5 Hotel Sales Strategies You Should Be Trying

Wondering how to increase hotel room sales?

 Well, you’ve come to the right place.

As a hotelier, occupancy rates and revenue are at the forefront of your mind. We understand the challenges that come with driving hotel sales, especially in today’s competitive market. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of five proven strategies to help you increase your hotel room sales and revenue.

It’s time to think outside the box, and refresh your hotel sales strategies

As a hotelier, your goal is to provide memorable guest experiences – as a business owner, your goal is to make hotel sales. When considering business strategies, you must consider both, as each significantly impacts the other.

Essentially, in order to make hotel sales and meet targets, you must first create amazing guest experiences – set yourself apart from competitors and you’ll rein in the sales.

Following are 5 hotel sales strategies to help you transform your hotel performance and fill your rooms during those difficult periods.

1. Hotel Room Sales Strategies

When considering how to improve hotel sales, one of the methods you could try is re-angling your sales towards room based strategies.

For instance, you might try group hotel sales strategies, where you offer your property to large groups such as corporates, or extended families (depending on your property scale). Alternatively, you could angle your sales towards personal stays with couples or solo travellers.

Another example might include re-angling advertising to increase direct bookings (cutting out the middleman and reining in more commission for your property). This is a great way to boost hotel sales, as it not only provides guests with a more personalized experience but also saves you on commission fees.

The key takeaway from this strategy is to tailor your sales approach towards specific guest segments and their needs. This will help you attract the right type of guests and increase your chances of making successful room sales.

2. Guest Rewards & Loyalty Programs

Although the travel industry is evolving, with a large focus now on independent travel – those who visit new and unique destinations (therefore, various accommodation providers), there is still an industry niche of repeat travellers.

As a hotelier, you need to capture your industry niche of repeat guests, and angle your sales strategies towards this niche. Loyal guests are an invaluable asset to your hotel, so don’t overlook them.

When considering hotel sales strategies, you might try implementing guest reward schemes, such as discounts for repeat visits, special loyalty packages, or discounts for referring a friend or family member.

Many families and corporate guests stay loyal to one accommodation provider, so during difficult times, these are the guests who will help your hotel sales.

Examples of loyalty programs include:

• Reward points for each stay that can be redeemed for future discounts or free upgrades
• Exclusive discounts and deals only available to loyal members
• Personalised experiences or perks such as early check-in/late check-out, welcome amenities, etc.

3. Destination Marketing Strategies

Destination marketing is a great way to get your hotel’s name out there, as well as form partnerships and create industry connections.

When travel demand is low, and target markets shift, you need to update your hotel sales strategies to reflect these changes. So in the case of covid-19, this means shifting the focus of your sales strategies to domestic travellers.

Team up with tourism providers in your area or region and create a destination marketing campaign that’ll encourage domestic travellers to support local businesses (including your own).

This could involve co-hosting events, or creating deals and packages with local tourism providers (e.g. a package with a hotel stay and tourism activity included).

Examples of destination marketing strategies include:

• Collaborating with a popular restaurant to offer guests a discount on their meal when they book a stay at your hotel
• Partnering with a local tour company to offer exclusive experiences or discounts for hotel guests
• Hosting a local event at your hotel and promoting it through targeted social media ads or email marketing campaigns

4. Up-Selling & Cross-Selling

A classic hotel sales strategy method which will help your business increase revenue during those times when occupancy rates are low, is up-selling and cross-selling.

The extras that your guests spend money on will act as a buffer to those empty rooms you’re struggling to fill. Try your best to encourage spending at your hotel – but remember to not be pushy, because the guest experience is still the most important factor, and you don’t want to upset them.

It might be as simple as providing guests with a free drink voucher at your hotel restaurant, to encourage them to dine-in. Or perhaps, you suggest adding extras to their stay with you – such as beauty treatments, shuttle transfers or local tours (all of which you’ll earn commission off).

Examples of up-selling and cross-selling opportunities include:

• Offering room upgrades at a discounted rate during the booking process or at check-in
• Providing guests with special packages or deals for additional services such as spa treatments, room service, etc.
• Promoting additional amenities or activities available on your property, such as a pool, fitness centre, or events like live music nights

5. Hotel Promotions & Special Events

The last sales strategy you should be trying, when considering how to increase hotel sales is implementing and hosting new and unique promotions and events.

The accommodation industry is showing rapid change, increased competition, and now, it’s even facing a global pandemic – promotions are no longer an option, they’re a necessity.

It may seem contradictory to reduce rates or offer discounts, but sometimes this is necessary in order to attract new guests. Especially when your target market has shifted (domestic travellers may have less to spend than international travellers, for instance).

Host events, create unique packages, offer deals and specials – try something new, and make your property affordable and desirable. This will help with increasing hotel sales when times are tough.

Examples of hotel promotions and special events include:

• Hosting a seasonal event or themed promotion, such as a holiday-themed buffet or a summer pool party
• Offering discounted rates for last-minute bookings to fill empty rooms
• Collaborating with local businesses to create package deals that offer added value for guests (e.g. a hotel stay plus tickets to a popular attraction)

Small or large, the strategies you try now will reap benefits into the future

Updating your hotel sales strategies during times of change will help your business continue to thrive and prepare for the future. (Not to mention, ease some stress.)

In fact, trying and testing new tactics now will provide you with invaluable insights for your hotel’s future – a future where you can go back to focusing on other challenges.

If recent events have taught us anything, it’s that we don’t know what’s around the corner – but we can implement tools to prepare for it.

Increasing hotel sales involves a continuous flow of innovative strategies

No matter the situation, no matter the circumstances, as a business, you should be continuously updating and improving your sales strategies in order to remain fresh and competitive.

Keep on top of industry trends, know what your customers are searching for, and try new hotel sales strategies – you won’t know if they’ll work until you try, so go ahead and get started.