Hook Guests with Attractive Hotel Packages

March 28, 2011

After every High Season comes a Low Season, where your hotel’s steadily stream of guests slows down to a trickle. This drop of occupancy level while expected is still a cause for concern, as empty rooms generate no revenue. To boost these failing numbers, you probably are already employing a variety of marketing techniques – running ads, offering discounts, etc. Employing different marketing techniques can help you generate different reactions and actions. For example, running an ad campaign helps attract attention from potential guests while discounts encourage them to book instantly. An excellent way to hook guests in addition to the above-mentioned marketing techniques is with attractive hotel packages.

What is a hotel package?
A hotel package is a combination of hotel accommodation + a value added service. The most recognized hotel package type, today, is the travel and hotel accommodation combination. For example, flight + hotel or train ticket + hotel. Many big hotels and groups, use this type of combination to hook travelers easily. Unfortunately, offering a travel and hotel package is not feasible for most hotels due to the expense and time required to develop a relationship and negotiate a deal with an airline, bus or train operator.

Hotel Packages & Changing Times
In the old days, creating hotel package even a non-travel package used to expensive as you had to allocated a part of your marketing budget to promote it. The Internet changed all that! Today, when you create a package, you don’t have to run an advertising campaign to promote it. You simply post it on your hotel website and it gets plenty of relevant exposure. Plus, you can add an analytics code to the package and measure the effectiveness of the package.

Tips to create attractive hotel packages that will hook guests

1. Packages do not mean discounts or free extra night

If there were two boxes of the same size in front of you – one wrapped in plain brown paper and the second covered in shiny wrapping paper with a bright red bow, which one would you open?

The answer for most of us is obvious ‘the box covered in shiny wrapping paper with a bright red bow’. The reason being the brightly packaged box attracts our attention and maintains our interest easily.

When trying to draw attention from the thousands surfing the World Wide Web for travel destinations and ideas, you can use a similar concept to convert lookers into bookers. Instead of pushing a room by rate, package it with a value addition or two to add to its appeal.

For example:

• Stay at The Wilderness Resort and enjoy a free Kangaroo Safari
• Make a reservation at Hotel Delight and go for a free wine tasting tour
• Book before 21st April and get a relaxing massage free at our state-of-the-art Spa

As you can see, these 3 hotel package ideas offer potential guests an additional reason to select your hotel over your competitors without a discount in price or a free extra room night. Simply put, a properly crafted ‘Packages’ offers visitors an additional reason to book at your hotel.

2. Traveling is about the destination not the hotel

While travelers do want creature comforts such as soft beds and AC rooms when they travel, they are more concerned about what they will do on reaching their destination. Leisure travelers look forward to exploring a new location while business travelers are concerned about the conference, seminar or workshop they are attending. By understanding what motivates them, you will be able to target and convert them more easily.

For example, a leisure traveler could determine his holiday destination by attractions such as museums, theme parks, beaches etc. A business traveler may be looking for a place to stay during an upcoming conference or exhibition. 

Keep track of trends and upcoming events in order to evaluate and modify your package to appeal accordingly. This small activity will help increase the revenue potential of your package.

To summarize, by creating a ‘Hotel Package’ you can improve occupancy levels and generate more revenue. This type of marketing activity is useful not only during low season but also during high season.