9 Ways to Attract Guests During the Winter Months
Looking to attract guests? Marketing your hotel is key to helping you get more bookings and increase your revenue. The messages you put out into the digital arena are what compel customers to book with your hotel.
Attracting guests to your hotel all year long is key. Yet, some hotel owners wonder what to do in the off season. In this article, we look at nine ways to attract guests during the winter months.
#1: Leverage Winter Packages
Consider offering winter packages that entice people to book with your property. For example, put together a package that includes lodging as well as certificates for restaurants in town or for your own in-house food services. You can also include tickets to area attractions.
If you offer amenities at your property such as spa services, package those with your lodging and food as well.
#2: Promote Loyalty Programs
This is a terrific approach to increasing repeat guests and getting lodgers into your hotel during the winter months.
Loyalty programs will help you increase your occupancy during the cold season while also creating a better relationship with your customers.
In addition, using loyalty software, you can reach out to past customers offering them special deals during the winter. For example, offer them double rewards points if they stay with you during the winter.
Get creative with your loyalty program and design a strategy that will reward lodgers while increasing your revenue.
#3: Organize Safe, Fun Events
With many people locked into their homes and hometowns for months now during the pandemic, they are craving an outlet.
You can give them that outlet by offering them everything they need right at your hotel. This will make them feel more comfortable about traveling.
Design fun and exciting events at your hotel during the winter months. Package this with food and lodging and market it as a safe vacation.
When creating an event, utilize social media for some ideas. Ask your current followers what they’d like to do. Then use these ideas to come up with your event and package.
#4: Use Progressive Pricing
If the winter months are your off season, use seasonal pricing at your hotel to attract guests. Using progressive pricing, you have premium pricing rates during high season and lower rates during the winter.
Basically, your room rates go up and down depending on how your seasons work.
To implement progressive pricing, map out your seasons. Then, you can break your pricing down by the season, the month, the week, or even by days.
This can help you get new customers into your hotel, especially those who can’t afford to stay during the high season. In addition, it will attract loyal customers back.
#5: Reach Out to Business Travelers
Business people are hotel guests, too. And the travel all year long.
Even though your high season travel may be over, business folks travel to your town all the time.
Reach out to them through your marketing. Visit with some of the big companies in town by meeting with their human resources staff. Offer them special deals during the winter months.
They’ll appreciate the discount for any travelers they are bringing in to meet with them.
Be sure that your hotel is also equipped to handle business travelers. This means free Wi-Fi, printing capabilities, and grab-and-go food options.
#6: Market to the Local Community
There are people in your own hometown who would love a break from their everyday life, but they don’t want to leave the city.
Market to local guests. Use social media as well as local influencers to reach this population.
Offer special deals to local lodgers. They’ll love getting out of their own homes to be pampered at your hotel. They won’t have to clean or cook because you’ll take care of that for them. If you have a gym facility or spa amenities, that’s even better.
If you are a family-style property with an indoor pool, be sure and reach out to locals with kids, too. There’s no bigger draw than a swimming pool in the winter.
#7: Partner with Local Businesses
Another way to attract guests during the winter months is to partner with businesses in your community. It is a win-win for you both when you promote them, and they promote you. (tweet this)
This can be especially helpful when attracting guests during the winter.
In addition, reach out to local businesses and offer them 24-hour passes to your gym, pool, or recreation room. You can also offer discounts for your hotel’s restaurant and bar.
Then, when they are visiting, you can entice them to stay with you with some special winter package pricing.
#8: Offer Discounts
Book two nights, get the second night free is a great offer for to attract potential wintertime guests.
Consider offering weekend type discounts like this to entice customers. Put the information on your website, in your email marketing, and on all your social media platforms.
Encourage guests to add extra days to their stay with special discounts. Really leverage the power of social media to do this for you. Create a unique campaign to grab users’ attention.
#9: Use Email Marketing
You have the email addresses for your past guests. Use your email marketing platform to attract past guests back to your hotel during the off season.
Provide them with details on your special offers and packages. You can even offer them a really special deal as a loyal customer.
Don’t forget to highlight all your amenities and the reasons why your hotel is a great place to be during the winter months.
Final Thoughts
With these ideas for attracting guests during the winter months, you’re well on the way to increasing your revenue.
It is worth mentioning, though, that all year long you want to focus on the overall customer experience to attract guests.
The customer experience begins on your website, includes every interaction your lodgers have with you off the property and on, and concludes with the customer service they receive during their stay.
Word of mouth marketing is free for you. How do you get it? You have incredibly happy customers who will spread the word that your hotel is the best place to stay in town.
Deliver excellent customer service every time, meet your guests needs at all times, and offer unique features and packages for the best overall customer experience.
We are your hotel’s digital advertising specialists. Whether it’s a new website, search engine marketing, social media marketing or website design, we are here to help. Contact us today to start a conversation about your hotel’s digital advertising needs.
Images: Roan Lavery and Devon Owens on Unsplash
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