A bustling lobby and fully booked rooms are what every hotelier wants to see. But often, the reality falls far shorter, even for properties in prime locations or strong source markets. The culprits are multifaceted - declining business travel, short booking windows, OTAs diverting reservations, and the growing sharing economy enabling non-hotel stays.
To thrive in this environment takes proactive and multi-channel sales strategies that spark interest, build loyalty, and convert lookers into Increase Room Sales. The good news is that hotels can significantly expand room sales regardless of season or market conditions by taking the right approach to promotion, distribution, and customer experience.
This guide will explore 11 room sales strategies yielding tangible results for today's hotels. You can drive direct reservations and higher occupancies by combining online booking optimisation, value-added packages, strategic partnerships, guest personalisation, and more. Let's check in!
Table of Contents
Key Takeaway
- Offer discounted advance purchase rates
- Bundle value-added packages
- Promote suites for special occasions
- Create irresistible weekday deals
- Forge partnerships with events/venues
- Spotlight your unique amenities
- Optimise online booking experience
- Strategically upsell room upgrades
- Focus on customer loyalty programs
- Overdeliver on guest services
- Stay on top of revenue management
Ways to Increase Room Sales
1. Offer Discounted Advance Purchase Rates
Early planners love snagging a deal—offer escalating discounts for booking further out - 7 days, 14 days, 30 days. Require prepayment to prevent cancellations. Highlight savings and lock-in language.
2. Bundle Rooms with Value-Added Extras
Sweeten the deal by packaging discounted rooms with add-ons like spa credits, breakfast, WiFi, parking, and attraction tickets. Perceived extra value often persuades buyers.
3. Promote Suites for Special Occasions to increase room sales
Target anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays with promotions for suites, champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and late check-out. Position your rooms as ideal celebration spaces.
4. Create Tempting Deals for Weekday Stays
Weekdays are key occupancy battlegrounds for hotels. Deploy offers like Stay 2 Nights, Get the 3rd Free Midweek or discounted Sunday-Thursday rates to fill rooms.
5. Partner with Local Events and Venues
Offer discounted rooms for attendees of concerts, festivals, conferences, sporting events, and local attractions. Cross-promote on websites and co-market overnight packages.
6. Spotlight Your Unique Hotel Amenities and Experiences
Promote special features like oceanfront views, rooftop bars, acclaimed on-site dining, and local excursions as reasons to book. Share immersive visuals on your website and social media.
7. Make Online Booking Fast and Seamless
Optimise site architecture, user experience, and booking engine performance. Allow easy date and room selection, customised packages, and mobile responsiveness. Offer live chat help.
8. Strategically Upsell Room Upgrades
Encourage upgrades to suites, premium views, and club levels during booking with compelling descriptions and amenities. Use suggestive selling language to spur splurges.
9. Focus on Customer Loyalty Programs to increase room sales
Offer discounted member rates, bonus points, complimentary amenities, room upgrades, and special perks to prompt direct bookings from repeat guests over OTA use.
10. Overdeliver on Guest Services
Empower staff to resolve issues, grant exceptions, surprise with upgrades, and delight at every touchpoint. Word travels fast when you exceed expectations.
11. Stay on Top of Hotel Revenue Management
Constantly monitor forecasts and competitive pricing to identify occupancy gaps you can fill through promotions, rate adjustments and strategic overbooking.
Increase Room Sales: Optimising Sales Strategies by Segment
Now, let's explore sales tactics tailored to key customer groups:
Leisure Travelers
- Spotlight local attractions
- Bundle tickets to events/activities
- Promote family-friendly amenities
- Offer discounted weekend getaways
- Incentivise direct bookings - Focus on holidays & celebrations
Business Travelers
- Provide seamless mobile booking
- Enable fast self-service changes
- Offer discounted corporate rates
- Promote productivity amenities
- Highlight earning loyalty rewards
- Personalize VIP perks
Groups & Meetings
- Proactively contact planners
- Offer online RFP submission
- Provide one-stop event services
- Highlight flexible meeting space
- Discount blocks and bundles
- Incentivise repeat bookings
Digital Optimisation to Increase Room Sales
Employ these online strategies to boost conversions:
Intuitive Booking Engine
Simplify room selection, data entry, package building, and booking on your site. Allow real-time rate checks. Integrate with PMS and reservation systems.
Promotions Across Social Media
Run lead-generating social and display ads touting deals. Interact one-on-one with followers—spotlight visual property content to inspire bookings.
Retargeting Past Website Visitors
Remarket to users who previously visited your site but didn't book. Retargeting stays top of mind, prompting future conversions.
Dynamic Packages and Rates
Customise options displayed depending on the source, user history, and dates searched. Dynamically cross-sell based on selections.
Booking Abandonment and Waitlist Notifications
Prompt email follow-ups if bookings are abandoned, waitlisting when sold out, and personalized promotions to revive interest.
Voice Channel Optimisation
Optimise content for voice search queries around your location. Monitor voice assistant analytics to identify relevant spoken questions to inform optimization.
Final Thoughts
Competing in today's hotel landscape means going beyond passive room sales. Proactive strategies, optimisation, and guest-centric service would best stand out. Leverage the tactics and digital best practices outlined here to actively generate interest, convert lookers to bookers, and build loyalty among past guests. Get ready to fill more rooms all year long!
To discuss comprehensive strategies tailored to your property's needs, contact Emersion Wellness today. Our experts are ready to partner in your hotel's revenue growth and Increase Room Sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most effective strategies for hotels to Increase Room Sales?
Top room sales strategies include discounted advance purchase rates, value-added packages, promotions bundled with events/activities, weekday deals, spotlighting unique amenities, optimising online booking, strategic upselling, and customer loyalty programs.
How can hotels attract more leisure travellers?
Offer local attraction packages, weekend deals, holiday promotions, family rooms and amenities, girlfriend getaways, romance packages, destination imagery, and direct booking incentives.
What do business travellers look for in a hotel?
Business guests want easy mobile booking, self-service flexibility, loyalty program perks, discounted corporate rates, productivity amenities like WiFi, earning rewards, and seamless changes or cancellations.
How can hotels generate more group and meeting leads?
Critical tactics for group sales include proactive outreach to planners, online RFP submission, one-stop event services, flexible spaces, discounted blocks and bundles, and incentives for repeat bookings.
Why should hotels focus on enhancing their website booking experience?
An intuitive, user-friendly booking engine removes friction from reservations, leading to higher conversions. It also promotes direct bookings over OTAs.
How does retargeting help hotels boost room sales?
Remarketing to past website visitors keeps your rooms in mind as they shop comparisons. Retargeting often prompts delayed bookings after initial research.
What risks come from reliance on OTAs for room sales?
While OTAs provide distribution, their high commissions erode hotel revenues. Reliance on OTAs also minimises the opportunity for hotels to build repeat guest relationships.
How can room promotions be optimised?
Offer escalating discounts for early booking, highlight deadlines, limit promotional rates, create urgency and exclusivity, support claims, tailor to audiences, and promote via multiple channels.
How do customer loyalty programs support room sales?
They incentivise direct booking, provide targeted offers based on stay patterns, offer perks like upgrades or amenities, and build relationships with past guests.
How does dynamic pricing increase room sales?
Customising rates and packages displayed based on demand, competition, and user preferences allow hotels to present their sites' most relevant offers in real-time.
Contact us for more details.
Also read: Hotel Revenue Management: Outsourcing vs. In-House Weight Loss Programs For 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.