Why collect marketing consent from your guests?
The way travelers discover and book hotels is changing. As more guests use AI-powered tools and online travel agencies to plan trips, hotels can lose the direct relationship, guest data, and future revenue opportunities that come with a direct booking.
When we have guest data from a booking, and guest consent, we can build a marketable list that furthers the relationship. When guests and potential guests opt in to receive marketing, you can stay connected before, during, and after their stay through email, text, and mobile push notifications. Use these channels to encourage direct bookings, promote upgrades and on-property experiences, and invite guests to return.
In this lesson, you will learn how to grow and segment your marketing list so your messages are more relevant, your guest relationships are stronger, and your hotel can increase repeat bookings and revenue.
Identify out-of-the-box hotel segments
Now that you’ve learned ways to grow your subscriber list, the next step is to segment it based on shared characteristics and behaviors so you can send more relevant messaging.
Once you integrate your PMS with Klaviyo, you’ll automatically find preset segments in your account to get your personalization strategy started. Click through the gallery tabs below to explore these out-of-the-box (prebuilt) segments, and what you might send them to maximize engagement. Do note that you need to have a native PMS integration to have these out-of-the-box segments.
Segment description
These are guests who have booked their first reservation with you and have consented to receive your emails. They are new to your business.
Segment definition
Person has Confirmed Reservation once over all time > AND > Person can receive email marketing
What to send them
- Personalized recap and plan of their upcoming stay
- Thank you for booking message
- Local events and destination recommendations
- Spa, dining, and on-property experience promotions
- Room upgrade or early check-in incentive
- Preference survey to personalize future messages
Segment description
These are guests who have stayed with you more than 5 times and have consented to receive your emails. They are likely some of your strongest brand advocates.
Segment definition
Person has Confirmed Reservation is greater than 5 over all time > AND > Person can receive email marketing
What to send them
- Exclusive offers and loyalty perks
- Early access to new packages or promotions
- Personalized “welcome back” messages
- Complimentary upgrades, late checkout, or premium experiences
- Invitations to VIP-only events
- Personalized recommendations based on stay history
- Exclusive spa, dining, and on-property experience offers
- Birthday, anniversary, or stay-milestone rewards
- Direct-booking benefits and preferred rates
- Referral or bring-a-friend incentives
Segment description
These are guests who have stayed with you once, but haven’t booked again and have stopped opening your emails. They might be at risk of lapsing as a customer.
Segment definition
Person has Confirmed Reservation at least once over all time > AND > Person has Confirmed Reservation zero times in the last 180 days* > AND > Person has Received Email at least 2 in the last 90 days > AND > Person has Opened Email zero times in the last 90 days > AND > Person can receive email marketing
*This time frame is a recommendation and should be personalized based on your customer base and hotel type.
What to send them
- Limited-time return offer or exclusive rate
- Personalized offer based on their previous stay
- Seasonal travel ideas and local recommendations
- New amenities, events, dining, or spa experiences
- Direct-booking perk, such as an upgrade or late checkout
- Short feedback survey asking what would bring them back
- Final re-engagement message with a clear reason to return
Segment description
These are guests who have stayed with you once, are engaging with your emails, but haven’t re-booked. Since they haven’t shown active signs of lapsing, you should encourage them to make their second booking.
Segment definintion
Person has Confirmed Reservation at least once over all time > AND > Confirmed Reservation zero times in the last 180 days > AND > Person can receive email marketing
What to send them
- Personalized welcome-back message referencing their previous stay
- Seasonal getaway inspiration with local events or destination recommendations
- Property updates featuring new rooms, amenities, dining, spa, or experiences
- Exclusive return offer such as a special rate, upgrade, or resort credit with an expiration date
- Direct-booking incentive for guests who previously booked through an OTA
- Last-chance reminder with a clear booking CTA or limited-time flash sale
Segment description
These are guests who have stayed with you more than time and have consented to receive your emails. They are familiar with your brand, and are great potential future VIPs.
Segment definition
Person has Confirmed Reservation at least once over all time > AND > Person can receive email marketing
What to send them
- Personalized “welcome back” message recognizing their repeat stays
- Early access to seasonal packages, promotions, or new experiences
- Next-stay incentive, such as a room upgrade, resort credit, or late checkout
- Personalized room, spa, dining, and activity recommendations based on stay history
- Loyalty milestone messaging that shows how they’re progressing toward VIP status
- Exclusive direct-booking perks or preferred rates
- Referral or bring-a-friend offer
- Preference survey to make future stays more personalized
Build more key segments to engage subscribers
While the above out-of-the-box segments are a fantastic place to start, you can also build more segments that are tailored to your business. Expand the dropdowns below for ideas of other segments you can create.
But, don’t worry. You don’t have to build all of these segments on your own! Segments AI enables you to describe what you’d like to build in natural language, and the AI will generate a fully-built segment definition for your review. It’s as simple as that!
Location-based
What this segment means
Groups guests based on where they live or their proximity to one of your properties.
Why it matters
Location helps hotel brands tailor messaging to local guests, drive nearby stays, and promote destination-specific offers to travelers from relevant regions.
How to build this segment
Someone’s proximity to a location > Person is within > X miles > of Zip code > in Country > AND > If someone can or cannot receive > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
Promote property-specific offers, local events, seasonal packages, or experiences that are relevant to where the guest lives or travels.
Future guest segment
What this segment means
Includes guests who have an upcoming reservation at your property.
Why it matters
Future guests are already committed to a stay, making them a valuable audience for helpful pre-stay information, relevant upsells, and opportunities to improve the guest experience before arrival.
How to build this segment
Properties about someone > Reservation > has at least one > where > StartDate is in the next X days or weeks > AND > If someone can or cannot receive > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
Share helpful pre-stay information, arrival details, room upgrades, dining, spa, transportation, and other on-property experiences.
Current and future guests
What this segment means
Includes guests who are currently staying at your property or have an upcoming reservation.
Why it matters
This segment helps hotel brands avoid sending acquisition or broad promotional messages to guests who have already booked, while creating one audience for timely stay-related communications.
How to build this segment
Future reservation: Reservation > has at least one > StartDate is in the next X days or weeks > OR > Current stay: Reservation > has at least one > StartDate is in the last X days > AND > EndDate is in the next X days > AND > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
Use it as a suppression audience for acquisition and promotional campaigns, or send useful stay-related messages that apply to both current and upcoming guests.
Anniversary bookers
What this segment means
Includes guests whose birthday, anniversary, first stay, or other recurring milestone is approaching.
Why it matters
Milestone moments create a natural reason to reconnect with past guests and promote celebratory stays, packages, and experiences that can drive repeat bookings.
How to build this segment
Properties about someone > [Birthday, anniversary, or first-stay date] > is in the next 30–60 days > AND > If someone can or cannot receive > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
Promote milestone packages, romantic getaways, celebratory dining, spa experiences, or a time-bound offer that encourages the guest to plan another stay.
Next resort list
What this segment means
Includes existing guests who may be interested in trying another property or destination within your hotel brand.
Why it matters
Cross-property targeting helps hotel groups increase repeat bookings across their portfolio, introduce guests to new destinations, and grow guest lifetime value.
How to build this segment
What someone has done > Confirmed Reservation > at least once over all time > where > Property is not Target property > AND > Confirmed Reservation > zero times over all time > where > Property equals Target property > AND > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
Introduce the new resort with destination inspiration, comparable room or amenity recommendations, early access, or a first-stay incentive.
Pre-arrival guests
What this segment means
Includes guests with a confirmed reservation who are approaching their check-in date.
Why it matters
Pre-arrival is a high-intent moment when guests are actively planning their stay, so timely messages can reduce friction, build anticipation, and drive upgrades or add-on purchases.
How to build this segment
Properties about someone > Reservation > has at least one > where > StartDate is in the next 1–14 days > AND > Reservation status equals confirmed > AND > If someone can or cannot receive > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
Send arrival instructions, mobile check-in information, directions, parking details, room upgrades, late checkout, dining, spa, and other add-ons.
Online Travel Agency (OTA) bookers
What this segment means
Includes guests whose reservations came through an online travel agency, such as Booking.com or Expedia.
Why it matters
These guests give hotel brands an opportunity to build a direct relationship after the stay and encourage future bookings through the hotel’s own website.
How to build this segment
What someone has done > Confirmed Reservation > at least once over all time > where > Source, TravelAgency, or Origin of ChannelManager equals [OTA] > AND > If someone can or cannot receive > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
After the guest’s stay, promote the benefits of booking direct next time, such as an exclusive rate, early check-in, a room upgrade, or a loyalty perk.
Predictive analytics-based segments
What this segment means
Groups guests using predicted behaviors or values, such as likelihood to return, expected future value, or likelihood to lapse.
Why it matters
Predictive segments help hotel brands prioritize their marketing efforts and tailor messages before a guest’s next action, whether that means encouraging a high-value stay or preventing a guest from becoming inactive.
How to build this segment
Predictive analytics about someone > Choose one metric, such as Predicted CLV, Churn Risk Prediction, or Expected Date of Next Order > is > value or range > AND > If someone can or cannot receive > Person can receive email marketing
Example content to send
- High predicted value: premium packages, upgrades, early access, or personalized concierge-style offers.
- Elevated churn risk: a targeted rebooking incentive, a “we miss you” message, or a preference-update email.
- Likely upcoming booking: timely reminders, destination content, or relevant room and experience recommendations.
Learn how to use Segments AI to build new segments using natural language.