Our newest blog series, Coffee Chats, gives us the opportunity to sit down with our partners and other people in the travel industry to learn more about what they do and hear some tips for success.

HEBS Digital’s Executive Vice President Jason Price connected with Pure Salt’s Director of Sales and Marketing Miguel Amengual Delgado to discuss his career, Pure Salt, and some of the ways in which the multi-property group is engaging with digital marketing and CRM.

What do you do and what was the path that led you not only into the hospitality industry, but the career you have now?

At the moment I lead a young and dynamic group of excellent colleagues. Being from Mallorca and part of an entrepreneur family are two important factors that led me into the tourism industry.

What are some of the highs and lows of your current role?

One of the greatest experiences in digital marketing is that most of the activities that are planned and actioned can be measured in great detail, thanks to data provided by some of the available marketing platforms. Having access to information about the performance of different campaigns enriches your knowledge about what is right and what is not working. That is why in digital marketing you don’t lose—you either win or learn.

In order to use many of the digital marketing platforms available on the market, there is a constant need of interconnectivity between the PMS and platform itself, and that is one the biggest restrictions we face.

What is a challenge you currently face in your role?

Keeping up with all the marketing platforms available on the market and choosing the most appropriate ones for our company.

From a digital standpoint, what are some of the roadblocks you face?

Among the roadblocks we face in digitalization is an ongoing learning process that needs to be backed up by constant technology development within the company. We must keep up with the opportunities technology affords us, and internal IT developments are necessary in order to have the right information to make the most informed decisions.

Normally within the same company, there are different levels of digitalization. Usually marketing and business development are leading digitalization, but the biggest challenge is making sure the company as a whole (from Senior Management to entry-level positions) understands the importance of digitalization and that the right resources are available to make sure everyone is on the same track.

Do you think that CRM data is worth leveraging? In a perfect world, what information would you want to know about each of your guests, and why?

Yes, I think CRM is critical to leverage as it gives you a wide range of information about your guest, which is useful in many different ways.

  1. Understanding how guests learned about your company is critical for marketing decisions.
  2. Understanding your guests’ needs helps ensure that the product you offer them is the right one.
  3. Having fluent communication pre- and post-experience with your guest gives you useful information in order to make changes, if needed.
  4. Exceeding expectations and making guests feel comfortable is of the utmost importance in our industry. This can be achieved by knowing your customer better.