How Kempinski Hotels saw an 84% satisfaction rate with a custom welcome journey

Kempinski needed to introduce a more tailored approach to their email strategy. We asked Jaclyn Thomas, Senior Corporate Marketing & Communications Manager at Kempinski Hotels, to share how they accomplished this with help from Spotler.

“We took the opportunity to update the look and feel of our emails to rethink the flow of communication. Subscribers were jumping straight from the double opt-in email to the first newsletter, so we turned to Spotler to see how we could ease them into the world of Kempinski.”

Jaclyn Thomas
– Senior Corporate Marketing & Communications Manager at Kempinski Hotels

Who are Kempinski?

Kempinski Hotels is Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group, operating over 75 hotels and residences in countries around the globe. The portfolio comprises historic landmark properties, award-winning urban lifestyle hotels, outstanding resorts, and prestigious residences.

Why Kempinski shifted to a branded welcome experience

Kempinski had a regular newsletter flow for email subscribers, but they wanted to ease new subscribers in more gently:

“Introducing a welcome journey allowed us to present the many facets of our brand in an easily digestible manner, teasing the content of future communications.”

How Spotler and Kempinski brought the welcome journey to life

Kempinski knew what they wanted to say, but needed assistance to make it function properly. So Spotler built the initial flow and a series of templates, which their internal team brought to life with their own visuals and branded copy. Once the English-language version was complete, Spotler used conditional logic to add German-language versions, keeping the experience streamlined without complicating the setup.

Once subscribers complete the double opt-in, they immediately receive the first welcome email. The next four follow every three days, creating a steady introduction to the brand, gradually highlighting key experiences and setting expectations for what’s to come. By the end of the journey, subscribers are more familiar, engaged, and ready to transition smoothly into the main mailing list.

Each email in the flow has a different topic:

• General introduction
• Preferences: What sort of hotels and destinations is the reader interested in?
• Member Benefits: Building on initial interest straight away
• Boutique and Vouchers: Extending the Kempinski experience beyond the trip
• What’s Next: an “instant destination match” and a chance for new subscribers to share their feedback on the welcome series

At every stage, the reader has the option to skip the welcome journey and move straight into the subscribers’ group. This process is fully automated and works in the background, so no intervention is needed except for scheduled checks to update and refresh the content. For Kempinski, this means a flexible, low-maintenance system that adapts to each subscriber without adding operational overhead.

Email 1 – Intro

A brief introduction to Kempinski’s long history of providing luxury hotel experiences, this email also establishes the “Lady in Red” sending persona.

The next paragraph makes clear that the message is part of a series and highlights the wide variety of locations Kempinski offers. It’s very rare that you’ll know much about a reader this early in a welcome journey, so broad appeal is a smart way to go.

The “Inspire Me” call to action links to the “Our Stories” section of the website, packed with guidance including “Berlin’s Hidden Gems”, or “The Best Things to Do with 2 Hours in Singapore”.

Finally, readers have the option to skip the welcome series with a single click. This is a nice touch that lets Kempinski’s audience have full control of their inboxes.

Email 2 – Let’s get to know each other

Broad reach is fine for your opening move, but it’s in your best interest to narrow down what your customer wants as quickly and smoothly as possible after that.

Message 2 in the Kempinski flow gets straight to the point: “Click the link below to share your preferences and ensure that we bring the best offers and content to your inbox.” This sets up the value that the customer is getting rather than focusing on the value of that data to the brand.

The landing page for this email is spot on; a little about who you are, then 10 categories that categorise your travel style:

This is a good example of narrowing down interests without being overwhelming. Kempinski could easily have gone overboard, listing every country, cuisine, and climate, but they’ve kept it pretty simple.

Following the “we get to know you” with “Get to know Kempinski” gives the email a nice balance. Brands are often desperate to tell their own story, sometimes getting in the way of customers finding what they actually came for. None of that problem here!

Email 3 – Loyalty Programme

Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is get to the point!

We love that Kempinski have put the “Join Now/Log in” call to action at the top of this message, and then listed the benefits to convince any waverers.

Email 4 – Bring Kempinski home

You sleep differently in a hotel bed to your own, that’s just a fact. So why not recreate the luxurious sleep of a holiday with Kempinski-approved bed linen?

How often do you snuggle into a hotel dressing gown, then immediately ponder slipping it into your suitcase when you leave? Kempinski harness this ubiquitous feeling by offering dressing gowns to take home with you.

Both of these are what marketing nerds like us call “brand extensions”; stepping beyond the main thing you do into a related field. This is a clever way to turn the initial weakness of a hotel experience, that it’s over when you get home, into an opportunity to build brand loyalty.

Email 5 – What’s next

The fifth and final email in the series ties everything together, with a summary of what was covered in the previous four emails, and a reminder that you’ll hear more “news and travel inspirations” from Kempinski in the future.

The email finishes with a Tinder-style card that suggests different destinations you’ll like. We tested this among the Spotler marketing team, and we all found our own own perfect match.

What have the results been like?

The results have been very encouraging. 43,000 people have completed the welcome journey, and 84% of the feedback from email 5 has been positive. Specifically asking their audience to rate the short series allows Kempinski to build on this success.

New-found confidence in automations

Welcome journeys are a great tool for businesses in any industry. Capitalising on that initial interest helps to keep your brand front of mind (or “builds salience” if marketing jargon is your thing). They are especially powerful for big purchases like holidays, as customers will almost certainly spend time scouring for the best deal.

Keen to see these emails in your own inbox? You can sign up for the Kempinski newsletter here.