How does one enhance customer relationships through CRM and data-driven communication? The partnership between Beyond Retail and Elite Hotels answers this question. After Elite Hotels underwent a significant system overhaul, a shift occurred in their CRM system to better meet the specific needs of the hospitality sector, quickly making it clear that the project required additional resources. To ensure a successful project delivery, they turned to Beyond Retail. Karina Figueroa from Beyond Retail, who specializes in marketing automation, has collaborated closely with Jenny Nölvand, CRM and Loyalty Manager at Elite Hotels throughout the project. Their partnership has shown a great example of how technological solutions and expertise can help actualize the vision of offering an unparalleled hotel experience in Sweden.

Elite Hotels, Sweden's largest family-owned hotel chain, visions of perfecting customer experiences. With a long history of prestigious city hotels and the addition of destination hotels across the country, coupled with investments in exclusive spa concepts and innovative restaurant concepts, Elite Hotels has paved the way for a unique and memorable guest experience. This journey is driven by the vision to "deliver Sweden's best hotel experience, where each guest should feel like an honorary". This has in turn created a particular focus on enhancing the digital customer experience, where CRM/Marketing Automation plays a vital role.

By implementing a new CRM system designed for the hospitality industry, Elite Hotels took a significant step forward in its endeavor to create deeper relationships with its guests. This system change was part of Elite Hotels' broader vision of using technology to meaningfully connect the brand with the guests.

– Understanding and meeting our guests' unique needs is the core of everything we do, Jenny emphasizes. With the new CRM system, we can now gather and analyze guest data more efficiently, which allows us to offer an even more personalized service and improve every aspect of the guest experience.

Implementing a comprehensive system change was no small step for Elite Hotels, but a necessary part of the company's journey to improve the customer experience at all levels. This ambitious project, which required a shift in the CRM system to better meet the needs within the hospitality sector, led to a successful partnership with Karina Figueroa, consultant from Beyond Retail specializing in marketing automation.

Jenny underscores the urgent need to quickly find a solution and a resource. The project, which focused on rebuilding and fine-tuning the new systems to enhance customer engagement and make communication more effective, became an ideal match for Beyond Retail.

– We needed someone who could come in and roll up their sleeves from day one, Jenny says.

For Karina, who had experience in retail but was new to the hospitality industry, the assignment represented an exciting challenge.

– Jumping into a completely new industry was incredibly exciting, and since the assignment was very hands-on from day one, it was important to quickly familiarize myself with everything, she says enthusiastically.

Karina's work for Elite Hotels quickly became very valuable. She focused on developing new life cycles and strategies to strengthen customer engagement and loyalty. What was initially intended as a six-month collaboration has now approached a year's duration. Jenny expresses her gratitude:

– Karina's contribution was crucial for us to maintain our planned pace.

Karina's work also underscores the importance of access to first-hand data and a deeper understanding of the customer journey, which is critical for success within the hospitality industry.

– First-hand data is incredibly valuable for companies like Elite Hotels, as it provides direct insight into customers' behaviors and preferences. This allows us to make more informed decisions and better customize and create effective strategies for marketing and product development, for example. This way, we can also tailor our offers to better meet customers' needs and expectations, which leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, Karina says.

The collaboration has also resulted in measurable successes for Elite Hotels. All email marketing conducted shows excellent figures for the whole year. The year 2023 compared to 2022 shows an increase in the average order by 7%, an improvement in CTR (Click-Through Rate) by 14%, and a decrease in opt-outs by 22%, something Jenny is pleased with.

– The results we are seeing right now are a testament to the effectiveness of the strategies we have implemented, and much of this success is thanks to our collaboration with Karina and Beyond Retail. We have not only managed a complex system transition, but we have also laid the foundation for continued success, and I am very grateful for that, Jenny concludes.

Elite Hotels' success story underscores the importance of combining tradition with innovation. By focusing on improving the digital customer experience while preserving the core values of personal service and exclusivity, Elite Hotels has cemented its position within the Swedish hotel industry.