With National Plan for Vacation Day coming up on January 28, it’s the perfect time for hotels to convince people to take time off for some much-needed rest and relaxation.
According to the latest U.S. Travel Association study, Americans are earning more paid vacation days than ever, but aren’t taking them (27.2 percent of paid time off wasn’t used in 2018, compared to 25.9 percent in 2017). More than half (55 percent) of Americans left their vacation time on the table.
While most people agree that taking a vacation is important for personal well being, sometimes they might need a little nudge to book that reservation. Beat the winter slump and get more hotel reservations with the following tips.
Urge them to plan ahead
Those who plan their vacations in advance are much more likely than non-planners to travel during their vacation days (76 percent vs. 50 percent), so promote those attractive vacation packages well in advance of your slow season. Perhaps include a limited-time offer that rewards those who plan their stay with you ahead of time and so you will have a better shot at booking all your rooms.
Promote stress-free activities
Since the primary reasons for planning a vacation include avoiding burnout and spending time with family, use this opportunity to highlight your hotel or resort’s fun, relaxing, and stress-relieving activities and services. Play up amenities and services such as the spa, massage, gym, pools, jacuzzis, cabanas, on-site fitness classes, or healthy meal selections in your restaurant or room service menu.
Bring in the local customers
If taking time off to get away is difficult for most people, create some unique packages and offerings that appeal to your local community. What are some ideas that would make your hotel a local destination? Romantic weekend packages with all the bells and whistles, from champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries room service to couples massages and more, there are plenty of ways to be creative with your offerings for a “staycation.”
Make them an offer they can’t refuse
If you offer tempting enough package deals, you can keep your rooms well booked for the off-season. What are some possible ideas? Customer loyalty programs with special deals could not only help you keep vacancy rates low, but you get more repeat business.
Are there any conferences, festivals, or special events in your area? Use social media to promote those events and hot deals for your hotel or resort at the same time. And you could always lower your prices in the off-season while showing off the discount on your website with a red line slashed across the regular price.
Experiment with new package deals and promotions for the off-season — whatever it takes to boost your reservations. Use the off-season to call attention to your hotel or resort, and the many wonderful amenities you offer.
At Resort Cabanas (a division of Eide Industries, Inc.), we specialize in designing, manufacturing, and engineering custom commercial cabanas and pre-engineered options. With almost 80 years of extensive design, construction, metal fabrication, industrial sewing, and installation experience, we are proud to offer the highest quality products possible, made right here in the U.S.