Stop losing loyal guests and take control of the guest journey | with Marc Winchell
Join Karen Stephens and Marc Winchell, Corporate CRM at Pacific Hospitality Group, to explore how the Stay Golden loyalty program drives direct bookings through personalization rather than points. Learn actionable strategies for shifting business from OTAs, leveraging the voice channel, and creating memorable pre-arrival experiences that keep guests coming back.
Join Karen Stephens and Marc Winchell, Corporate CRM at Pacific Hospitality Group, as they dive deep into the Stay Golden loyalty program. Marc reveals how PHG is shifting away from OTA dependence by reimagining hotel loyalty. Rather than points, Stay Golden focuses on immediate value through direct booking discounts, room upgrades, and personalized pre-arrival experiences.
Together, they discuss:
- Why immediate rewards and 10% discounts outperform traditional points systems
- How first-party data enables personalized pre-stay communication that builds anticipation
- The vital role of voice channel agents in competing with OTAs while building guest relationships
- Creating metrics that measure both commercial success and guest satisfaction
This episode offers actionable insights for hoteliers looking to take control of their guest relationships and reduce OTA dependence through meaningful loyalty programs.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Instructions on how to do this are
here.
Connect with Marc Winchell here:
Connect with Karen here:
Follow the podcast here:
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
04:37 - Rethinking loyalty rewards
07:43 - Direct booking benefits
09:14 - Personalizing communication
15:27 - Voice channel optimization
22:06 - Reducing OTA reliance
25:31 - Outro