Unlike traditional shoppers, travelers aren’t just seeking a product or service; they’re searching for the perfect getaway — a family vacation, spontaneous weekend escape, or an unforgettable adventure. But from the moment they begin contemplating their journey, travelers face an overwhelming array of choices.
Amid the option overload, hotels and hospitality brands have a unique opportunity to guide and inspire travelers. Meeting consumers where they spend considerable time — on social media for example — fills the gap between endless choices and decisive action. With 35% of global consumers seeking travel inspiration on social platforms, personalized content tailored to their interests can captivate their fleeting attention. Moreover, leveraging GenAI technology empowers businesses to deploy conversational and human-like interactions, providing guests with personalized guidance throughout their journey.
By leveraging data-driven insights and AI-powered personalization, travel brands can deliver tailored experiences—curated destination recommendations or seamless booking processes— that resonate with individual customers. Brands that prioritize personalization and demonstrate a genuine understanding of their customer’s desires will forge lasting relationships and inspire unwavering loyalty.
Maximize engagement with omnichannel journeys
Offering cohesive omnichannel experiences has become imperative to capturing travelers’ attention. Travelers interact with brands through various touchpoints, including websites, mobile apps, social media and in-person interactions at hotels or destinations. By delivering a unified and seamless experience across all these channels, hospitality brands can effectively engage travelers throughout their journey — from initial inspiration and research to booking and post-stay feedback — ultimately boosting customer satisfaction, fostering brand loyalty and driving repeat bookings and positive referrals.
Travel and hospitality brands should unite their branding and messaging across all channels. Consistent visuals and tone of voice create a recognizable and memorable brand identity. Personalizing user experiences based on traveler preferences, past bookings and behaviors can further enhance engagement and conversions. Moreover, having strong product and customer data across channels allows for seamless transitions and reduces friction in the booking and customer service processes. For example, enabling travelers to start a booking on a mobile app and complete it on the website, or providing real-time updates and support through their preferred communication channels, demonstrates a commitment to customer-centric experiences.
Travel seamlessly with AI-powered conversational commerce
The biggest opportunity for travel brands is enhancing personalization with AI, allowing brands to deliver tailored content that resonates with individual preferences and interests. One powerful application is conversational commerce powered by AI, which provides personalized guidance and recommendations throughout travelers’ journeys. These AI-powered tools can act like an assistant with knowledge of anything from destination research to itinerary planning. The assistant answers questions throughout the customer journey– providing help with anything from booking flights to suggesting excursions, and beyond.
Conversational AI continuously learns from real-time and historical data, improving its understanding of travelers’ preferences over time for more accurate recommendations. Conversational commerce also offers convenience and accessibility, enabling interactions across various platforms ensuring a consistent, omnichannel experience.
Think about it. AI technology can be a key driver in helping travelers plan every minute of their dream vacations. When they visit a travel website, a friendly AI assistant engages them in a natural, conversational manner, inquiring about their preferences, budget and travel style. Based on the user’s responses, the tool offers tailored destination recommendations while also developing a deeper understanding of who the customer is and their preferences.
Additionally, 70% of customers abandon their purchases after adding to their carts, citing a lack of personalization and overly complicated checkout processes. An AI-powered personalized approach helps to close that gap, increasing purchase (and conversion) likelihood– unlocking a new revenue stream for brands. This personalized, attentive aspect of a brand’s strategy to further engage their customers, creates a strong bond, fostering brand loyalty and trust.
This experience will set brands apart in an increasingly competitive industry. With conversational commerce’s ability to learn, adapt and customize at every touchpoint makes it a powerful tool for travel brands to inspire, guide and forge lasting customer relationships.
While enticing travelers with promotional deals may yield short-term gains, lasting loyalty stems from forging real connections through excellent service, memorable experiences, and nurturing long-term relationships.
