Unlocking loyalty via digital guest journeys: TrustYou’s Radouane Namaoui at GM Forum 2025

At the 2025 Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) Forum, Radouane Namaoui, Global Head of Key Accounts at TrustYou, delivered an insightful presentation on “Unlocking Loyalty Through Digital Guest Journeys”, exploring how data, artificial intelligence, and personalisation are reshaping the guest experience and strengthening hotel loyalty worldwide.

Speaking with humour and warmth, Namaoui began by connecting with the audience on a personal note, joking that he might be “half Maldivian” thanks to the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta’s historic ties to the islands. But the conversation quickly turned to the serious business of how hotels can better understand and engage with guests across every stage of their journey — before, during, and after their stay.

“When we talk about the Maldives, you already have one of the strongest tourism brands in the world,” Namaoui said. “The key now is how we use what we know — and what guests are saying about us — to make their experiences more personalised and relevant to different audiences.”

He described the three traditional stages of the guest journey: the pre-stay phase, where travellers research destinations and book their stay; the stay itself, encompassing operations, communication, and service recovery; and the post-stay phase, where feedback is gathered and loyalty nurtured. Yet, he stressed that this journey is becoming increasingly fragmented and complex, largely due to the disconnected systems used by hotels.

“Today, guests interact with multiple systems — one for booking, another for check-in, another for communication during their stay, and yet another for feedback,” he explained. “They receive confirmations from no-reply emails, struggle to reach someone when they have a question, and must navigate between apps or QR codes just to get simple information. This is not the seamless journey modern travellers expect.”

TrustYou, which has built its reputation over the past 15 years as a global leader in online reputation management, is now moving decisively into artificial intelligence and customer data platforms (CDP). Namaoui explained how the company’s new “Hospitality AI” suite brings together three integrated systems — the Customer Experience Platform (CXP), Customer Data Platform (CDP), and AI Agent — to create a single, intelligent communication channel between hotels and guests.

“Our AI agent ensures 24/7 interaction with no more no-reply emails,” he said. “It integrates data from your PMS, CRM, and loyalty systems so that when a guest asks, ‘Can I bring my dog?’ or ‘Can I book my transfer?’, they get an instant, accurate response from one system. The guest doesn’t need to know or worry about the technology — it just works.”

He emphasised that this unified approach to communication and data allows hotels to deliver personalised service at scale, while also streamlining internal operations. “Guests today demand speed, efficiency, and personalisation,” he noted. “Seventy-five percent want faster responses, 86 percent are willing to pay more for a better, personalised journey, and 99 percent value efficiency above all.”

Namaoui also spoke passionately about the importance of online reviews and reputation management in driving loyalty and revenue. “As hoteliers, we often don’t like reviews,” he admitted with a smile. “We do everything we can to make guests happy, and when they leave something negative, it can feel unfair. But data shows that 93 percent of all hotel reviews worldwide are positive. The problem isn’t the reviews — it’s how we use them.”

Citing TrustYou’s extensive database of over one million hotels and 1.5 million reviews processed per day, he revealed that reviews have a measurable impact on both visibility and revenue. “Ninety-five percent of travellers read reviews before they book. They are 3.9 times more likely to book a hotel with a higher rating, even if it’s more expensive. Reviews are the third most important booking criterion after location and price. Your reputation is your revenue.”

He urged hoteliers to treat every review — positive or negative — as an opportunity for engagement and marketing. “Read and respond to all reviews. Every response is a chance to promote your hotel and build trust,” he said. “Data shows that when hotels improve their online ratings even by one percent, they gain better visibility, stronger negotiation power with partners, and higher conversion rates.”

Namaoui also shared a case study from Accor Group, which implemented TrustYou’s solutions across its 5,400 hotels. “Even in the economy and super-eco segments, reputation scores increased significantly within 12 to 24 months,” he said. “That may sound small, but any hotelier knows how hard it is to move even half a point in ratings. The impact is real — better reputation, better bookings, better revenue.”

Concluding his session, Namaoui encouraged Maldivian hoteliers to embrace digital transformation not as a disruption, but as an opportunity to deepen human connection. “At the end of the day, technology should make hospitality more human,” he said. “AI and data aren’t replacing the human touch — they’re amplifying it, helping us understand guests better and respond faster. The journey of loyalty begins with trust, and trust begins with communication.”

Launched in 2016, the Hotelier Maldives GM Forum has become a cornerstone event for the country’s tourism industry. Each edition brings together general managers, resort owners, developers, and senior executives to share insights, exchange ideas, and discuss strategies for innovation and collaboration.

The 2025 Forum, held on 13 October 2025 at Kurumba Maldives, once again convened leaders from across the Maldives’ hospitality sector to discuss digital transformation, sustainability, human capital, financing, and long-term competitiveness — reaffirming its role as the premier platform for thought leadership in the industry.

Partners and sponsors of GM Forum 2025 include:

• Dhiraagu – Platinum Partner
• Bank of Maldives – Banking Partner
• Dhivehi Insurance – Gold Sponsor
• Maldives Airports Company Limited – Silver Sponsor
• Villa Hakatha – Silver Sponsor
• Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) – Silver Sponsor
• Manta Air – Aviation Partner
• Male’ Aerated Water Company – Beverage Partner
• Atmosphere Wellness – Wellness Partner
• Alia Investments – Associate Sponsor
• Uniforms Unlimited – Associate Sponsor
• Hotels and Resorts Investment Maldives (HARIM) – Associate Sponsor
• Souvenir Marine – Transport Partner
• Storm Events – Organising Partner
• Lightsout – Associate Partner
• Maldives TV – Media Partner
• Maldives Ocean Plastics Alliance (MOPA) – Sustainability Partner
• Supporting Partners – Navean Maldives, Maldives Insider and Blue n White