Gamification in Hospitality: fun for the guest and profitable for the host
La Quinta Inns & Suites (Spanish: La Quinta, “the country Villa”, pronounced ‘la KEEN-ta) is a chain of limited-service hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Honduras. The hotel chain targets middle-income, price-conscious travelers.
To supercharge their loyalty program, a gamified campaign called Play & Stay was implemented.
The first element of the experience is a slot machine game that most people are very familiar with. Users click the big Spin Button and get a chance of winning points or collectibles.
To play, users need virtual tokens which leverage Core Drive 6: Scarcity & Impatience. Tokens are recharged regularly, with an additional wheel of fortune game that can generate more tokens once the initial ones run out.
On top of that, there are “instant grand prizes” as big as “10 Free Nights” that could be won with every spin. The small chance of winning the grand prize did not deter people very much, as the hope of winning a large prize was enough to make the experience fun and addicting. Because the price is so enticing, people are more motivated to continue playing, while being content that their general La Quinta points keep accumulating as they play (a combination of Core Drive 2: Development and Accomplishment and Core Drive 4: Ownership and Possession).
Other game techniques come into play such as Boosters to double scores whenever the player answers trivia questions regarding the hotel brand or shares the game with their friends. This not only adds Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback and Core Drive 5: Social Influence & Relatedness but also builds positive associations between the brand and its users.
Results
Viral Coefficient of 530%
34% of the users returned every single day (DAU)
132% increase in Sales
180% increase in Booking Frequency
