A loyalty club, not a discount war: how guests become regulars

Many leisure venues are built on first visits. A group plays an escape room, has a great evening and never comes back – not because they didn't enjoy it, but because nothing reminded them. Meanwhile, the easiest guest to win is the one who already knows the way to your door, liked your team and trusts your rooms.

The usual answer is a discount: 20% off the next visit, two-for-one on Tuesdays, a code in the newsletter. It works, briefly. Then guests learn that your real price is the discounted one, and you're stuck in a discount war with yourself. A loyalty club is the calmer alternative.

Why perks beat discounts

A discount is a price cut you give to everyone who happens to see it, including people who would have booked anyway. A perk is a small thank-you that only regulars get. The difference shows up in three places:

• Your prices stay intact. A free drink after the game doesn't change what a slot costs. A permanent 20% off does.
• The cost is lower than it looks. Example: a soft drink that sells for €3.50 at your bar costs you a fraction of that. A 20% discount on a €120 group booking is €24 off your revenue.
• It feels personal. “Here's your drink, thanks for coming back” is a moment of recognition. A promo code is a transaction.

Count visits, not euros

The simplest loyalty mechanic is the oldest one: a stamp per visit. It's easy to explain at the desk, easy for guests to understand and fair across different group sizes. A few rules that keep it simple:

• One stamp per visit, not per euro. Guests don't want to do maths at the till.
• Make the first reward reachable. If the first perk only comes after the tenth visit, most guests will never see it.
• Show progress. A guest who knows they're one visit away from a perk has a reason to book the next game.

Choose perks that cost little and mean a lot

The best perks are things that are cheap for you and feel special to the guest. Some ideas that suit leisure venues:

• A free drink or snack after the game. Cheap, immediate and easy to hand over at the till.
• Early access to a new room, a new game or a new season. Regulars love being first, and you get feedback before the launch.
• A birthday perk, such as a free drink for the birthday guest or a small upgrade for their group. Birthdays often turn into bookings anyway.
• A small upgrade instead of a price cut: an extra round, a better time slot, a photo for the group.

Whatever you choose, make sure the team can redeem it without a discussion. A perk that causes confusion at the till does more harm than good.

Let guests join at check-in

The hardest part of any loyalty club is getting people to sign up. The trick is to ask at the right moment, when the guest is already handing over their details. That moment is check-in: the guest has just filled in the digital waiver with their name and email, so joining the club is one more tick, not another form.

Keep the pitch short. “Want to join our club? You'll get a free drink on your next visit” is enough. No paperwork, no app to download, no long terms and conditions. And make clear the club is free – it's a thank-you, not a paid membership.

Make the club visible on site

Loyalty works best when people can see it. For escape rooms, a leaderboard is a natural fit: escape times on a screen in the lobby turn a one-off game into a challenge. Groups want to beat their own time, beat their friends, or see their team name on the club TV. That's a reason to come back that no discount can match.

Keep it friendly: show the best times per room, refresh the board regularly, and let groups choose the name they appear under.

Get the team on board

A loyalty club lives or dies at the front desk. If the team forgets to mention it, nobody joins. If they mention it like a sales pitch, guests say no. A few habits help:

• One sentence, every time. Agree on a short line everyone uses at check-in, so it becomes routine rather than a decision.
• Recognise members. When a regular checks in, a simple “Welcome back” and a hint at their next perk matter more than any email.
• Make redeeming boring. The team should see at the till which perk a guest has and redeem it in one step, without asking a manager.
• Share what works. If one colleague signs up far more guests than others, ask how they phrase it and pass it on.

Keep the rules of the club short enough that every team member can explain them in two sentences. If they can't, the club is too complicated.

Bring back the guests who drifted away

Not every member will come back on their own. This is where a targeted code is useful – not as a blanket discount, but as a personal invitation. Example: a member who hasn't visited in a few months gets a short email with a promo code for their next booking, ideally tied to something new, like a room they haven't played yet.

• Send it automatically, so nobody has to remember to do it.
• Make the code personal and time-limited, so it doesn't end up on a voucher website.
• Keep the tone warm: “We've missed you” works better than “Last chance”.

Then look at the results. How many members came back, which perks are actually redeemed, which ones nobody uses? Drop the perks nobody cares about and double down on the ones that work.

In Leisbase, the loyalty club is part of the platform. Guests can join right after signing the waiver at check-in, get their club card as an Apple or Google Wallet pass and redeem perks at the till and online. Escape rooms can show leaderboards on the club TV, and promo codes and automations bring members back without anyone having to send emails by hand.