7 Tested Personalization Strategies to Supercharge Travel App Experiences

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In the wake of the global pandemic, travel has undergone a remarkable transformation. After years of lockdowns, travelers have returned with renewed enthusiasm, driving an unprecedented surge in worldwide tourism and digital travel platforms.

This digital transformation has intensified competition among travel brands, making personalization no longer a luxury but a critical survival strategy. In an era where consumers are bombarded with endless options, the ability to create tailored, intuitive app experiences can be the decisive factor in capturing and retaining customer loyalty. By leveraging data-driven insights and advanced personalization techniques, travel brands can transform their apps from mere booking platforms into intelligent, anticipatory companions that understand and predict individual traveler preferences.

In the following article, we’ll dive deep into eight tested app personalization strategies –

1. Travel Recommendations

Travel brands can analyze customers’ preferences, bookings, search history, and behavior to offer personalized suggestions to customers, be it for flights, hotel bookings, or activities.

They can also trigger targeted offers accordingly, depending on the customer data.

Here’s an example from the MakeMyTrip App, suggesting hotels and exclusive discount offers.

2. Personalized Deals and Discounts

Travel brands often show special deals on the travel routes customers usually take or hotels they regularly stay in. For example, many brands trigger personalized notifications about price drops on customer’s preferred routes or special deals based on past history.

Additionally, after customers have booked a train or a flight to a particular destination, brands will also show deals and discounts for that city’s hotels.

Below is an example from the Skyscanner app, providing an exclusive discount.

3. Virtual Assistants and Chatbots

Most travel apps today offer AI chatbots for real-time customer support. These chatbots can assist you based on your upcoming trips, preferences, and booking history.

Travel app chatbots can help customers find their preferred options and engage in friendly conversations to understand their needs. They can help book tickets and address your complaints, serving as travel assistants.

4. Loyalty Programs

Many travel brands maintain their loyalty programs. In fact, airlines were among the first industries to introduce loyalty programs.

Whether it’s a frequent flyer program or hotel loyalty memberships, travel brands offer exclusive deals to their loyal customers, including discounts, early access, and even free stays through them.

Let’s take Expedia as an example. With its ‘One Key’ loyalty program, Expedia brought together Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo on one platform. Expedia rewarded all members of this program with ‘One Key Cash’—cashback points that can be used for travel across categories. The program encourages Expedia customers to complete all their travel bookings on the app, creating a win-win situation for both the brand and the customer.

5. Creating a Personalized Booking Experience

Travel brands can transform customers’ browsing experiences by providing personalized filters. They can suggest products based on customers’ spending habits, preferred hotel chains, airline choices, and frequently visited routes. By analyzing customer history, brands can set default filters to show customers’ preferred options first.

Personalized filters create a win-win situation. Customers enjoy a smooth experience, quickly finding the right hotels and flights. Meanwhile, travel brands see a boost in bookings, which helps their bottom line grow.

6. Real-time Notifications

Most of us would have received the dreaded ‘your flight is delayed’ notification from travel brands. Weather conditions, cultural events, technical issues, or local emergencies can significantly impact travel plans.

Travel brands often have this local data, and depending on which customers are being impacted, brands should trigger personalized, real-time notifications. These can be reminders, alerts, or simple updates about destinations or flights.

This proactive approach helps travelers reduce stress and anxiety. By providing clear and timely information, travel brands can show they care about their customers’ experiences. This kind of communication can even turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Additionally, brands can also leverage real-time notifications to upsell add-ons such as priority bookings.

Here’s Phoenix Airlines reminding its customers to check in for their flight on time while pitching its priority boarding options.

7. Predictive Booking Suggestions

Based on customers’ past budgets and travel patterns, travel brands can use predictive algorithms to recommend the best hotels or flights.

Predictive algorithms can also identify popular destinations and travel dates. This information helps travel brands offer relevant deals and packages, and customers are more likely to book a trip that meets their needs.

Here is an example of a travel brand recommending local flights based on flight search history –

Wrapping it Up

When it comes to travel brands, personalization is no longer a luxury—it’s a strategic imperative. According to McKinsey’s 2023 “Next in Personalization” report, companies driving faster growth generate 40% more of their revenue through personalization compared to their slower-growing competitors. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how businesses connect with customers.

Personalizing the app experience goes beyond recommendations—it’s about creating intelligent, anticipatory interactions that transform raw customer data into meaningful experiences. By analyzing customer preferences, behavioral patterns, and historical travel insights, travel brands can craft app experiences that feel uniquely tailored to each customer. The result? Dramatically increased app engagement, higher booking conversion rates, and sustained customer loyalty.