Rethinking the Guest Experience in Spa, Leisure & Hospitality

Guest expectations are higher than ever. They want convenience, personalisation, and value delivered effortlessly across every touchpoint. Yet many businesses are still losing revenue due to fragmented booking journeys, limited personalisation, and disconnected technology.

At Trybe, we work with spa, leisure, and activity operators every day to solve these challenges. As an operational platform built specifically for the industry, our software enhances day-to-day operations through features such as calendar management, contactless check-in, online bookings, reporting, inventory management, and more.

Let’s explore the three key guest expectations shaping modern bookings and how meeting them can directly impact revenue, efficiency, and guest satisfaction.

1. Guests Expect Seamless Booking Journeys

Disjointed booking journeys are no longer just frustrating; they’re actively damaging revenue.

Guests don’t want to jump between booking websites, complete clunky forms, or send emails back and forth to secure a booking. Yet it’s still surprisingly common for hospitality venues to lack online booking options for spa, leisure, and activities.

The data is clear:

• 72% of travellers preferred online booking in 2023

• In the travel industry, there’s an average 81% abandonment rate if guests are required to call or email

• By comparison, the average abandonment rate through Trybe over a 12 months period is 39%

• When purchasing online, guests spend 51% more than they do in person

Clunky forms, phone calls, and email confirmations create friction. Every additional step increases the likelihood that a guest abandons their booking altogether, often choosing a competitor instead.

2. Convenience Drives Conversions (and Spending)

When it comes to online purchases, research shows that the ideal number of clicks to complete a transaction is just three. Anything beyond that sees significant drop-offs.

Requiring guests to email or call doesn’t just disrupt their journey, it costs real revenue.

While one-click purchases aren’t possible for hotel or spa bookings, the principle still applies. In ecommerce, one-click purchasing has been shown to increase spending by 17% per order, highlighting the power of convenience and intuitive design.

Online bookings also unlock revenue outside traditional office hours. The majority of bookings happen when guests are relaxing at home, socialising with friends, or browsing on their phone, times when your team may not be available to answer calls or emails. Without online booking, those opportunities are simply missed.

We’ve seen Trybe clients increase revenue by an average of 80% after moving to the platform, whether transitioning from legacy software or introducing digital bookings for the first time.

And importantly, a guest’s first impression of your brand doesn’t happen on arrival. It starts with your website and social channels. A seamless, modern booking experience sets the tone long before they walk through the door.

3. Personalisation Is No Longer Optional

Once a guest is booking online, personalisation becomes the next major revenue driver.

Personalisation is a balancing act, it should feel thoughtful, not intrusive. Guests don’t want generic communications or irrelevant offers, but they do want experiences that feel tailored to them.

This applies across the entire journey:

• Pre-arrival communications

• On-site experiences

• Post-visit follow-ups

Brands that personalise effectively are seeing stronger results, and guests are responding.

Upselling is one of the clearest examples. Whether it’s:

• Room upgrades

• Early check-in

• Longer treatments

• A bottle instead of a glass

• Drinks on arrival or lunch included

Trybe data shows that upsells are taken up 8% of the time on average, with an average spend increase of £266.

Personalisation also drives impulse purchases. In fact, 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after a more personalised experience.

4. Packages Are Essential, Not Optional

Guests increasingly want value for money and they want it delivered simply.

Across Trybe, 92% of bookings are package bookings, reflecting the fact that around 40% of guests actively look for bundled value. They don’t just want a spa day they want the full experience.

Packages might include:

• Spa treatments

• Food and beverage

• Fitness classes

• Tennis court hire

• Cooking classes

• Product bundles

The revenue opportunities are endless when experiences are combined thoughtfully.

While packages are created by spas, leisur esorts, and fitness centres, they can still feel bespoke. Giving guests control over details like arrival time, treatment type, or dining slot creates a highly personalised experience without adding operational complexity and significantly boosts satisfaction.

5. Your Tech Stack Matters More Than You Think

Behind every great guest experience is a well-integrated tech stack.

Most properties rely on multiple systems, from PMS and booking engines to spa software, housekeeping tools, and finance platforms. When these systems don’t communicate, teams are left double-handling data, chasing payments, and dealing with errors.

Introducing the right technology digitises tasks that were once manual:

• Taking bookings

• Chasing payments

• Running financial reports

• Managing availability and inventory

With Trybe alone, teams save around 22 days per year on administrative tasks. That’s time redirected towards upselling, delivering more treatments, and focusing on what truly matters. The guest.

When best-in-breed systems work together, rather than against each other, operations transform.

With automatic syncing of room and spa charges and real-time payments flowing between Trybe and RMS, hotel and spa teams stay perfectly aligned. Billing becomes cleaner, reconciliation easier, and the overall guest experience smoother.

And the impact is tangible. Trybe clients save approximately 22 days a year on admin alone.

Bringing It All Together

Seamless bookings, meaningful personalisation, and integrated technology aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re essential to meeting modern guest expectations and hitting revenue targets in an increasingly competitive market.

By removing friction, empowering guests with choice, and giving teams the tools they need, hospitality businesses can deliver better experiences, online and on-site, while improving efficiency and profitability.

If your booking journey, personalisation strategy, or tech stack isn’t working together seamlessly, your guests. And your bottom line, will feel it.