The festive season is nearing, and it’s a prime opportunity for hotels to improve sales, spread festive cheer, and provide a comfortable, memorable experience for your guests.
Hotels open from December to early January have a unique opportunity to get creative and boost their hotel sales. People are more willing to spend money during the holidays.
1. Meet customer’s expectations for experiences
2021 and the extended pandemic have shown people the importance of creating shared memories and experiences together after being unable to do so under lockdown. They’ll be looking for new ways to gift experiences to their friends and loved ones.
This could be a themed meal together, interactive experiences like wine-tasting, spa sessions, and sing-along sessions. Tap on guest data to find out what your guests want.
For example, if your guests are a family on vacation, check if they’re keen to try out your festive restaurant menu. Carefully curate special meal deals for groups to meet their needs, complete with Christmas games and themed decorations.
2. Offer Christmas themed room upgrades
Suppose you’re based in a colder climate. Why not introduce cozy elements to your room like complimentary mulled wine, hot chocolate, or a fireplace as optional upgrades? You can vary this depending on your type of guest.
Some ideas to inspire you and increase revenue for your hotel:
- For families: Recommend activities to do around a fireplace, like roasting marshmallows or telling stories.
- For couples: Offer personalized photography for couples with your decorative items
3. Reward your loyal guests
Suppose you’ve invested in a guest management solution during the slower pandemic season. In that case, this is the best time to put it to use. With guest data, you can identify your repeat customers, and where they’re coming from. You can see what they’ve purchased before, their food and drink preferences and how they’ve responded on previous feedback channels.
Why not offer them loyalty packages to drive repeat business and further increase customer loyalty? A loyal customer can bring their family or spouse to your hotel and create a memorable experience for their lifetime at your hotel. Reward frequent travelers staying at your hotel with complimentary breakfast or a room upgrade with a spacious, comfortable workspace.
4. Personalize the check-in process for big groups
People are more likely to travel in bigger groups during the holiday season as they reconnect with their families and friends.
It’s an opportunity for you to make people feel welcomed and cared for while reducing hassle during check-in. Offer a contactless check-in process to reduce wait time. You can pair this with complimentary snacks, mints, or bottled water upon arrival or within the room to welcome your guests.
For larger groups, consider assigning a staff member to greet the group on their arrival day. Give them direction on the next steps, so they don’t waste time wandering around and getting frustrated. Keeping these minor human interactions can enhance a guest’s hotel experience during the holidays and keep them coming back.
The holiday season is ripe with opportunities to create memorable experiences for your guests. We hope this list of quick ideas was helpful!
