Distribution plans needs diversified strategies to cater to seasonal changes. A well thought out action plan helps maintain healthy levels of demand all year long.
NB: This is an article from Staah
Seasonal changes affect occupancy rates. Slow season can sometimes trigger a price war and busy seasons can end up being stressful. Here are a few tips on how you can make the most of your seasonal distribution plans:
1) Be Proactive and Analyse your Markets.
An in-depth analysis of your source markets will reveal where your guests come from for each season. For example, Europeans would like to getaway in winters to warmer places like Southeast Asia or Latin America. So, identify the trend and do targeted offers to capture their bookings, well in advance.
2) Understand Your Channels Performance
Review the performance of all your online channels in detail. A close look at the monthly reservations data from each channel can help identify the pattern for all seasons. Accordingly, you can strategise on ways to optimize the seasonal performance of these channels.
3) Entice Travelers for an Increased Stay
Lure the travelers for an increased stay at your property by offering discounts for longer stays or offering value add packages. This is particularly helpful for targeting leisure travelers as they tend to stay longer than the business travelers. Such offers can be rolled out during weekends and holiday periods where demand from business customers are generally low.
4) Partnerships
Drive business through local and global partnerships as they do help increase your presence in the market thereby driving more traffic. During low season especially this strategy works great, as your rooms and services can be clubbed as a package along with the partners offering.
5) Understand User Booking Journey
Travelers usually compare the deals and rates on multiple OTAs before confirming their booking. Analyse these booking window sessions per season, to know what channels are performing best in terms of gaining reservations. With this data you can create a clever strategy to get more bookings.
6) Competitor Intelligence
Set competitive rates based on your competitors to attract more customers. STAAH’s intelligence tools, WatchMyRate and RateStalk help you price your rooms against your competition and get more bookings. Also, keep an eye out for the distribution partners your competitors work with along with understanding their rates and offers.
7) Content Makeover
Visual content with happy and appealing images often results in more clicks. Use of sunshine and cocktails images for summer promotions or snow and skiing images for winter vacations on your metasearch profile, social media accounts and official website will result in added traffic.
8) Inspire Loyalty
It’s not uncommon for families to return to the same hotel year after year. Attracting families to your hotel repeatedly is an excellent way to build a loyal customer base. Friendly staff topped with passionate service makes a huge difference in guest experience and ensures repeat visit. Use this loyalty in translating to more direct bookings by offering exclusive seasonal offers.
