Why personalization is the secret to mastering hotel upsells
October 8, 2025
In this latest episode of Hotel Moment, Brenna Turpin explores why personalization is critical for effective hotel upselling. With 91% of guests expecting personalized offers, discover the "right guest, right message, right time" strategy that drives ancillary revenue. Learn why attribute-based selling beats discounting, how Andronis increased upsell revenue by 600% year-over-year, and practical strategies for timing upsells that generate an average of $83 per booking confirmation email.
In this tactical episode of Hotel Moment, Brenna Turpin, Marketing Coordinator at Revinate, reveals why personalization has become non-negotiable for successful hotel upselling. With 91% of guests now expecting personalized offers, the days of generic promotions are over. Hotels must master the art of delivering the right offer to the right guest at precisely the right time.
What you'll learn:
- The "right guest, right message, right time" strategy that makes or breaks upsell success
- Why emotional intelligence is crucial for upselling
- How attribute-based selling builds property value better than deep discounting during holidays
- The power of timing: why check-in is prime time for upsells and booking confirmations that generate $83 average revenue
- How to leverage guest data to identify behavioral patterns and predict which amenities guests will use
- Practical omnichannel tactics using both email and voice for pre-arrival upsells
- Real success story: How Andronis in Greece increased upsell revenue by 600% year-over-year with personalized campaigns
- Why loyal guests are more likely to convert on personalized upsell offers (91% expect them)
- Strategies for building a property-wide upsell culture across marketing and reservations teams
- How to avoid common upselling mistakes that waste guests' time and damage relationships
Learn why Bashar Wali emphasizes "the biggest luxury is time" and discover how emotional intelligence combined with guest data creates upselling that enhances rather than interrupts the guest experience.
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Episode Highlights:
[01:06] Emotional intelligence in upselling - Bashar Wali delivers a masterclass in what NOT to do: "When I show up at 11 pm to check-in for a one night stay, you know I'm leaving at seven. Why are you telling me about the spa? Does it look like I care about your spa or your gym?" Effective upselling requires understanding context, timing, and guest needs.
[02:54] Attribute-based selling over discounting - Anisha Yadav, VP of Customer and Product Marketing from Revinate explains why value-building beats price-cutting: "It's not about deep discounting. It's about how do you build that value for your asset for those rooms that you have." From higher room types to better views to interconnecting rooms, attribute-based selling monetizes what you already have.
[05:30] Andronis 600% revenue increase - The Greek luxury hospitality group achieved remarkable results by sending personalized automated emails before, during, and after guest stays. Their pre-arrival and on-property campaigns highlighting spa, restaurants, and curated experiences averaged €34,600 in direct revenue per one-time campaign.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:06 - Emotional intelligence in upselling
02:54 - Attribute-based selling vs. discounting
03:39 - Timing and placement of upsells
05:30 - Andronis success story: 600% revenue increase
06:45 - Direct Booking Mastery Certification overview
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
Hotel Moment Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Shannon Knapp, CEO of Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), Patrick Norton of Brittain Resorts & Hotels, Shawn Jereb of Montage International, Carlo Del Mistro, Chief Digital Officer of Ennismore, Jason Pirock of Springboard Hospitality, and many more.
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