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Regular customer: opportunity or limit for your hotel?
In the hospitality sector, there is a deeply rooted belief: the regular customer is always a value. It is a certainty, a fixed point, something to be preserved at all costs.
But when observing the phenomenon with a more strategic perspective, a more complex reality emerges. The regular customer is not always an advantage. In some cases, they can become a limit to growth, especially if not managed consciously.
The first aspect to clarify is that there is not just one type of regular customer. Under this label, very different behaviors coexist, producing equally different effects on the results of the establishment.
I divide them into 3 target segments.
There is the customer who has been returning for years and has built a relationship with the hotel, but is strongly tied to the rate. They are used to paying a certain price and struggle to accept variations, even when the market would justify them. At first glance, they are a reassuring presence, but over time they can hinder the evolution of pricing. If a significant portion of the rooms is occupied by customers who do not accept increases, the growth of the ADR stalls. This is often compounded by operational rigidity, as these customers tend to always request the same room or the same conditions, limiting flexibility in managing availability.
Next to this profile, there is a second type of regular customer, less evident but equally impactful. This is the customer who only returns when they find a promotion. They are not truly loyal to the establishment, but to the convenience. They book when the price drops, often through intermediated channels, and disappear when conditions change. This behavior, if not managed, leads to a gradual erosion of average value and a dependency on offers. In these cases, talking about loyalty is misleading. It is rather a habit built on price, not on relationship.
However, there is also a third profile, which represents the true goal of every strategy. It is the regular customer who returns for the experience, for how they felt, for the relationship built with the establishment. They are a customer who understands the logic of dynamic pricing and accepts price variations consistent with the market. They do not limit themselves to booking the room, but use the services, experience the establishment, and contribute significantly to overall revenue. This type of customer not only supports the ADR but makes the business more stable and predictable.
If you want to see concrete examples of these three profiles and better understand how to recognize them in your establishment, I have explored each segment in three dedicated videos on Instagram:
1st Target → https://www.instagram.com/p/DVse9n1jLXR/
2nd Target → https://www.instagram.com/p/DVxvUh4jbXz/
3rd Target → https://www.instagram.com/p/DV3I-cMjchU/
At this point, it becomes clear that the issue is not having regular customers, but understanding which regular customers are being built over time. Because some help to grow, while others, without being perceived as a problem, end up slowing down development.
The role of Revenue Management, in this context, is precisely to guide these choices. It is not simply about filling rooms, but about directing demand towards a more sustainable and profitable mix. This means educating some customers, transforming others, and, in some cases, accepting not to pursue certain types of demand.
Ultimately, regular clientele is not automatically a value. It becomes one when it is consistent with the strategy of the establishment. When, on the other hand, it is based on price habits or uncontrolled dynamics, it can turn into a limit.
Revenue Management is not just a matter of numbers. It is a matter of choices. And among these, one of the most important concerns who to bring back.
But when observing the phenomenon with a more strategic perspective, a more complex reality emerges. The regular customer is not always an advantage. In some cases, they can become a limit to growth, especially if not managed consciously.
The first aspect to clarify is that there is not just one type of regular customer. Under this label, very different behaviors coexist, producing equally different effects on the results of the establishment.
I divide them into 3 target segments.
- the regular customer tied to the rate and the room
There is the customer who has been returning for years and has built a relationship with the hotel, but is strongly tied to the rate. They are used to paying a certain price and struggle to accept variations, even when the market would justify them. At first glance, they are a reassuring presence, but over time they can hinder the evolution of pricing. If a significant portion of the rooms is occupied by customers who do not accept increases, the growth of the ADR stalls. This is often compounded by operational rigidity, as these customers tend to always request the same room or the same conditions, limiting flexibility in managing availability.
- The regular customer loyal to the promotion
Next to this profile, there is a second type of regular customer, less evident but equally impactful. This is the customer who only returns when they find a promotion. They are not truly loyal to the establishment, but to the convenience. They book when the price drops, often through intermediated channels, and disappear when conditions change. This behavior, if not managed, leads to a gradual erosion of average value and a dependency on offers. In these cases, talking about loyalty is misleading. It is rather a habit built on price, not on relationship.
- The gold regular customer for your establishment
However, there is also a third profile, which represents the true goal of every strategy. It is the regular customer who returns for the experience, for how they felt, for the relationship built with the establishment. They are a customer who understands the logic of dynamic pricing and accepts price variations consistent with the market. They do not limit themselves to booking the room, but use the services, experience the establishment, and contribute significantly to overall revenue. This type of customer not only supports the ADR but makes the business more stable and predictable.
If you want to see concrete examples of these three profiles and better understand how to recognize them in your establishment, I have explored each segment in three dedicated videos on Instagram:
1st Target → https://www.instagram.com/p/DVse9n1jLXR/
2nd Target → https://www.instagram.com/p/DVxvUh4jbXz/
3rd Target → https://www.instagram.com/p/DV3I-cMjchU/
At this point, it becomes clear that the issue is not having regular customers, but understanding which regular customers are being built over time. Because some help to grow, while others, without being perceived as a problem, end up slowing down development.
The role of Revenue Management, in this context, is precisely to guide these choices. It is not simply about filling rooms, but about directing demand towards a more sustainable and profitable mix. This means educating some customers, transforming others, and, in some cases, accepting not to pursue certain types of demand.
Ultimately, regular clientele is not automatically a value. It becomes one when it is consistent with the strategy of the establishment. When, on the other hand, it is based on price habits or uncontrolled dynamics, it can turn into a limit.
Revenue Management is not just a matter of numbers. It is a matter of choices. And among these, one of the most important concerns who to bring back.