Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants gives personal service even more personality with the help of Salesforce

Inside Karma, a proprietary algorithm uniquely awards guests by taking into account not only a member's stays and purchases, but also less obvious actions such as whether a member books their stay directly on the website, attends the hosted evening Wine Hour, or interacts with the brand through social media. The potential for surprise is one of the hallmarks of Kimpton Karma. That “little extra” Kimpton awards to its members is deliberately randomized, which can change what is normally a quid pro quo into unexpected delight. Chatter allows hotel staff across the country to directly communicate and input information about guest preferences so these perks and surprises become even more personalized across all Kimpton properties. "This allows us to truly treat individuals as individuals," says Reidenbach. “We find unique ways of delighting guests when they least expect it.” For example, a guest recently posted an Instagram photo of Kimpton’s fun yoga mats in her room. A week later, she came home to a new Kimpton yoga mat waiting at her doorstep. “But we don’t promise anything,” Reidenbach emphasizes. “If people are expecting a gift, it’s not as much fun.” Kimpton is setting the standard with amenities like these but the company’s leadership is careful about never getting too comfortable in its ways. “We’re continuously innovating and listening to our guests. We want to keep finding ways to make travel and life at home better. We are a lifestyle brand that builds long term relationships with our guests — our journey with the guest extends far beyond their travel,” Reidenbach shared. The company prefers the insights gleaned from its personal interactions with guests to the broad trends produced by big data. “People change and it’s important to get to know them on a one-to-one basis so we can understand their evolving needs and interests,” says Reidenbach. “The better we know our customers, the more relevant we can make their experience.” The ultimate goal of Kimpton Karma is to increase guest retention. The key is wowing guests who are making their first or second stay with Kimpton. Kimpton’s proprietary formula, enabled by Salesforce, automatically identifies guests who are prime candidates for conversion and alerts the property where they’re staying or dining.