Customer lifetime value is how much money a guest leaves over their whole relationship with the hotel, not just one stay. It changes how you decide what to spend acquiring them: a guest who returns every year is worth far more than the price of their first night. It is the number that justifies investing in loyalty and first party data.
Example If a guest returns three years running, their CLV is five times the value of the first booking.
CLV stands for Customer Lifetime Value. It is a metric that estimates the total revenue a guest generates for a hotel throughout their entire relationship, not just from a single booking.
How do you calculate a guest's CLV?
You calculate it by multiplying the average stay value by the number of visits per year and by the expected years of loyalty. For instance, a guest spending 300 euros per night, traveling twice a year for 5 years, has a CLV of 3,000 euros.
What is the purpose of CLV and how does it differ from first-booking revenue?
Its purpose is to guide how much to invest in acquiring and retaining each guest, as a repeat visitor is worth far more than their first night's rate. Unlike first-booking revenue, which reflects a single transaction, CLV accounts for long-term value and justifies loyalty programs and direct data strategies.
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