The Usual Hotels: How to build connections with guests from day one

GUEST EXPERIENCE

The Usual wanted guest communication that feels local, warm, and brand‑aligned from day one, without adding overhead to their lean team. They adopted Bookboost to centralise messaging, automate guest journeys, and tailor communication per property.

Why it matters: Many hotels rely on generic, fragmented messaging that breaks the guest experience. The Usual shows how a hospitality brand can embed communication into its DNA, delivering personal, consistent connections at scale and without sacrificing brand voice or burdening staff.

Bookboost helped The Usual send timely, branded messages (like arrival info, city tips, or checkout reminders) through WhatsApp and email, all managed from one centralised platform. It also enabled smart segmentation to tailor content for each property and to respond faster to every question. This allowed their lean team to stay efficient while giving guests a consistent, local-feeling experience across all properties.

Top 3 Core Objectives: The Usual aimed to deliver automated, personalised guest communication across channels while preserving the brand voice and reducing operational load.

Deliver personalised communication: A personal and unique experience doesn’t communicate the same to everyone. They created property-specific guest journeys that highlight the most attractive elements of each location.
Save time using automation: So all their guest journey messages are sent automatically without overwhelming the team.
Start communicating using WhatsApp: The team uses WhatsApp to welcome guests, share on-site tips, or even for quick urgent messages like a fire drill or an important event happening in the city that might affect their stay. They also use it to ask for reviews at the right time, increasing their review rate.

Innovators Mentioned

The Usual

Bookboost

Anne Williams

Digital Marketing Manager

The Usual

"We find that with Bookboost, the team spends less time chasing guest data, checking a dozen messaging platforms, and answering questions that an FAQ could cover. With Bookboost, we can deliver a well-designed and automated guest journey that delivers personalised communications from start to finish. Additionally, the unified inbox simplifies responding to inquiries, improving guest interaction, and freeing team members to focus on creating moments that matter to our guests."

Anne Williams

Digital Marketing Manager

👍 Digital Marketing Manager Anne Williams said that Bookboost gives us more time with guests:

"We find that with Bookboost, the team spends less time chasing guest data, checking a dozen messaging platforms, and answering questions that an FAQ could cover. With Bookboost, we can deliver a well-designed and automated guest journey that delivers personalised communications from start to finish. Additionally, the unified inbox simplifies responding to inquiries, improving guest interaction, and freeing team members to focus on creating moments that matter to our guests."

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Anne Williams evaluated Bookboost's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that Bookboost was the best fit solution:

Digital Marketing Manager Anne Williams said, about their decision: "Guest experience doesn't start in the lobby. It begins digitally with strong communication, providing them with the right information so they feel prepared for their trip and to enjoy our location. We knew when we built The Usual, we needed a solution like Bookboost."

📈 The results: With Bookboost, The Usual delivered seamless, on‑brand communication across properties, reduced manual work, and improved guest engagement from the very first touch.

Less time behind a computer: Real hospitality happens in conversations. The Usual wanted to prioritise time spent with guests instead of screens and with Bookboost their team spends less time chasing data and more time interacting with guests.
Higher guest engagement using WhatsApp: The use of WhatsApp has tremendously increased their response and engagement rates.
Authentic experience at scale: Automation never felt robotic. The Usual preserved its voice, and messaging still reflected each property’s local character.

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