SEATTLE—The Expedia Group has begun its rollout of Expedia PartnerCentral (EPC) Conversations. This new feature, which lives in Expedia PartnerCentral, encourages direct dialogue and engagement between hoteliers and booked guests, according to the company.
Expedia PartnerCentral Conversations is designed to open the lines of communication between booked guests and hoteliers via a message center. Guests can start a conversation by asking a question or submitting a special request at time of booking. Alternatively, the hotelier can reach out directly to the guest. According to the company, the tool empowers hoteliers to create first impressions and set guest expectations with a custom welcome message; build meaningful relations and enhance the guest experience by sharing check-in details or alerting guests when their rooms are ready; acknowledge, confirm and manage special requests; and provide information about the property’s services (spa, concierge, restaurant, etc.).
“Hoteliers have requested the ability to communicate directly with guests having made a booking across Expedia Group websites. EPC Conversations was developed to answer this need, allowing both the guest and the hotelier to interact with each other, to engage from the moment the reservation is made and create memorable stay experiences.” said Benoit Jolin, VP global product. “According to a recent study by Gallup, on average, guests spend $457 per stay at their most frequently visited hotel over the course of 12 months, while engaged guests spend $588 per stay. Alternatively, actively disengaged guests spend $403 per stay. Gallup’s analysis correlates a strong relationship between guests’ engagement with the hotel, and the amount of money they spend. EPC Conversations was designed to maximize guest engagement, creating opportunities for Expedia Hotel Partners to increase top line revenues.”
The initial rollout of Expedia PartnerCentral Conversations started in January to a select number of hotels. The tool is expected to go live for all North America hotels by the end of February.