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While Charleston’s Mills House Hotel has long enjoyed the loyalty of its guests, the recent downturn in the economy began to affect advance reservations. Needing a quick upswing in bookings, we concluded that rather than reach out to new markets, our best results would come from those who had previously visited. This approach allowed us the freedom to concentrate on a promotion that would entice those already familiar with the Mills House rather than work to convince potential guests why they should choose the Mills House in the first place.

 

From our 30-year history as the Mills House’s agency-of-record, we knew that guests who regularly visit the hotel are “historic attraction-minded.” Working with the client, we developed an e-promotion that retained the elegance of the Mills House brand as one of Charleston’s most historic hotels, and positioned the Mills House as a “basecamp” from which to explore the city’s rich history. Through targeted dialog management, the e-communication presented past visitors a “Passport” incentive that combined the area’s most popular attractions with a three-night stay at the Mills House.

 

Within 48 hours of sending the e-communication, the Mills House reported over $12,000.00 in advanced sales tracked directly through the SMITH promotion - more than enough to offset the slump in regular bookings. When combined with guest food and beverage purchases, this resulted in well over a 300% return on investment.

SMITH’s ability to utilize the Internet and present a quick, effective solution turned around an otherwise anticipated loss in revenue for the client. By incorporating dialog management, SMITH effectively mined a proven source of sales and delivered an extremely targeted message to the people with whom it resonated most.

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