It’s Friday afternoon. For most of us the week is winding down. The sight of the hour hand striking five o’clock is repeatedly flashing through our mind as we try to finish the week strong. However, for most hoteliers, and your GSA’s, the busy part of the week is just beginning.
Having dabbled in the front desk myself I can attest to the fact that Friday and Saturday were always action packed and, my week, was anything but winding down. Conversely, it was about to get crazy. The key question for hoteliers in many markets is how to minimize the weekly cyclical fluctuations in demand and have a more consistent and higher occupancy, week in and week out.
Some proven strategies to drive weekly occupancy which I have come across in my career have been:
3rd Party Travel Agent Discounts
o As much as the third parties take a sizable percentage of your gross room revenue/reservation booked, room nights are perishable and need to be sold. Third party agents and engines are still a major driver of traffic to hotel properties and offering lower rates on days when your occupancy percentage is suffering can be a major driver of sales.
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Internal Promotional Initiatives
o Promotional offerings such as stay two nights - get one free, with a Sunday to Tuesday booking stipulation, may be a good way to raise your occupancy percentage and, as a result, you’re RevPar. As a hotel property you will have to decide which days require an increase in traffic and determine initiatives which offer superior value to consumers, value to which they can’t help but say yes.
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Social Media Initiatives
o As much as I loathe mentioning social media, as I believe it is somewhat overhyped in today’s marketing discussions, it can be a valuable way to reach your client base and create a minor buzz. Getting the word out to customers who know and “like” your product, can be a valuable way to add traction to various promotional activities.
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Courting Of The Corporates
o Re-allocation of your sales team to focus more on the corporate travellers, whether it is through relationship building, discounting or value added supplementary offerings, this market is one of the most desirable ways to drive your business. They usually check out early, make very little mess and offer business during the Sunday – Thursday portion of the week.
These are just some preliminary ideas which again, I have seen used during my time in hotels. It is ultimately up to you and your sales team to sit down and decide which days you need to increase occupancy and the corresponding strategies to address this need.
We wish you a great weekend and continued success.
