Do you own or work in a serviced apartments brand and are struggling to find marketing campaign ideas specifically tailored to them? Many online resources you found mainly focus on hotels, which doesn’t quite fit what you offer. 

Compared to traditional hotels, serviced apartments offer distinct advantages - spacious living, kitchen facilities, and a more residential feel - making them an appealing choice for business and family travellers, remote workers and long-term residents. This means that the way you communicate with your guests should also be different. 

In all accommodation businesses, guest communication is key to building a long-term relationship with your customers and delivering a great guest experience that makes them come back again and again. 

Therefore, saying the right thing is important. 

Here are 7 marketing campaign ideas you can work on today to better meet your guests needs and improve guest satisfaction.

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1. Instructions for check-in

Guests typically stay longer in a serviced apartment compared to normal hotels, therefore, a smooth check-in process is essential. Imagine having to carry a big suitcase and wait in line at reception after a long journey? Not exactly a positive first impression, right?

Implementing online check-in helps guests to check in from the comfort of their phones before arrival. This frees them up to explore the “new home” where they'll be staying in for at least a couple of days as soon as they arrive, without uncomfortable and unnecessary waiting times.

Provide a guest guide with all the important information stored at one place, such as digital keys, invoices, Wi-Fi access codes and more. This can eliminate the risk of lost keys and the hassle of searching for important information when needed.

Are you still hesitating about implementing online check in? Take one minute to watch this video. 

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2. Welcome message after check-in

Welcoming guests in a warm, personal manner can set the tone for their entire stay. You can consider sending a friendly message or email after their check-in, asking if everything meets their expectations and reminding them that you're there to help. 

This small gesture shows that you care about their comfort and can prompt immediate feedback to address any concerns early.

For example, you can launch a welcome campaign via email or text, whichever way the guest prefers, an hour after check-in to ask if things are alright.

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3. Instructions to use the kitchen

A key difference between a normal hotel and a serviced apartment lies in the kitchen. While a normal hotel offers a bedroom and an ensuite bathroom, serviced apartments usually have a well equipped or even a small kitchen for the guests to cook and prepare meals for themselves. 

That’s also part of the reason why it feels like home.

Don’t let your guests wonder how to use appliances. Send them clear instructions, for instance, how to open the oven, where the pots and pans are stored, and whether any basic cooking ingredients are offered etc. This is especially important if you have international guests who might have a completely different kitchen setup in their home countries.

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4. Information about cleaning dynamic

Unlike hotels that often provide daily cleaning, serviced apartments typically offer a weekly cleaning service, with an emphasis on self-service and privacy. Therefore, it’s important to inform guests about the frequency of cleaning in advance, so they know what to expect. 

You can also consider offering a more flexible cleaning service to cater to different guest needs. 

For example, a family with kids probably appreciates more frequent cleaning than a business traveller. Allowing guests to easily contact housekeeping and adjust the cleaning frequency or request additional services can improve guest satisfaction greatly.

Remember that your messages should be tailored to the different types of guests that stay in your property. If you want to know more about the different audiences you can create, read this article: 9 audiences ideas for better hotel marketing campaigns

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5. Information about office amenities and co-working space

Remote workers are a popular demographic for serviced apartments. While hotels may offer a small desk to work on, it’s still a limited space; serviced apartments often offer more professional office amenities and bigger co-working space, including high-speed internet, desk spaces, and necessary office supplies like printers and scanners.

Highlight these office amenities and instructions on how to use them can be crucial to remote workers. Do you offer free coffee for remote workers? Let them know! 

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6. Information about local businesses nearby

People often choose serviced apartments for extended stays, which means local amenities and businesses become crucial components of their daily life. Guests will have more time to explore and engage with the local neighbourhood as well.

To help them get familiar faster, you can provide a curated list of nearby grocery stores, pharmacies, and hospitals - essential services that every new resident needs shortly after moving in. A guide to local gyms, parks, cafes, and restaurants can help new residents feel like a part of the community right from the start.

Additionally, you can partner with local businesses and provide vouchers or discount coupons. This not only benefits your guests but also helps boost the local economy.

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7. Message after check-out

Right before your guests leave, a thoughtful check-out message can leave a lasting impression. You can send a thank you message via their preferred channel, and a post-stay survey to collect feedback. 

Remember to keep the survey short and concise so the guests can finish it with the least amount of effort. Moreover, think about your brand’s unique points. For example, if your property has a very big co-working space for remote workers and business travellers, ask them how they feel about it and what can be improved.

If your post-stay emails often get ignored, a quick fix is to ask guests directly at reception. However, if your property is reception-less, a multi-channel CRM can help you reach guests and collect feedback easily through a guest app.

Get inspired and learn about how to keep in contact with guests post-stay and turn them into loyal customers here.

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How to implement these campaigns effectively?

With all these campaign ideas available, how can you ensure you're sending what works best for your guests? Here are some small tips.

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Find the right balance

Since serviced apartments usually cater to longer stays, avoid overwhelming your guests with daily communication. Focus on sending essential information before and during the stay. Weekly communication can be a good start, but it’s always crucial to find out what works best for different types of guests.

Need help preparing your guest journey? Download our guest journey template

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Personalise your message

Don’t send everything to each of your guests! While families might not be interested in a large co-working space, they might appreciate information about nearby playgrounds or kid-friendly restaurants.

Therefore, you need to look at your guest data and tailor your communication to your guest segments. Are they families, business travellers, leisure travellers or remote workers? Create different segments and send the right message to the right guests via their preferred channel. For all of this, having a CRM designed for hospitality, just like Bookboost, will make a huge difference.

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Iterate and improve

Once you've understood your guest data and created segments, decided upon your communication cadence and content, it's time to put your plans into action! Launch your campaigns and continuously refine your campaigns based on analytics and guest feedback.

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