is missing.

One concrete model that has proven itself in practice: not every tool has to be mandatory for everyone.

• Define a binding minimum standard for core functions that are necessary for operations (e.g. shared communication channels, standards, data syncing).
• Everything beyond that becomes optional and usable on an individual basis - with real benefits for those who want to use it.
• Important here: no artificial incentive systems that reward usage for its own sake. People keep using a tool long-term when they see the personal benefit - not because they're rewarded for it.

And one more thing that's easy to overlook - as Sascha Dahlig, Director Commercial at Signum Hospitality, points out: when teams don't get a clear, official solution, they find one themselves. That's exactly how shadow IT emerges - employees work with private tools because they don't trust the official system. That creates non-transparent processes and real compliance risks.

This is exactly where the core of what Re:Guest was built for as a ComOp platform lies: not another tool imposed on hotels, but a platform that unites communication, data, and commercial processes in one system - with clear, understandable benefits for every role in the house, from the front desk team to management. Integration creates clarity. And clarity is the precondition for people to truly adopt a system, rather than just put up with it.