Attractive packages and deals boost hotel sales
September 10, 2008
Don’t the words “Free”, “Discount”, “Sale”, “Offer” just enthuse & excite you? Let’s say you enter a mall just to have a look around and come across a store that has a board on its door saying: 50% Discount!! Buy 2 Get 1 Free!! Even though you had no intention of making any purchases, you still may just enter the shop and end up buying a thing or two.
This is a classic sales technique that grabs everyone’s attention and hotel package deals are based on the same idea. It gives the customer a great sense of pride and satisfaction after getting what he wants at a good bargain. The way the economy is now, every traveler is very cost conscious & with so many options to choose from they expect nothing but the best. It is very essential that hoteliers take measures to attract customers to their hotel & give them better deals. Nowadays, hotels with their fancy discount prices and better deals are attracting customers who didn’t even know they existed. Those extras that you thought would go unnoticed may actually persuade a customer to stay in your hotel.
If you escalate your room rates, thinking you will make more profits, think again! You may just end up scaring guests into looking for alternative hotel accommodations. You need to think about how to maximize revenue in other ways and continue to show value for your rooms and the hotel experience. Think about what your customers want and how you can attract them to make a reservation in your hotel. Take advantage of the current travel trends to be creative with your offerings and reward guests for their patronage and loyalty. Its time you jump-start your selling efforts by being more proactive towards making better sales.
The key is to start out by determining which market segments would bring in the most revenue and how much more business can be secured from those segments. With family travel capturing a bigger share in the market, it’s important for hoteliers to offer special packages in order to cater to their requirements. You can do that by guaranteeing adjoining rooms, offer a free game for the kids with every room service order, special discounts for children, free transportation around the city, discount on sightseeing tours, tickets to events & seminars, complimentary spa treatments, discounts on gift shop items, etc. You can also offer your guests the option of up-grading their room to a deluxe or a suite at a lesser cost. Other ways to boost your sales is by offering your guests special deals on food and beverage, especially if they’re already spending a lot of money at your hotel. For example, consider offering a dining credit of Rs 500 or 1000 if your guest is spending over Rs 5000 on a room or a complementary bottle of champagne or wine. This will surely strike them as a terrific opportunity, encouraging them to make bookings in your hotel.
Also repeat customers can be very beneficial for your business and you should capture every opportunity you get to make the most out of it. You could encourage them to make a stay in your hotel during special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc by sending them an invitation & offering them to be a part of their celebration.
Another important thing you need to remember is to ‘Share your news’. Providing a special offer is one thing, but promoting it and creating awareness is a whole new ballgame all together. You can do that with the help of email marketing. Email marketing is critical in generating maximum profits from your website visitors. If you’re creating a new offer, value or package, promote it! Get your name out there and connect with guests. Use e-mails to send personal and customized offerings to loyal guests. Share links to your website and allow guests to reply to a specific email address for more information. This makes the communication more personal. Make sure the special offering is on your website so that guests can quickly find the necessary information.
Don’t be afraid to take chances. Now is the time to be creative and show flexibility in your offerings. After all, your main aim is to maximize revenue so that you see a larger amount at the bottom of your profit statement.
September 10, 2008
Don’t the words “Free”, “Discount”, “Sale”, “Offer” just enthuse & excite you? Let’s say you enter a mall just to have a look around and come across a store that has a board on its door saying: 50% Discount!! Buy 2 Get 1 Free!! Even though you had no intention of making any purchases, you still may just enter the shop and end up buying a thing or two.
This is a classic sales technique that grabs everyone’s attention and hotel package deals are based on the same idea. It gives the customer a great sense of pride and satisfaction after getting what he wants at a good bargain. The way the economy is now, every traveler is very cost conscious & with so many options to choose from they expect nothing but the best. It is very essential that hoteliers take measures to attract customers to their hotel & give them better deals. Nowadays, hotels with their fancy discount prices and better deals are attracting customers who didn’t even know they existed. Those extras that you thought would go unnoticed may actually persuade a customer to stay in your hotel.
If you escalate your room rates, thinking you will make more profits, think again! You may just end up scaring guests into looking for alternative hotel accommodations. You need to think about how to maximize revenue in other ways and continue to show value for your rooms and the hotel experience. Think about what your customers want and how you can attract them to make a reservation in your hotel. Take advantage of the current travel trends to be creative with your offerings and reward guests for their patronage and loyalty. Its time you jump-start your selling efforts by being more proactive towards making better sales.
The key is to start out by determining which market segments would bring in the most revenue and how much more business can be secured from those segments. With family travel capturing a bigger share in the market, it’s important for hoteliers to offer special packages in order to cater to their requirements. You can do that by guaranteeing adjoining rooms, offer a free game for the kids with every room service order, special discounts for children, free transportation around the city, discount on sightseeing tours, tickets to events & seminars, complimentary spa treatments, discounts on gift shop items, etc. You can also offer your guests the option of up-grading their room to a deluxe or a suite at a lesser cost. Other ways to boost your sales is by offering your guests special deals on food and beverage, especially if they’re already spending a lot of money at your hotel. For example, consider offering a dining credit of Rs 500 or 1000 if your guest is spending over Rs 5000 on a room or a complementary bottle of champagne or wine. This will surely strike them as a terrific opportunity, encouraging them to make bookings in your hotel.
Also repeat customers can be very beneficial for your business and you should capture every opportunity you get to make the most out of it. You could encourage them to make a stay in your hotel during special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc by sending them an invitation & offering them to be a part of their celebration.
Another important thing you need to remember is to ‘Share your news’. Providing a special offer is one thing, but promoting it and creating awareness is a whole new ballgame all together. You can do that with the help of email marketing. Email marketing is critical in generating maximum profits from your website visitors. If you’re creating a new offer, value or package, promote it! Get your name out there and connect with guests. Use e-mails to send personal and customized offerings to loyal guests. Share links to your website and allow guests to reply to a specific email address for more information. This makes the communication more personal. Make sure the special offering is on your website so that guests can quickly find the necessary information.
Don’t be afraid to take chances. Now is the time to be creative and show flexibility in your offerings. After all, your main aim is to maximize revenue so that you see a larger amount at the bottom of your profit statement.
INFIBEAM AVENUES LTD