1. List across more platforms
“The hotel industry in low seasons is all about getting heads in beds,” says Ben. “If potential guests aren’t banging on your door to book then you have to get out and hustle and find new sources of demand.”
Listing on multiple channels and OTAs will help you reach a larger audience and potentially skyrocket your bookings. If you’re not on OTAs like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com, you’re missing out because people will likely go there first to look for places to stay.
“Getting sales and better occupancy in the low season is also how you set yourself up for success in the high season”, adds Dave, “because if sites like Airbnb or VRBO see a unit is selling a lot, they’ll likely promote that unit in the search results. Instead of just trying to build occupancy, you should consider using it as a launching point for the peak season.”
With Jetstream, you can optimize your hotel listing across major booking sites
Jetstream helps diversify your audience across channels and saves you the effort of managing each one manually. You can quickly and easily adjust your rates, photos, and descriptions—making it easier for you to attract more customers.
2. Effective off-season pricing strategy
“You want to make sure you’re getting people in the door at a price that still allows you to make a profit,” says Ben when asked about his top tips for revenue managers. You need to find the sweet spot between attracting guests and increasing hotel revenue—which can be tricky.
“One of the things we like to track is market occupancy,” reveals Dave. “This way we can see, for example, certain months or weeks might have only 10—20% occupancy. From our client’s perspective, this could mean that out of 10 units only one or two are going to sell. So we focus on occupancy and try to get ahead of the game.”
You want to be both the first person to raise your rates when you’re coming into the peak season and the first person to lower your rates when you’re coming into the low season.
Remote workers, digital nomads, and other “location-independent” professionals often look for deals during the off-season. They’re more likely to book a place for a month or two at a discounted rate than someone just looking for a weekend getaway.
“To help one of our clients boost hotel occupancy rates, our revenue management team utilized a unique software that analyzes billions of data points and adjusts the nightly rate based on predictive and reactive demand,” adds Ben. “With our target on digital nomads and this unique solution, we acquired multiple 21 and 28-night stays along with some last-minute weekend business.”
Jetstream integrates with Wheelhouse to bring you over 10 billion data points to produce the most accurate pricing insights
Dynamic pricing software like Wheelhouse can help you automatically adjust your rates according to market demand and aim for revenue maximization. So, you’re never leaving money on the table, and you can still offer discounts to guests willing to book during the off-season.
When it comes to resort revenue management, Dave adds, “resort owners overestimate the duration of the peak season and hold on to the rates for too long which can make a lot of difference. With Wheelhouse we can see the day-by-day occupancy looked like over the years and how it’s trending in the future.”
Wheelhouse is part of the Jetstream package and gives you more control over your pricing, and offers powerful customization and insights.
3. Create special packages
“It’s not just about the room rate,” Ben emphasizes. To attract guests, you need to offer something unique they can’t find at other hotels or vacation rentals. Spa weekends, VIP access to sporting events, and other creative packages can be significant selling points.
If you’re targeting digital nomads, you should consider offering discounts for longer bookings and be sure to mention features like a dedicated workspace and high-speed internet. You can also offer repeat-visit discounts and deals for bookings outside the peak season.
Creating packages that reward guests help tackle low occupancy while nurturing customer relationships and encouraging brand loyalty.
4. Host events to diversify income
Many expert hotels & resort marketers team up with local businesses, tourist boards, or other groups to host unique local events that appeal to their guests.
Such partnerships can also lead to free listings on group websites. This will help you get the word out about your events and attract more guests. For example, conferences can be held during the weekdays when occupancy is typically low, and consider a discount for local businesses or employees who book a stay during the event.
If you have a restaurant or bar on-site, you can host special events like wine tastings, cooking classes, or live music nights. This will help you attract locals and generate repeat business.
5. Optimize your direct booking website
Jetstream leverages Leavetown to increase your hotel’s visibility and offers exclusive deals
When guests book direct reservations on your website, they’re saving on price as they avoid OTA fees and commissions. They might be encouraged to book all year round if your prices are lower than what they’d find on an OTA.
But that means your website needs to meet the specific expectations of the target audience in terms of design and user experience. Guests should be able to easily find the information they need and understand why it’s worth booking directly with you.
Jetstream can help optimize and maintain your website so it’s always up-to-date and relevant to your guests. You can customize your listings and let your hotel stand out—without having to rely on a web developer. As a bonus, Jetstream makes all listings go live on the Leavetown site in real-time, increasing your visibility and exposure to potential guests.
6. Offer a loyalty program
Discounts in the low season, on room upgrades, or other unique packages and perks are all great loyalty program rewards. Consider offering members exclusive access to events or early booking privileges.
You can also use customer details for marketing activities like segmentation and personalization.
For example, you can offer a package that includes a pick-up from the airport or a late check-out for business travellers. Or, for a guest celebrating a special occasion, you might offer them a room upgrade.
The key is to offer a great guest experience that makes them feel appreciated, so they keep coming back—even during the off-season.
7. Outsource your marketing strategy
While listing your hotel on multiple OTAs is a great way to increase your visibility and get more bookings, managing them can be time-consuming, especially if you don’t have a dedicated team.
Jetstream’s marketing team manages everything from optimizing your listings and distribution and occupancy availability to real-time pricing and inventory updates. This way, you can focus on your hotel and provide an exceptional guest experience.
8. Invest in the right software
Jetstream isn’t Airbnb management software. It’s a complete service that integrates with the best tools on the market while boosting your marketing efforts and more.
An efficient property management system (PMS) will help you manage all aspects of your hotel, from bookings and reservations to guest communication and payments.
Jetstream is a complete service that integrates with PMSs like TravelClick and YieldPlanet, boosts visibility across your chosen hotel booking sites, and provides real-time pricing and availability updates.
Plus, Jetstream’s multilingual guest-facing team handles all the day-to-day communication with your hotel guests, including emails and text, so you can focus on other areas of your hotel.
Scale your revenue with Jetstream
The key to increasing hotel occupancy rate during the low season is to get creative and think outside the box. Price discounts are not the only answer—although they can be a part of your strategy—direct bookings, loyalty programs, and targeted marketing can also make a big impact.
And when you partner with Jetstream, we’ll connect with you with a powerful stack of management tools to help increase your hotel’s occupancy and revenue. And we’ll take care of all guest communications, so you can focus on generating revenue and providing an exceptional guest experience.
Boost your revenue without a big team or budget
Jetstream supports your business by optimizing your pricing, distribution, and marketing, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
