What is a guest profile?

A guest profile is a key part of managing guests in a hotel or accommodation. It provides a rundown of key details about the guest, such as their name and contact details. It allows property staff to ensure accurate communications and personalised service.

What information is found on a guest profile?

A guest profile will typically include the guest’s name, contact details such as email address and phone number, reservation history, ID details, and their marketing preferences.

More complete profiles can also be created to include reservation details, special requests that have been made, post-stay ratings, and a history of communications sent to the guest.

This blog will give you a full overview of guest profiles, including examples of how they can work at your hotel.

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Why are guest profiles important for hotels?

Guest profiles are extremely important for hotels in managing the guest relationship and experience. When your guest registers with your hotel and checks in, it’s vital that you have accurate information and that it is recorded, both for official purposes and to help enhance the service you provide.

With guest profiles that are up-to-date and easily accessible, you can use them to enrich the experience that guests have at your property. By having a record of details such as past reservations, communications, and requests – you can create a greater level of personalisation and, ultimately, satisfaction.

For example, if on their previous stay the guest requested particular food or drink items, you can be proactive and have these ready to go for when the guest arrives as a welcoming gift. This is particularly important given that 61% of consumers will pay more if they know they’re getting a personalised experience.

guest profile

Guest profile examples: How it might look at your hotel

While you’ll be most familiar with individual guest profiles at your property, you can also choose to create profiles for other parties, such as for group bookings, companies, or travel agents.

  • Group profiles – You may receive a booking from a tour group or for a conference. In this case you should use the name of the group, not an individual. You should also make note of any special requests or agreements that were made.
  • Company profilesBusiness travel is a huge market and if a company is regularly sending staff to your area and staying at your hotel, it can be a good idea to create a profile for the company to keep their preferences on record.
  • Travel agent profiles – If you commonly do business with specific travel agents, you can also create a profile of their information, including contact information, communication details, commissions, account management details, and more.

However, at small accommodations, guest profiles will be what you use the most in your day-to-day property management. Here’s an example from Little Hotelier’s platform to show you how it looks from your perspective:

Example of a guest profile in Little Hotelier

How to create or add a guest profile at your hotel

The good news is that it’s easy to create a guest profile. 

If you’re using a property management solution like Little Hotelier, a guest profile is automatically created when a reservation is made. This is part of the functionality of Little Hotelier’s front desk system, which is used to centrally manage all the major operations of your property.

From a single interface you can view, update, and delete guest profiles to ensure information is always accurate, up-to-date, and secure.

Another Little Hotelier feature, Guest Engagement, allows you to view guest lists and profiles as well. Within Guest Engagement, your guest profiles will be more in-depth and can include extra features such as your communication records and the post-stay ratings of guests.

It’s as simple as signing up to Little Hotelier and getting started.

What to write in guest profiles (and what not to include)

We’ve already covered a lot of what should be in your guest profiles, but here’s a full list of what should be in your front desk system’s guest profile:

  • Guest first and last name
  • Email address
  • Contact number
  • Proof of identification
  • Address
  • Country and region of origin
  • Marketing preferences
  • Record of reservations

There are also details that should NOT be included in guest profiles. These include:

  • Social Security numbers
  • More than the necessary information required for ID
  • Financial account details (beyond basic payment information)
  • Medical records (unless explicitly provided and relevant to the guest’s stay)
  • Political or religious affiliations

It’s important that guest data is kept secure and private.

Make guest profile management easy with the best all-in-one solution for small properties…

By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).