For hotels seeking continuous growth and revenue improvement, the sales team is crucial in attracting and converting bookings across segments. While broader strategies provide direction, granular sales action plans with concrete objectives, tactics, timelines, and metrics enhance execution focus.
This blog presents 15 innovative yet practical hotel sales action plan ideas that deliver measurable results in boosting reservations when implemented methodically.
Table of Contents
Let's begin. Here are our Top 15 Hotel Sales Action Plan Ideas
1. Comprehensive Distribution Channel Audit
Analyze the effectiveness of current online and offline channels to isolate underperformers and opportunities.
- Gather retention, revenue contribution, and cost data by channel
- Interview the sales team on frustrations, bottlenecks, and wish list items per channel
- Identify channel misalignments, gaps, redundancies, and priority areas
- Set revised channel contribution goals and realign resources accordingly
2. Corporate Account Revenue Growth Program
Systematically grow share of bookings from local corporations and businesses.
- Mine CRM data to segment top corporate accounts by current room nights
- Analyze potential for expanded bookings by company size, travel volumes, and history
- Set goals for increasing share from top accounts through contracted rates, amenities, self-booking tools, etc.
- Develop account growth plans with executives at each targeted company
- Report on growth metrics and refine approaches quarterly
3. Personalized Guest Campaign
Increase loyalty and bookings through tailored promotions based on stay patterns.
- Review historical data to identify guest segments by frequency, recency, spend
- Develop targeted offers like birthday packages, anniversary upgrades, seasonal deals, early booking discounts, etc., matched to segment characteristics
- Campaign waves timed around seasons when historical stays indicate renewed potential
- Track incremental bookings and revenue from each wave to gauge segment response
4. Comprehensive Upselling Program
Boost ancillary revenue through formal training initiatives across departments.
- Quantify current sales attributable to front desk upsells, amenity upgrades, bolt-ons, etc.
- Build motivation through upsell contests and incentive structures
- Develop collateral conveying upsell terminology, jargon, techniques
- Role-play common scenarios and objections to build skills
- Set departmental ancillary sales goals and track progress through POS system data
5. Shoulder Season Demand Strategy
Attract bookings during lower occupancy periods with irresistible offers.
- Identify softest booking periods by historical occupancy data
- Partner cross-departmentally to brainstorm experience-based packages and programs leveraging existing amenities
- Limit deals during peak seasons to maintain ADR integrity
- Promote offers through on-site displays, social media, local channels, and loyalty member emails
- Monitor bookings, ancillary revenues, and consumer sentiment to replicate annual successes
6. Review Meeting and Events Sales Funnel
Uncover bottlenecks reducing conversions of strong prospect pipeline.
- Analyze group/meeting opportunity pipeline by stage from lead to booked
- Identify areas with the most significant fallout - initial contact, site visits, bids, contracted
- Interview planners lost to understand unmet needs or decision drivers
- Evaluate gaps in presentation skills, venue misalignments, constrictive policies
- Make process changes addressing the most significant bottlenecks
7. Local Partnership Development Initiative
Cultivate referral relationships with vendors, businesses, venues, and influencers.
- Identify key targets like vendors, venues, local influencers, referral sources
- Develop collaterals and talking points conveying partnership benefits
- Orchestrate familiarization tours and on-site meetings to sell the experience
- Formalize referral programs, including incentives, tracking, and rewards
- Report on new business driven through key local partners quarterly
8. Targeted Leisure Travel Campaigns
Attract high-potential visitor segments through specialized promotions and packages.
- Review historical data, local listings, and marketing responses to identify top leisure origins and niche segments
- Craft packages, amenities, and offers tailored to segment interests like family travel, outdoors enthusiasts, art lovers, etc.
- Promote through targeted digital campaigns, social media, influencers, and specialized channels
- Track campaign-specific reservations and refine ongoing outreach
9. Customer Booking Journey Analysis
Uncover sales process frustrations leading visitors to abandon booking.
- Review website analytics on pages visited, exit points, bounce rates, flows
- Survey visitors who left without booking on call centre touchpoints
- Call mystery shoppers and document experience through the booking process
- Identify pain points in research, rates, amenity discovery, and registration
- Improve staff training and online experience to capitalize on abandoned bookings
10. Sales Training Refresh
Update skills, tools, and processes to optimize sales team performance.
- Assess each representative's strengths, knowledge gaps, and development opportunities
- Build personalized training plans: coaching, shadowing, e-learning, conference workshops
- Facilitate knowledge-sharing exchanges for staff to present learnings to the team
- Update collateral templates, presentations, prospecting tools, and sales systems
- Document improved productivity, conversion rates, deal sizes, and customer feedback
11. Loyalty Program Revitalization
Rejuvenate loyalty offerings to increase member engagement.
- Survey members on new benefits or updates of interest
- Develop milestones, personalized surprises, or incentives driving incremental nights
- Integrate cross-channel data for holistic member behavioural insights
- Refresh program terms, elite tiers, and benefits based on preferences and competitive analysis
- Monitor member enrollments, activity, redemptions, and ancillary revenue to gauge the impact
12. PR Strategy for Brand Visibility
Proactively pursue earned media opportunities and strategic partnerships.
- Identify target publications, journalists, influencers, and networks
- Develop story pitches conveying brand differentiation, leadership, and industry advances
- Seek relevant awards and speaking opportunities conveying expertise
- Negotiate strategic partnerships for co-marketing campaigns, referrals, and content
- Track media impressions and engagement generated
13. Customer Sentiment Monitoring Program
Use feedback to address service deficiencies and promote wins.
- Track brand mentions and sentiment across review sites, social media, and surveys
- Assign management of reputation platforms for monitoring and response
- Empower staff to address complaints immediately on property
- Highlight standout employees and experiences through internal and external channels
- Continuously improve based on themes identified in customer feedback
14. Sales Technology Optimization
Maximize utilization of CRM, marketing automation, and other sales systems.
- Audit current platform capabilities versus usage
- Interview team on desired features or integrations
- Provide expanded training on leveraging tools
- Develop help resources, videos, guides on advanced functionality
- Assess platform performance through utilization data, user feedback
15. Post-Stay Survey Program
Solicit feedback from departed guests to improve sales effectiveness.
- Develop quick surveys inquiring on booking experience, amenity discovery, pain points
- Incentivize participation through discounts on future bookings
- Gather and incorporate insights into collateral, talking points, and agent training
- Identify critical factors driving bookings lost to competitors
- Continually refine sales approach based on survey findings
Good Hotel Sales Action Plan Ideas are the key to sales success. Let Emersion Wellness collaborate on building results-driven sales plans tailored to your property's unique needs and objectives.
See Also: How to Increase Beverage Sales in Hotels?
I'm Nathan Baws, a nutrition nerd, exercise and weight loss expert, and an unwavering advocate for good health. As the founder of Emersion Wellness, I'm passionate about crafting Seamless Weight Loss Programs to supercharge hotel revenue and transform lives. We've pioneered the World's First Plug & Play Weight Loss Programs for top hotels and resorts, sparking a wellness revolution. Beyond my professional journey, you'll often find me hiking, swimming, and riding the waves, embracing every moment in nature. Join me on this exhilarating journey towards diet, health and wellness.