Every hotelier, regardless of the size of the hotel, has faced challenges during the off-season. If you’ve been in the hotel business long enough, you should know by now your low and peak seasons so you can prepare for them well in advance.
With careful marketing planning and strategic ideas, you can prevent your business from experiencing loss in revenues during off-season months. Below are some ideas that I would like to share.
Know your Guests
This is the sure short way to start. Pull out your existing database of guests and look for those who frequently visit your hotel who can be valuable to your business during the off-season months. Also, look for guests who stay more often in your property compared to other hotels. If you find any, then contact them through mails or social media, and offer them deals during the off-season months. Make sure your deals are for a limited period and ask the guests to avail them or refer someone who would benefit out of the deals. Remember that your repeat customers are the best source of additional sales at any given time in your business. (Also Read: Will Your Guests Visit your Hotel Again?)
Recreate the High Season Feel
Find out what makes your hotel tick during the high season and use it to your advantage. For example, if your hotel enjoys a high season every year because of the monsoon, why not recreate the monsoon feel during the off-season? Offer rain dance in your package and create a monsoon theme to make it appealing. Or, if yours is a beach property that does not attract a crowd during monsoon, then offer happy hours and pool parties during that season. Market these packages in an exclusive manner which will make travelers feel privileged to be a part of it. Also, tempt them by talking about the various other opportunities like low air fares, less crowd, other offers running in city etc. during the off-season months.
Offer Exciting Packages / Retreats
Customers love to explore a destination during off-season months as it is less crowded and cheaper compared to the peak season. Come up with special 2-3 days packages depending upon your location like safari, sight-seeing, dance parties, extended happy hours, indoor pools etc. that could attract your guests. You can also merge with institutes that offer adventurous or spiritual retreats that will get you a lot of bookings during the off-season months. (Also Read: Caring for your Hotel Guests’ Well-Being)
Rewards Program
Rewards program is a great way to encourage repeat business. So reward your regular customers with a gift when they reach a certain level of loyalty. Make sure your reward program is date specific so that you can attain as many entries as possible during the off-season months.
Hold Events / Seminars
If you are a hotel that can hold seminars and events, then tie-up with companies that would like to hold them in your hotel. This way you can do something different and also attract a lot of corporate clients during the off-season months. (Also Read: Raise a Toast to Your Hotel Guests for Brunch)
Offer a unique environment and special packages which will differentiate you from your competitors. The bottom-line is to have the right marketing strategy whether it’s in season or off-season. Consider investing in property management software that will help you analyze your day-to-day operations and identify key areas that can give you maximum results during the off-season months.
