As summer holidays unfold across India, hotels and resorts are at the cusp of one of the year's busiest seasons. With April and May heralding the onset of school holidays and a general inclination towards leisure and travel, the hospitality sector stands poised to welcome a surge of guests seeking refuge from the routine. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to boost holiday bookings at your hotel.
What are Holiday Bookings?
Holiday bookings refer to individual, family, or group reservations during vacation periods. Given the high demand for travel and hotel accommodation during these peak times, you must plan ahead to attract more guests, sell more rooms, and boost revenue.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Increase Bookings During Offseason
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Here are a few tricks to make more out of this upcoming holiday season
Offer Early Bird Discounts on Advanced Bookings
Encourage early reservations by offering attractive deals for those who book in advance. For visitors choosing your accommodation during peak holiday times, consider rewarding them with a special discount for future stays or provide an enticing incentive, such as a complimentary service or an exclusive offer, if they commit immediately. This approach delights your guests and benefits your hotel, creating a mutually advantageous situation.
Leverage the Power of your Website and Booking engine
Integrating a booking engine will ensure a seamless booking experience for your guests. Use attractive images and descriptions of your rooms and other amenities. Offer competitive rates and discounts, promote your packages, and showcase the items you plan to upsell and cross-sell for different guest profiles. Mobile-optimise your website to enable guests to book using their smartphones. Try immersive virtual tours to transform lookers into bookers. Remember to place positive guest reviews strategically. And, of course, integrate a payment gateway and assure your guests about the safety of their card details. This is a crucial step for you to get more direct bookings.
Make the Best use of Social Media
Start by showcasing your unique offerings through captivating visuals and engaging stories, highlighting what sets you apart. To increase visibility, leverage hashtags related to the holiday season or destination. Collaborate with influencers and satisfied customers to share their experiences, offering a genuine perspective to potential bookers. Run targeted ads focusing on your ideal demographic. Engage directly with your audience by promptly responding to comments and messages, building a community around your brand.
Curate and Offer Irresistible Holiday Packages
Customize your offerings to cater to diverse guest profiles. Family-friendly packages, romantic getaways, or wellness retreats can attract different demographics. Incorporate local experiences, such as guided tours, culinary classes, or cultural events, to offer a taste of the local flavour. However, remember to promote those packages via your website, social media pages, emails, etc.
Work with OTAs to Sell More
Maximise your hotel bookings this summer holidays through Online Travel Agencies(OTAs) by leveraging their vast reach and powerful marketing tools. Start by optimising your listings with high-quality photos and detailed descriptions highlighting your property's unique features and summer amenities. Connect with all relevant OTAs via a powerful Channel Manager to maintain rate and inventory parity across them and boost your presence on those platforms. This not only gets you more bookings but also helps you eliminate overbookings and guest dissatisfaction.
Sell at Competitive Rates
In the fiercely competitive hospitality industry, especially during the peak seasons like the summer holidays, success hinges on selling at competitive rates. This is where the power of a rate shopper tool becomes invaluable for hotels. It lets you track and analyse competitors' pricing strategies in real-time and adjust your rates dynamically. This ensures you remain attractive to potential guests without sacrificing profitability. Leveraging such insights allows for strategic pricing decisions, helping you to sell more, increase hotel occupancy, and maximise revenue.
As summer holidays encourage travellers to explore the diverse and rich tapestry of India, your hotel has the opportunity to transform their holiday experience into memories that last a lifetime. By adopting a strategic, multifaceted approach with the right set of technology solutions, as mentioned above, you can not only boost holiday bookings at your hotels but also build a foundation of loyalty and appreciation that endures well beyond the summer months.
Talking about leveraging technology to boost holiday bookings at your hotel, you can rely on AxisRooms Channel Manager to sell more through multiple online travel agencies (OTAs). We also offer a smart Booking Engine that can turn your hotel website into a potential source to generate incremental direct bookings. Additionally, our Rate Shopper solution allows you to keep track of competitors' rates so that you can tweak your rates accordingly to grab your share of holiday bookings.
Want to get ready to sell more this upcoming holiday season with Axisrooms?