One of the longest and most severe national economic recessions is that of Greece. In July 2015 the Greek Government instituted Capital Controls as a means of regulating its decreasing capital account, in other words, it limited the amount of cash that Greek account holders could withdraw from banks/ATMs.
The rumors that tourists in Greece heard was that it would negatively impact their vacation, and it triggered serious concerns, that were far from reality (their foreign based accounts were not impacted by capital controls, thus they were able to freely withdraw cash from any bank/ ATM).
A manager at one of our client hotels in Santorini did something simple and smart, which had great results. Using Zoottle, he had captured 95% of the emails of all of his guests. He used these and sent an email that factually outlined what Capital Controls were, and how (if at all) it would impact them:
- They would be able to use their credit card everywhere, without additional limits
- They would be able to withdraw cash from any bank/ATM without limits, as long as their bank account was one outside of Greece.
- If they had any questions on the above, or if they were faced with any whatsoever problem, he provided them with his personal mobile number for immediate action.
In addition to sending to those guests that were currently checked-in, he sent a similar email to those that had already checked-out. He thanked them for their stay, and wanted to put them at ease regarding Capital Controls by sharing the above information. He also asked them to share with their friends that were planning on visiting Santorini, regardless of whether they were staying at his hotel, and that he would be more than happy to be a resource for them.
Using Zoottle, this hotel was able to capture the emails of all their guests, including those that are staying with a registered guest, even those that have made reservations via OTAs (Booking, Travelocity, Priceline, etc). By sending this simple email, he was not only able to put at ease any concerns their guests had, it amplified the level of trust the property had with their guests and even the friends of their guests.
