Unexpected events happen: from pandemics to other natural disasters. The good news is that there are tools at your disposal to boost occupancy & regain lost ground. Increasing your direct bookings to save on commission and manage the guest relationship from the word GO should be high on the list. A key to successful recovery is being strategic about your rates and inventory, so you can quickly adapt to changes in circumstances. (READ: Expert Tips: Fill Those Rooms with These Marketing Moves )
Improve conversion with great content.
Photographs sell your business. If you look at yours, would you want to stay at your establishment? Remember, this might be the first time a potential guest sees what you have to offer. Are you showing off your property’s assets? The photographs you use on your online booking form should also be of the best quality. Better content (including the descriptions you use and the amenities you list) leads to better conversion.
By using the NightsBridge image uploader a property can add high quality photos to their room and property galleries. These will display in large scale on the NightsBridge booking form.
READ: How to take great photos
Increase direct bookings with specials.
Instead of slashing your rates to kickstart demand, rather set up specials or special packages. Then, promote these on your direct booking engine and place them front-and-center on your website to capture the attention. If visitors to your booking engine can also view a complete list of the specials you have on offer they may be tempted to plan a booking further down the line.
Distribute promo codes through various channels.
Online buyers and bookers are used to finding and using promo codes to get a discount on their purchases. You can generate awareness and drive more direct bookings by setting up your own promotional codes to send to your guests through any channel you prefer.
Grow revenue with responsive rate management.
Yield management doesn’t need to be complicated. If you see a drop (or increase) in demand on the horizon you want to be able to adjust your rates up or down for single days or short periods.
Showing a strike-through ‘before’ rate on your booking form can also help convince any fence-sitter to book. Seeing exactly how much they are saving on your accommodation might be all the motivation they need.
READ: Dynamic Pricing and Discounting | A Recipe for conversion
Provide the contactless communication your guests expect.
Post-COVID, the concerns around safety when travelling means that your guests come to expect to spend less time at your front desk. If you are able to offer contactless check-in and check-out, this will greatly improve your guest experience from start to finish.
READ: Guest Communications – To learn about the tools that keep the human connection when using touchless technology.