5 Ways To Increase Bookings During Offseason

Special offers

When you are seeing a significant decrease in the number of tourists visiting your country and your competitors are all fighting over the same pool of hotel guests, it is time to take action. After all, it is better to temporarily lower your prices or offer some services for free than not receive any bookings at all, right?.

Do you have a spa or wellness center at your hotel? Offer all-in packages around those services. Use your database to create special deals and free upgrades that are suited to the interests of your target group.

Launch an email campaign, create good CTA’s(call to action) and publish landing pages to inform your hotel guests on the deals you are running. Focus on your happy, loyal clients and their preferences, as they are more likely to return and to refer your hotel to friends and family.

Organize events

If your hotel has enough capacity, consider hosting events. Your hotel may be a great venue for a wedding, cocktail party or bridal shower. You will generate extra revenue by renting out a certain area of your hotel, such as the dining area or terrace, while at the same time you will be able to accommodate people at your hotel who are attending the event. And what about organizing an event yourself? Local events are a great way to promote your hotel. A brunch at your hotel restaurant on Mother’s Day or organizing a pre-Christmas party will help you to attract people as well as generate publicity. Don’t forget to share pictures on your social media channels and write a review afterwards as this is an extra opportunity to attract new leads to your hotel (website).

Create different buyer profiles

When it’s winter in Europe, it’s summer in Latin-America. As a consequence, European tourists travel more during the months of July and August, while Latin-Americans are more likely to plan a long vacation for January or February. Take advantage of this opportunity and create different buyer profiles, so that you can target different customers at different times of the year. Adjust your marketing strategy if possible to effectively meet the needs and preferences of your different buyer personas. Online travel agents (OTA’s) can give you access to markets that you may have limited knowledge of or experience with. Work with local OTA’s when you see potential in specific markets in order to attract clients from that region or country more easily.

Run contests on your social channels

Social media channels are great to engage with your potential and current guests.Running contests can help you increase your online visibility as well as obtain valuable information. Ask your previous or future hotel guests specific questions or encourage them to share their favorite moments and pictures on their social channels. Send them to a landing page where they have to fill out their name, email address and phone number and answer a specific question in order to participate in the contest. You can use these data to then create a segmented database. This database is of great value as it allows you to create segmented marketing campaigns and target your customers more effectively. During low season you can send out newsletters to your most loyal hotel guests. Adjust your content to their needs and preferences and include special offers or upgrades to increase your occupancy rates.

Retargeting

Our final recommendation when you are experiencing lower occupancy rates during off-season months is to implement an ad retargeting campaign. Retargeting is one of the most effective online marketing strategies to drive prospects back to your website and increase your conversion rate. With retargeting campaigns you only show your ads to people who have previously visited your hotel website. They have already shown an interest in your hotel, so there is a higher chance of converting those leads into hotel guests.