The context
Maria Helena runs the seven Charme em Maraú vacation homes on Algodões beach, Maraú Peninsula (Bahia, Brazil). The operation worked: full houses in high season, strong reviews, the occasional guest coming back on their own.
The problem wasn't the operation. It was what happened after check-out.
Every guest who left took the contact, the history, and the chance of returning with them. The data sat somewhere: in a spreadsheet, in the PMS, in a WhatsApp thread nobody would reopen. The next booking came from the same source as always — the OTA — paying the same commission as always, in a destination where the low season is long and every direct booking counts.
What she changed
Three things, in this order.
- 1
Put the base in one place.
The 684 guests already in her PMS came into SparkOS with stay history, booking channel, and contact details. No spreadsheet exports, no pasting lists.
- 2
Segmented the base instead of blasting the whole list.
She split guests into groups that make sense for the operation: international guests, who plan trips further ahead, and booking-value tiers, to calibrate the offer and tone of each campaign.
- 3
Picked the channel by message type.
WhatsApp for what's short and time-sensitive: a pre-check-in reminder, a return invitation, a date that opened up. Email for what needs room: the digital guest guide, a guide to the region, holiday and low-season campaigns.
The campaigns
- 9 campaigns in six months
- 1,487 messages sent (98.7% delivered)
- 89.5% read rate
- 24.8% reply rate
- 12 campaigns in six months
- 2,934 emails sent (99.1% deliverability)
- 48.6% open rate
- 9.8% click rate
- 0.37% unsubscribe rate
Flows running in her account: pre-check-in, digital guest guide, review request, 90-day return invitation, holiday campaigns, and low-season campaigns. Both channels run on the same base, in the same dashboard.
The result
From January to June 2026:
- 14 bookings came from campaigns, with R$48,760 in direct revenue
- From 18% to 31% direct bookings' share of total bookings — 72% growth
- 21 campaigns across both channels to a 684-guest base, with no one-by-one messaging
- 0.37% unsubscribe rate on email, with 48.6% opens and 9.8% clicks — the base kept listening
Maria Helena's (Charme em Maraú) results between Jan 1 and Jun 30, 2026, published with her authorization. Attribution: last click on email or WhatsApp with a booking within 30 days. Results vary with base size, market, and type of operation.
Your base already exists. Use it.
If you have guests who stayed and never came back, the job isn't finding a new audience. It's talking to the people who already know you — on the right channel, at the right time.