It can be incredible how quickly time passes in the hospitality industry. One minute you are celebrating Independence Day weekend with your family and then before you know it, BOOM, the holidays are almost here. Do not fear though, your jolly Blue Magnet Interactive team will guide you on how to take advantage of this exciting time using your independent website.
As you may recall, we previously shared ideas on how to promote your hotel during this festive season via your social media strategy and independent website content strategy. Today we will be diving into the additional opportunities you have with your independent website. So get ready and let’s spread that holiday cheer.
Promote Holiday Parties
Does your hotel need to book more holiday parties this season? One way to help place your hotel in your online guest’s minds is by creating a landing page about your event space as a perfect venue for holiday celebrations. Your page can be as simple as just promoting your overall event space (i.e. why they should plan their celebration with you), accommodations (i.e. why guests should stay in your rooms after their eventful night), and highlighting your location (i.e. why your hotel would be convenient).
Your content will be more valuable to your guests if your team includes a special catering menu. Remember, the holiday season is cheerful and bright, so have a little fun with your offerings. Create a festive drink at your on-site bar, pass out Santa cookies and hot chocolate in your lobby, or host a themed happy hour in your on-site restaurant.
Another way to help encourage guests to come book their event with you is by building a special offer. This offer can range from bundling event services at a discounted rate to offering a complimentary gift card or champagne toast when a guest spends a certain amount of money.
While you have your potential guests’ attentions, bring it full circle and tell them WHY they should come stay at your hotel too. This is the perfect time to highlight your accommodations, points of pride, and location. For example, promote your complimentary breakfast as a hearty, post-celebration cure, or the ease of traveling upstairs to your guest rooms compared to a drive home. Take it a step further and create a special guest room rate to act as extra incentive to reserve their party and stay at your hotel.
If your team needs last minute help increasing submitted RFPs for holiday parties, talk to your Digital Marketing Manager about adding a section to your Meetings & Events page. Guests could be looking at your Event type pages for holiday information so take advantage of this opportunity and either share your general celebration offerings or link it back to your new holiday party landing page.
Highlight Local Area Events
Now that we have covered the group side of business, it is time to take the reigns on your guests’ holiday vacations. Showcase the different festive events taking place near your hotel by either adding onto your existing “local events” landing page on your independent website or creating a separate dedicated page to just holiday local events. You may be wondering, “well what do I put on this said page?” Simple. Start the page off by highlighting crowd favorite shows like the Nutcracker, Santa Claus sightings, festive exhibits, and any other city special events that are showing for a limited time. Remember, by creating a holiday local events landing page, you are giving your potential guests a fun itinerary of holiday activities for them and a reason to choose your hotel for their holiday stays. Similar to our holiday party offer recommendation, you have an opportunity to create a special offer by partnering with one of our local businesses or by re-branding an existing package.
Since as I mentioned we are “taking the reigns on your guests’ holiday vacations,” let’s be the ultimate guide and also show guests where they can do their last minute holiday shopping at favorite local gems.
Create Holiday Special Offers
As I have been chiming along throughout this blog, it is valuable and helpful to provide your future guests with a little incentive to book at your hotel. Perhaps you have noticed that in the past years around New Year’s Eve it is hard to attract leisure travelers. Take this knowledge and understanding to your advantage and design an offer. In the below example, this Raleigh hotel is encouraging guests to stay between December 30, 2016 – January 3, 2017 and they will receive the third night half off.
Another idea is to create or showcase your partnership with one of your local businesses and work together to increase visits. For example, if a local theater is putting on a production of The Christmas Carol, encourage guests to book with your hotel’s package to receive complimentary tickets. You can also help promote your Food and Beverage teams by adding in a small amount to go towards breakfast or dinner.
The holiday season is also another chance to help give back to the community. Research local organizations that your hotel can help donate a percentage to from sales or set up a collection box for guests to drop off toys for those in need. In this next example, the below hotel is encouraging guests to book this particular rate and then the hotel will donate $10 to the Toys and Tots Foundation.
Wrapping it Up
Here at Blue Magnet Interactive, we understand how crazy and stressful the holiday season can be. That is why we are here to help you! Brainstorm with your Digital Marketing Manager during your next status call or give them a quick email to see how we can help achieve your goals this time of year. In the meantime, sign up for our email newsletter below to discover more hotel marketing tips for the upcoming new year.