Introduction

Retargeting Playbook for Abandoned Stays is your hotel’s blueprint to bring would‑be guests back gracefully. You’ll map signals, segment intent, deploy channel‑specific scripts, and use value‑adds instead of knee‑jerk discounts—so you protect ADR while filling rooms.

Compliance: Obtain explicit opt‑in where required (GDPR/ePrivacy/TCPA). Include unsubscribe/STOP and a privacy link in every message. This guide is educational, not legal advice.

1) Why “Retargeting Playbook for Abandoned Stays” Works

• Proximity: Guests already chose dates/city; remove a tiny friction and they finish.
• Politeness: Helpful, human copy outperforms pushy countdowns.
• Parity‑safe: Value adds protect price while improving perceived comfort.

2) Signal Map: Browse → Quote → Checkout → Pre‑Arrival

3) Smart Segmentation (Dates, Party, Device, Channel)

• Date proximity: within 7 days, 8–30, 31–90.
• Party: couple, family, business, group.
• Device: mobile vs desktop; show tap‑to‑call on mobile.
• Channel: direct vs meta search/brand ad visitor.

4) Copy Frameworks (AIM • ARC • SPARE)

• AIM: Acknowledge → Insight → Micro‑CTA
• ARC: Acknowledge → Reason to act → Calendar
• SPARE: Situation → Proof → Alternative → Reason → Easy out

5) Channel Playbooks: Email • SMS/WhatsApp • Ads • On‑Site

Email (HTML or simple text)

Subject: Still set on {{city}} {{dates}}? We saved your room.
Hi {{first_name}}, you were moments from booking {{room_type}} at {{hotel_name}}.
One tap to resume your itinerary → {{resume_link}}
Need different dates or beds? {{alts_link}}

SMS (opt‑in only)

{{hotel_name}}: Your {{city}} {{dates}} plan is saved. Reply 1) Resume 2) Change dates 3) Concierge. STOP to opt out.

WhatsApp

Hi {{first_name}}, I can hold {{room_type}} for {{dates}} until {{hold_time}}. Want me to confirm or adjust dates?

Ads (Meta/Display/Search)

Still comparing stays in {{city}}? Pick up your saved itinerary—flexible change policy and free breakfast on direct bookings.

On‑Site Return Overlay

Welcome back! We saved your {{room_type}} for {{dates}}. Resume or see nearby dates.

6) Offer Architecture Without Heavy Discounts

7) Timing & Cadences (0–10 min to 30 days)

1. 0–10 min: SMS/Email with resume link.
2. 4–8 hours: Email with alt dates/rooms.
3. Next day: WhatsApp or SMS humanized check‑in.
4. Day 3: Ad retarget + on‑site overlay refresh.
5. Day 7: Value‑add nudge + close‑the‑loop option.
6. Weeks 2–4: Weekly reminder if dates are high‑demand.

8) Dynamic Content & Personalization Tokens

Keep it relevant and minimal:

• {{first_name}}, {{city}}, {{dates}}, {{room_type}}, {{party_size}}
• Visuals: saved itinerary card, map pin, forecast badge.
• Never include sensitive or unrelated data.

9) Script Library (Copy/Paste)

Reply Buttons (SMS/WA)

1) Confirm now  2) Change dates  3) Talk to concierge

Checkout Friction Helper (Email)

Still seeing a policy you’re unsure about? Here’s a 20‑sec summary and a link to resume securely.

Close‑the‑Loop

Want me to save this for later or close it out? I can check back in a month.

10) Recovery Landing Pages That Convert

• Prefill dates/party/room; show progress bar (Step 2 of 3).
• One CTA primary; alternative dates as secondary.
• Show policy summary above the fold; trust badges at pay.

11) KPIs, UTMs & Attribution

• Recovered revenue, recovery rate, time‑to‑book, assisted conversions, unsub rate.
• UTMs: utm_source={{channel}}&utm_medium=retargeting&utm_campaign=abandoned_stays_{{city}}
• Use holdouts to prove incremental lift.

12) 30–60–90 Day Rollout Plan

Days 1–30 (Foundation)

1. Enable webhooks for quote/checkout events.
2. Load first‑touch email/SMS + resume link.
3. Design recovery page and on‑site overlay.

Days 31–60 (Momentum)

1. Add alt‑dates logic and value‑add variants.
2. Launch Meta/Display retargeting with frequency caps.
3. Start holdout testing and KPI dashboard.

Days 61–90 (Scale)

1. Introduce WhatsApp concierge and multilingual templates.
2. Roll out across properties; standardize tokens.
3. Quarterly prune low performers; refresh creative.

13) Data, Privacy & Consent

• Opt‑in by channel; double opt‑in where required.
• Clear unsubscribe/STOP and preference center links.
• Retention: keep quote details only as long as needed.

14) Troubleshooting & Optimization