Charting a New Norm in Hospitality: The Centara Story

As Thailand’s leading hotel operator, with dozens of properties throughout the Kingdom and internationally, Centara Hotels & Resorts is a major player in Thailand’s tourism economy. Centara's mission is to bring comfort, confidence and community to a life lived outside. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and worldwide lockdowns and travel restrictions kept many people at home, Centara needed to pivot their strategy and assess if their technology stack could help them still fulfill their goals.    

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented impact on global economies, especially hospitality and tourism supply chains. This has spurred business leaders to re-think their regional business strategies and accelerate digital transformation. As we move towards a post-COVID-19 world, what are some risks and opportunities that lie ahead? How can businesses adapt to keep pace with this new normal? First, businesses must turn to their data.

Organisations are sitting on millions of pieces of data about customers and their behaviours — and yet many are still failing to effectively apply this data to their digital experiences. This leads to an array of lost opportunities. Teams need access to marketing technology, such as automation tools, to pull together vital metrics streams in real time. Not only can smart tools take away monotonous, labour-intensive tasks; savvier platforms can unlock more opportunities for marketing teams to transform their customer experiences. Ultimately, a modern-day marketer’s focus should be on how they can utilise data to produce successful, results-driven campaigns based on a consumer’s interest at that particular point in time. 

Centara listened to their customer data and used it to reshape how they communicated with their audience. The hotel chain took into account that during the crisis, many consumers closely re-evaluated their consumption habits and what they define as essential products and experiences. They gained a clearer understanding of their audience and recognized that many travel enthusiasts cared about living better lives and improving the lives of others. These values helped guide their marketing strategy. Centara understood that when priorities change, brands should adapt to represent their customer’s personal aspirations. 

Coronavirus has triggered many brands to reassess their existing routes to market and design digital experiences that feel authentic and reflective of real people. As the world returns to some level of normality, it’ll be interesting to see how many new strategies will become the new normal for brands, businesses and organisations seeking to pivot to a digital first approach globally.

Read more about Centara's ongoing success increasing site traffic and boosting room bookings in our case study. Hear from Centara Hotels & Resorts themselves, register for our upcoming Fireside Chat on October 20, 2020: How Do You Pivot To Success? - The Centara Hotels & Resorts’ Story.