Competition is heating up for the 112 million travelers who are busily making their holiday travel plans. If you’re like most hoteliers, you’d like to get a piece of this travel pie too. With OTAs competing for your online bookings, and the lure of holiday specials appearing on every website, what is stopping you from capitalizing on the most wonderful time of the year? Here are a few of the best ways to engage guests and boost your bookings this holiday season.

Tis the Season

When planning your budgeting dollars for the end of the year, do you factor in a great holiday marketing campaign? If not, you should be! Whether your property fully embraces the magic of the holiday season, or if you play it little low key and showcase your property’s unique ability to escape the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and lights learn to embrace your holiday signature. When you appeal to your guests’ emotions it is easy for them to picture themselves having a cup of eggnog while lounging by the pool or sipping a hot cocoa after a long day on the slopes. 

Give the Gift of Indulgence

For many travelers, holiday gifts mean extravagance and are equated to spa days, couples massage, and days of pampering. The holidays are a great time of year to offer special promotions to spas, room upgrades, in room extras like champagne or roses. Don’t be afraid to let your guests know that you provide these services and they are available for a reasonable upcharge. 

Festivities and Activities

Have fun showing off your holiday spirit! Guests want to go where they feel welcome and where they know they will have a good time.  Make sure to use your social media channels to post images of the property in all its glory after the decorations are up and glowing. Also, take some candid shots of your employee gift exchange, company holiday party, or ugly sweater contest. Feature your holiday menu on your Facebook post, or take stunning images of the chef’s Thanksgiving feast to tempt your foodie guests to come for a weekend but enjoy the cuisine. 

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Are there any Christmas Villages or holiday themed events near your property? These types of events can really boost the morale of your guests, especially if they’re traveling for business without their families, and it could be just the thing they need to put your property on their “must recommend visiting” list. If your local area isn’t really in the holiday spirit, there is no need to worry; make your own winter wonderland. By adding some glistening lights, some pine scented garland, a few sprigs of mistletoe, and playing a little festive holiday music, you can create the perfect holiday getaway for your guests. Add to that a cookie exchange, a daily eggnog toast, caroling around the fireplace, a good game of pin the nose on the reindeer and you’ve got yourself a holiday party!

Don’t Leave Locals Out in the Cold:

This year the holidays fall mid-week, but that doesn’t mean that your guests will only be coming to stay for those days; and it doesn’t mean that you’ll only be attracting guests from out of town. You may have locals who are looking for a staycation close to home, and what better way to attract those guests than to offer them a discounted package or a hard-to-get reservation at the best restaurant in town because it’s attached to your hotel. It IS the holidays, so be sure to make all guests feel special. 

Wrapping Up

This holiday season there are many ways to increase your guest engagement and bookings, but how you present these to your guest could make all the difference in the world. Start by assessing the holiday theme you’d like to be known for, and then go from there. You can be crafty using your creative side, or traditional and use your marketing side. Whichever method you decide to use, remember to stay consistent throughout the season, because you don’t want to confuse your guests. But it’s important to remember this: There are not only twelve days of Christmas! The holiday season lasts for over thirty days. You can make the most of them by creating a welcoming holiday environment for your guests by placing some cookies and milk by the fireplace, roasting some chestnuts by the open fire, and singing Frosty the Snowman nightly around the holiday tree. 

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InnQuest Software is a leading technology provider for the hospitality industry. For over 25 years, innQuest has combined hotelier experience with innovative technology to deliver an all-in-one solution that empowers hotels to attract guests, drive customer loyalty, and increase profits. Our flagship property management software, roomMaster, helps manage over 5,500 properties across 100 countries. InnQuest develops scalable solutions ranging from a Hotel PMS, Cloud PMS, Channel Manager, Hotel CRM and helps properties enable guests to Book Direct. We believe that everyone deserves a great guest experience, whether they’re staying at a small B&B, a thousand-room resort, or anywhere in between.

Call us today at 1.813.288.4900, or email us at sales@innquest.com. We will be happy to walk you through innQuest’s solutions.