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20 Dec 2016
When it comes to successful email designs in 2016, there’s been one consistent trend: Go Bold. Whether it is a pre-stay, on-property or post-stay campaign, we found that emails with edgy designs, unexpected color palettes, and playful headlines received the highest open and click-through rates. We picked a few of our favorite and most successful client emails. Each offers specific insights on how to engage your audience through a dynamic combination of design and content
Our Favorite Pre-Stay Email – Hollywood Proper Residences
Pre-stay triggered emails have some of the highest open rates and provide an amazing opportunity to not only assist your guest in planning their stay, but to upsell. Room upgrades, dining reservations, spa, and other hotel amenities available for purchase are presented along with valuable information about the current reservation. In this example, Hollywood Proper Residences introduces upcoming guests to their Pre-Arrival Concierge tool with short and helpful descriptions on how to use its features to pre-plan activities.
Survey emails don’t have to be boring. Just like pre-stay emails, pre-arrival surveys are a great way to increase ancillary revenue and promote guest satisfaction. The goal of this email is to get new guests to fill out a brief survey, so the hotel can anticipate their desires and present them with personalized offers, suggestions, incentives and rewards. The use of a strong single image, bold color blocking, and brief yet engaging copy entices the readers to complete the survey.
Sometimes saying a little says a lot – especially when it’s wrapped in a bold package. This campaign uses a whimsical headline that shows the brand’s playful side. The congruence between the email and the landing page reinforces the experience as well as the simplicity of the message. If 2016 has taught us anything, it’s that going bold definitely has its rewards. This email was even mentioned in a blog about email best practices.
This Avalon email shows that you can still use an animated gif to bolster engagement. Animated gifs in emails get a bad reputation because they are often poorly executed. Without smooth transitions, those images become disruptive and result in lower click-through rate. This example works well because the light play on the water mimics a real swimming pool, conveying the experience of hanging out at the hotel’s swimming pool on a hot summer day.
This clean layout is ideal for showing food and beverage outlets because it lets the food imagery speak for itself. The design also benefits from a clear point of view that reflects the energetic yet upscale vibe of dining with Fontainebleau in Miami. The angular lines break up the content and make the email pop.
