How to Create a Persona for Your Corporate Hotel Client: Who to Target for your Corporate Hotel Sales

In the competitive world of hotel sales, understanding your corporate clients is the key to success. Crafting detailed personas for your ideal corporate bookers isn’t just a creative exercise; it’s a strategic move that can elevate your corporate hotel sales efforts. When you know exactly who your decision-makers are—be it a travel manager, office manager, or HR executive—you can tailor your strategy to secure more bookings and build lasting partnerships.

Here’s your guide to creating a winning persona that will help your hotel sales manager and team target the right corporate clients and deliver results.

Step 1: Analyze Current Data

Your hotel’s data holds the answers to who your ideal corporate clients are and how to approach them. Start with your hotel’s CRM or property management system and dig deep:

• Who is booking with you? Identify the exact person making reservations or signing contracts. Is it a travel manager, office manager, or perhaps an outsourced travel agency?

• Why are they choosing your hotel? Is it your location, unique amenities, or something about your brand concept? Review guest feedback and surveys for insights.

• Who are your best bookers? Look at patterns—do they belong to a specific industry, company size, or location? Are loyalty programs a key motivator?

• Conduct interviews. Reach out to 3–5 of your corporate bookers and set up 30–60 minute calls. Ask them:

  • Why did they choose your hotel?

  • What stood out in your communication or offer?

  • What are their priorities when booking accommodations?

These conversations provide actionable insights that will refine your approach to corporate hotel sales.

Step 2: Define the Ideal Customer Profile

With your data in hand, it’s time to outline your ideal customer profile (ICP). Think about:

• Company type: Which industries or business sectors benefit most from your hotel’s offerings?

• Budget: What is their typical spend on corporate travel or group bookings?

• Key roles: Who are you targeting—a travel manager, office manager, or procurement officer?

• Geographic proximity: Are they local businesses or companies frequently sending employees to your area?

For example, if your hotel caters to relocations, target companies that are growing quickly, are hiring highly specialised positions and have their (local) HQ in your city. If you have a design focussed hotel concept, focus on industries that find this important such as Fashion, Architecture and Design firms, with 50+ staff and preferably with several international offices to increase the chances of frequent travel.

Step 3: Segment Key Roles

Corporate bookings involve multiple stakeholders. Understand their unique roles and priorities:

• Travel manager: Focused on cost savings and booking efficiency.

• Office manager: Handles accommodations for meetings, events, and team travel.

• Mobility manager: Manages relocation logistics and extended stays.

• HR manager: Prioritizes employee well-being and seamless travel experiences.

Tailoring your approach to these roles ensures you’re addressing the right pain points and speaking their language.

Step 4: Identify Challenges and Pain Points

Every corporate booker faces challenges—and your job is to provide solutions that stand out.

• Common obstacles: Budget constraints, flexibility in booking, and amenities like coworking spaces or secure Wi-Fi.

• Your hotel’s edge: Highlight services that solve these issues. For example, emphasize late check-ins, loyalty rewards, or tailored packages that simplify travel management.

By addressing these challenges, you position your hotel as the best option in their decision-making process.

Step 5: Map Out Motivations and Goals

Understanding your clients’ goals is critical for effective hotel sales. Here’s what typically drives them:

• Cost efficiency: Travel managers are always seeking the best value.

• Employee satisfaction: HR managers prioritize comfort and convenience for employees.

• Time-saving solutions: Office managers and travel managers look for streamlined booking processes.

When your hotel aligns with these goals, you become a go-to partner for their corporate travel needs.

Step 6: Profile Demographics

Adding demographic details helps you refine your targeting:

• Age range and professional background: Junior office managers may have different priorities than senior procurement heads.

• Hierarchy level: Tailor your pitch based on their decision-making authority.

• Location: Local and regional preferences can influence booking choices.

Step 7: Create a Narrative

Bring your persona to life with a relatable story:

• Name: Sarah, the Travel Manager

• Role: Manages travel and accommodations for 150 employees at a tech company.

• Pain Points: Struggles to find hotels with coworking spaces and flexible booking policies.

• Goals: Maximize the company’s travel budget while ensuring employee satisfaction.

• Motivations: Seeks hotels that offer seamless booking processes, tailored services, and reliable Wi-Fi.

This narrative becomes the foundation of your corporate hotel sales strategy, helping your team connect with clients on a personal level.

Step 8: Validate and Refine

Once you’ve drafted your persona, share it with your hotel sales manager, marketing team, and other stakeholders for feedback. Does it reflect the real challenges and needs of your current clients? Adjust based on their insights to ensure it’s both accurate and actionable.

Step 9: Keep Personas Dynamic

Corporate travel trends and booking behaviors evolve. Regularly revisit and update your personas to stay relevant:

• Are there new industries or roles booking with your hotel?

• Has your hotel added services or features that appeal to different segments?

• Are there shifts in corporate travel priorities, like remote work or sustainability initiatives?

Stay proactive by reviewing personas quarterly or after major market changes.

Conclusion

Creating a persona for your corporate hotel clients is more than an exercise—it’s a strategy that drives targeted, effective hotel sales. By understanding your ideal client’s motivations, challenges, and goals, you’ll position your hotel as the preferred choice for travel managers, office managers, and HR executives alike.

Invest in building and refining your personas, and watch your corporate hotel sales strategy thrive, creating lasting partnerships and driving sustained revenue growth. It’s time to take your hotel sales to the next level.