Depending on the type of establishment you’re running, its clientele and historical performance, your quiet season might be different to that of the hotel down the road.
When occupancy begins to dip, hoteliers will often scramble to create last-minute offers and cut-priced stays. Unfortunately, this can result in unprofitable bookings at best and an even emptier hotel at worst.
However, if you do some homework a little earlier in preparation for your quiet patches, you’ll stand a far better chance of welcoming more guests through the door.
Here are a few simple strategies you can undertake in boosting occupancy to ensure your quiet period is anything but.
Start using that mailing list!
You may have been capturing guest email addresses for a while now, but have you actually done anything with them? If not, you have a goldmine of data just waiting to be tapped into and made use of during slump season.
For instance, people who stayed with you over a year ago or those who regularly return are prime candidates for helping you raise occupancy.
A simple “hey, we still exist!” email might be all that’s required, but if you’ve had some work done recently or have just launched a new dinner menu, use that database to tell everyone about it.
Just make sure the call-to-action is the direct booking link on your website. Having the right central reservation system will certainly save you a lot of time there.
Try scheduling a one-day event
Inventive hoteliers are beginning to think of all kinds of wondrous ways to get people through their doors, and they don’t always involve a bed for the night.
A networking event, cookery masterclass or speed dating evening are some examples of one-day events that might in turn boost your occupancy.
People who attend may not stay that evening, but if you act the perfect host, they’ll certainly remember the venue and may well take you up on your offer to book a room when they receive your marketing material later on.
Encourage longer stays
If your booking diary looks relatively healthy during what is typically a slow time of the year, take a closer look.
It might be that you simply have lots of one-night stays. So, with those bookers already confirmed, why not try and squeeze a bit more out of them by encouraging a longer stay?
By offering a discounted second night, you may just tempt one or two guests to extend their stays and increase your occupancy stats (not to mention your revenue, too!).
Get friendly with local contractors
Try and keep your nose to the ground when it comes to local building work. If you can get friendly with contractors, you may be able to guarantee some profitable bookings come slump season.
Building firms often employ contractors to undertake their work, and that can mean people traveling from far and wide. And guess what? They may need a hotel bed for the night, too!
This can result in medium to long-term bookers that can be relied on when things go quiet with your leisure bookings.
Advertising mid-week breaks
Who says people have to enjoy your hotel during the weekend if they need to get away from it all?
A mid-week break could be the perfect tonic for your guests, therefore you should start advertising on social media and to the aforementioned mailing list about the presence of midweek deals.
Even better, why not try running a competition for a midweek break? You’ll be giving something away, sure, but the mere presence of such an offer on your social media will illustrate that you’re worth following.
Wrapping up
Don’t be afraid of your quiet period – whenever it happens to strike for your hotel.
Use or tips above to ensure your property stands the best chance of raising occupancy at those times and welcoming lots of fresh, new guests.
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CMS Hospitality holds over 30 years of experience in delivering hospitality software solutions. CMS offers the most complete solution in hospitality software, whether you’re running a hotel, a resort or a hostel. Our highly experienced support and installations team holds a unique understanding of the hospitality industry and will aim to provide software that suits your property’s needs.
Call us today at (+61) 2 9440 9711, or email us at sales@cmshospitality.com. We will be happy to guide you to the CMS Hospitality solution that’s right for you.