Understand and manage guest preferences
Guest preferences allow your property or brand to:
Capture structured preference data directly on guest profiles.
Offer guests a personalised experience by recording and acting on their stated preferences.
Make preference information available to hotel staff during stay planning and front-of-house operations.
Sync preference data with connected external systems such as a PMS or CRS.
Guest preferences are configured by your CRM administrator. Each preference is a labelled category such as favorite pillow or room amenities with a defined set of selectable options. Guests can update their own preferences through the guest portal, and staff can view and update preferences through the admin guest profile.
How guest preferences work
Each guest preference is made up of two parts:
A preference category (the preference name and its display type) and one or more request selections (the individual options a guest can choose from).
Four display types are available depending on how you want guests to interact with the preference:
Check box: A single checkbox the guest can tick or leave blank. Suitable for simple yes or no preferences such as I prefer a non-smoking room.
Drop down single selection list: A dropdown menu where the guest selects one option. Suitable for mutually exclusive choices such as floor preference.
Check boxes for multiple select: A group of checkboxes allowing the guest to select one or more options. Suitable for preferences with multiple valid answers, such as room amenities or beverage choices.
Radio buttons for single select: A radio button group where the guest selects one option. Similar to a dropdown but displayed as a visible list.
For drop down single selection list, check boxes for multiple select, and radio buttons for single select display types, you must add at least one request selection when creating the preference. Each selection requires a name and a short code maximum of six characters.
Multi-language support
Each guest preference supports multiple language translations. Using the multi language button on the guest preferences list, you can provide translated names for both the preference category and its individual request selections. This ensures guests see preference labels in their preferred language when accessing the guest portal.
Where guest preference data is used
Guest preference selections are stored in the GuestRequestValue table and are accessible in the following places:
Guest portal: Guests can view and update their own preferences at any time after logging in.
Admin guest profile: Staff can view and update guest preferences on the Preferences tab within the guest detail view.
REST API: Preference data is returned via the guest profile API endpoint, exposing both PreferenceCodes which are a list of selected codes and ProfilePreferences, a full preference detail objects.
External Interface or PMS notifications: If a WindSurfer-compatible external interface is configured, the CRM.ExternalEventPublisher service detects UpdateGuestPreferences events and sends a notification to the connected system. The preference update is transmitted as a formatted string: Preferences: [comma-separated codes], appended to the relevant reservation record.
Key characteristics of guest preferences
Outlined below are key characteristics of guest preferences.
Guest preferences are client-specific and can be configured differently for each property or chain.
Inactive preferences are not displayed to guests in the guest portal but remain in the database for historical records.
All preference changes, whether made by a guest or by staff are logged as a ProfileUpdateEvent with operation type UpdateGuestPreferences.
When a guest updates preferences, the system replaces all existing preference records for that guest and inserts the new selections. There is no partial update.
Preference names and codes within a preference category must be unique.
Selection codes have a maximum length of six characters.
Before you start to configure guest preferences
Outlined below are important factors to know before you configure guest preferences.
You must have admin access to the CRM to create or edit guest preferences.
Determine the display type before creating a preference. It cannot easily be changed without affecting existing guest data.
For display types that require request selections such as drop down list, check boxes or radio buttons, plan your selection names and codes in advance. Codes must be unique within the preference and cannot exceed six characters.
If your CRM is configured for multiple languages, plan translated labels for each preference category and its selections.
Create a guest preference
Follow the steps below to create a new guest preference category.
From the left navigation menu, click Profile Management.
Click Guest Preferences
Click + Add New Guest Preference.
Complete the following fields:
Guest preference name this is required: Enter the display name for the preference category for example, favorite beverage or floor preference.
UI display type this is required: Select one of the following options:
Check box – Single yes or no checkbox. No request selections required.
Drop down list for single selection: Single-select dropdown. Request selections required.
Check boxes for multiple selection: Multi-select checkboxes. Request selections required.
Radio buttons for single selection: Single-select radio list. Request selections required.
Code: Enter a short internal code for the preference category.
Sorting: Enter a numeric value to control the order in which this preference appears.
Active: Check to make this preference visible and active. Uncheck to disable it.
If your selected UI display type requires request selections, click + Add Request Selections to add options. For each selection, complete the following:
Selection name: Enter the display name for the option for example, Water or King Bed.
Code: Enter a short code for the option with a maximum of six characters, must be unique within this preference.
Active: Check to make this selection available to guests.
Click Save and Close.
📌Note: Selection names and codes must be unique within a preference category. If duplicates are detected, the system will display a validation error and the preference will not be saved.
Edit an existing guest preference
Follow the steps below to edit an existing guest preference.
From the left navigation menu, click Profile Management.
Click Guest Preferences.
Click the name of the preference you want to edit.
Update the relevant fields as needed.
To add a new selection option, click + Add Request Selections and complete the selection name, code, and active fields.
Click Save and Close.
📌Note: Deactivating a selection that guests have already saved to their profiles does not remove existing guest preference data. The historical records are retained in the database.
Add or update language translations for a guest preference
Follow the steps below to add translated labels for a guest preference.
From the left navigation menu, click Profile Management.
Click Guest Preferences.
On the Guest Preferences list, locate the preference you want to translate.
Click Multi Language in the Action column.
In the Multi Language dialog, select the target language from the System Languages dropdown.
Update the Guest Preference Name field with the translated label.
If the preference has request selections, update each selection name in the request selections fields with the translated label.
Click Save and Close.
📌Note: Translations must be saved individually for each language. Repeat this process for each language configured in your CRM.
View and update a guest's preferences
Follow the steps below to view or update the preference selections on a guest profile.
From the left navigation menu, click Profile Management.
Click Guest.
Search for and open the guest profile you want to update.
Click the Preferences tab.
Update the guest's selections as required.
Click Save.
📌Note: All changes made by staff are logged as a ProfileUpdateEvent with the staff member's username recorded. If an external interface is configured, preference updates trigger a notification to the connected PMS or CRS.
Frequently asked questions
Outlined below are a list of frequently asked questions.
Can guests update their own preferences?
Yes. Guests can view and update their preferences at any time by logging in to the guest portal and navigating to the preferences section of their profile.
What happens when a guest updates their preferences?
The system removes all existing preference records for the guest and inserts the updated selections. This applies whether the update is made by the guest in the guest portal or by staff in the admin portal.
Can a guest preference have no request selections?
Yes, but only for the check box display type. A checkbox preference does not require selectable options, it functions as a simple yes or no indicator. All other display types drop down list, check boxes and radio buttons require at least one active request selection.
What does deactivating a guest preference do?
Deactivating a preference hides it from the guest portal and from staff preference views going forward. It does not delete existing guest preference data from the database. Historical records in the GuestRequestValue table are preserved.
Can preference data be sent to a connected PMS or CRS?
Yes, if a WindSurfer-compatible external interface is configured for your client. When preference changes are detected by the CRM. ExternalEventPublisher service, a notification is sent to the configured endpoint containing the guest's updated preference codes in the format preferences: [comma-separated codes].
Are guest preferences available in segment filters?
Yes. The guest preference filter is available in the segment builder under the preference field category. This allows you to build segments targeting guests who have selected specific preferences, which can then be used to drive targeted campaigns or reward issuance.
Can I use translated preference names in email templates?
Preference names appear in the guest's preferred language in the guest portal when translations are configured. For email templates, the {resv_preferences} personalization tag can be used in reservation transactional emails to display the guest's preference selections.