Spring cleaning your data and CRM (or PMS)

Spring has a funny way of showing up with a burst of optimism. The sun appears. The nights get lighter. And suddenly you’re looking at that overstuffed cupboard thinking: "Right. Today’s the day".

Your guest database is the digital version of that cupboard.

It starts tidy. Then life happens. Front desk is flat out. A team member leaves. Systems change. Someone imports a spreadsheet “just for now”. Before you know it, you’ve got duplicate records, missing email permissions, outdated addresses, and a CRM that’s technically working… but not exactly helping.

A good spring clean of your data doesn’t need to be a big, scary “project”. Done little and often, it becomes one of the easiest ways to protect revenue, improve guest experience, and make marketing feel less like guesswork and more like common sense.

Here’s why it matters, what good guest data is really worth, and a practical checklist to get your database back into shape.

When your data is messy, everything downstream gets harder:

• Emails miss the mark. You send the same message to everyone, because you can’t confidently segment.
• You waste money. Advertising gets used to re-acquire guests you already know (and could have rebooked directly).
• You make avoidable mistakes. Two records for the same guest leads to duplicate emails, awkward arrivals, and “we thought you knew” moments.
• Reporting becomes unreliable. If names, sources, and booking history aren’t consistent, insights become opinions.
• You risk compliance headaches. If you can’t see permissions clearly, you’re guessing. Guessing is not where you want to be with GDPR.

On the flip side, organised data makes your day to day lighter. It helps you communicate properly, build loyalty, and spot opportunities you’d otherwise miss. With a little care your database becomes a real driver of bookings and growth.

Guest data is not “marketing stuff”. It’s operational gold.

A well kept CRM can tell you:

• Who your best guests are (high value, frequent stays, longer lengths of stay)
• What they like (room types, packages, dining habits, accessibility notes)
• When they tend to book (seasonality, lead time, day of week patterns)
• Where they come from (regions, countries, local vs long haul)
• How they found you (website, OTAs, weddings, corporate, events, referrals)
• What to say next (welcome back offers, birthday treats, early access, quiet season nudges)

Most independent hotels don’t need more marketing. They need marketing that’s more relevant. The more relevant you are, the less you have to shout. And relevance comes from good data.

Block out 90 minutes. Make a coffee. Put on something upbeat. Then work through these steps.

1) Start with a quick backup (always)

Before you edit or delete anything, export your contacts or take a system backup. It’s boring, but it’s also the difference between “spring clean” and “spring panic”.

2) Agree what “good” looks like

Create a simple set of rules your team can follow:

• How you capitalise names (Jane Smith, not JANE SMITH)
• How you format phone numbers (include country code or not)
• Which fields are required (at least: name, email, phone, country, permission status)

Share with your staff and write it down somewhere easily visible. This is your mini data “house rules”.

3) De-duplicate the obvious repeats

This is the quickest win and often the biggest.

Look for:

• Same email address on multiple records
• Same name + postcode
• Same phone number with different spacing

Merge where you can. If you can’t confidently merge, flag the record rather than guessing.

Make sure you keep the record with the most booking history and the clearest permission trail.

4) Fix the “missing basics”

Run a filter for contacts missing key fields, such as:

• Email address (essential for email marketing)
• Post code (useful for reporting and targeting)
• Source (direct, OTA, wedding, corporate, etc.)
• Last stay date (vital for recency)

If you can fill the gaps easily from PMS or booking history, do it. If you can’t, don’t spend hours playing detective. Your goal is improvement, not perfection.

5) Clean up permissions (the non-negotiable bit)

Make sure every contact is clearly marked as:

• Opted in (and ideally when/how)
• Opted out
• Unknown / not marketable

If your system allows it, separate “marketing permission” from “guest who has stayed”. You may need to keep records for operational reasons, but that doesn’t automatically mean you can email them promotional messages.

If in doubt, treat unclear permissions as do not market and focus on collecting fresh opt-ins going forward.

6) Create a few simple segments you’ll actually use

Segmentation doesn’t have to be fancy. Start with 4-6 groups that match how you run the business:

• Stayed in the last 12 months
• Stayed 12-36 months ago
• High value guests (top spenders or repeaters)
• Local guests (within X miles)
• Wedding / events bookers
• Corporate / midweek guests

These segments become your “go to” audiences for campaigns, and they help you stop sending every message to everyone.

7) Check your automated emails

If you have automated emails (pre arrival, post stay, birthday, vouchers), do a quick audit:

• Is the tone still right?
• Are the links correct?
• Are you sending duplicates to merged contacts?
• Are you excluding people who opted out?

Automations quietly amplify whatever state your data is in. If the data is messy, automations spread the mess at speed.

8) Add one question to your data capture

To keep the database clean, improve what you collect at the start.

At check in, on WiFi signup, or post stay, add one simple preference question, such as:

• “What brings you to us most often: relax, explore, celebrate, work?”
  or
• “Are you more spa, supper, or sea air?”

It’s light, it’s useful, and it makes future marketing feel personal without being creepy.

9) Set a “little and often” routine

The secret is not a heroic annual clean. It’s a rhythm.

Try:

• 10 minutes a week: merge duplicates spotted by the team
• 30 minutes a month: permission tidy up, bounce checks
• Once a quarter: segment review and a quick automation test

Put it in the diary.

A clean CRM won’t magically create time in your week (if you find a system that does, let us know). But it will make your marketing and guest experience calmer, clearer, and more profitable.

You’ll send fewer emails, but get better results. You’ll learn more from your reporting. Your team will feel more confident. And your guests will feel better looked after, because you remember the details that matter.

That’s what organised data does. It turns information you already have into stronger relationships and more direct bookings.

Growing bookings for a brighter future starts with the basics. And sometimes, the most powerful “new idea” is simply giving your data a proper spring clean.