With the promise of long, warm days and lazing outdoors, hotels are kicking off their summer marketing campaigns. While occupancy tends to be higher during the summer, the market is competitive as travelers put their time and effort into planning these much-awaited getaways.
NB: This is an article from WebRezPro
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Whether you’ve noticed peak occupancy slipping or simply want your property to stand out, revisit your summer marketing campaigns and try something new to make a splash (and earn loyal guests!).
Family Travel
With school out for the season, summer is the favorite time of year for family vacations. Highlight amenities at your property that families are most likely to enjoy, such as the pool, breakfast, playground, BBQs, or game rooms. In-room mini-fridges or kitchenettes are also particularly helpful for these travelers.
Budgeting matters for families, with 37 percent who say affordability is an important factor in picking their destination. However, this doesn’t mean you have to slash your rates. Instead, consider the value your accommodation and packages provide. When designing packages, team up with other local businesses such as tour operators and attractions to leverage both your strengths. Theme park or zoo passes, festival tickets, trail rides, and boat rentals can all be packaged as part of a family-friendly stay.
While these activities work well for children, family travel isn’t all about kids. Think about the movies (Shrek, Inside Out, Toy Story) you’ve watched with your kids—the good ones have jokes for the parents too. Parents are the ones choosing the trip, and they’re much more likely to choose something they enjoy. So what “adult-friendly” activities and amenities can you provide?
Even if your packages don’t include an activity, you can still let families know about local activities via your “things to do” page, blog, or digital guide.
Make sure that your property management system has strong group booking capabilities for events like family reunions, and consider software like WebRezPro that enables you to sell multiple rooms as a single “virtual” unit for larger family groups.
Summer Events and Holidays
Take advantage of the buzz generated by local summer events (like parades, sports games, and festivals) by creating packages and themed campaigns around them or simply providing information.
Does your town have any especially unique or culturally significant festivals or events? If so, be sure to mention it on your website. For instance, Ontario hosts Poutine Feast in the summer where attendees can sample poutine from various food trucks. It’s both kid-friendly and budget-friendly and unique to Canada.
Don’t have a special feast? Don’t worry. You can always create your own event or stick to the staples. Who doesn’t remember watching the Independence Day fireworks?
Food
Appealing to your customer’s appetites is a great way to celebrate summer—after all, the way to a guest’s heart is through their stomach!
Shake up your menu with new items, such as grilled meats and seafood, bright salads, fun drinks, and cool desserts. You could even throw a weekly outdoor cooking class, BBQ, or wine tasting soirée (in the garden perhaps?). As always, include options for people with dietary restrictions so that everyone can eat.
