6 Clever ways to boost reservations midweek

The midweek blues are a common occurrence for many hotels. While your hotel is chock full on the weekends, when the weekdays roll around your occupancy rates take a nose dive.

It can be tempting to drop your room prices in an attempt to stir interest, but that strategy may do more harm than good. Both your revenue and perceived value could take a big hit if demand doesn’t skyrocket as you expected.

Instead, you need to think smarter about how to reach and seduce guests with added value offers they can’t refuse.

We’ve compiled a few cunning strategies to help you give those midweek reservations a much-needed lift.

Make use of previous guest data for email marketing

Targeting past guests with personalised offers can be a great way to gain repeat visits and strengthen guest loyalty.

If you have a booking system that retains valuable data about your guests, you can use these insights to segment your guests into categories for email marketing. Then you can head over to an email provider such as Mailchimp or Mailerlite and start creating your list segments.

This exercise allows you to find out which guests would be more likely to buy your midweek special.

Points to consider for forming your lists are:

• Guests who’ve booked a midweek package in the past — If they’ve booked a package before, they’re more likely to do so again.
• How many times they’ve stayed with you — Guests who’ve stayed multiple times may be more easily tempted by a midweek deal.
• Their favoured days to book — If a guest has booked a couple of stays on a Tuesday night for example, they could be easier to draw back with a great deal.
• When they last booked — Guests who haven’t stayed with you for 12 months or longer may be swayed by a midweek package.

Use the data to create personalised messages for each segment. You may just find some low hanging fruit you wouldn’t otherwise know was there.

Maximise on Sunday and Friday bookings

Many hotels are already busy on a Friday night, and Lazy Sunday packages are not uncommon in the industry. But to increase midweek bookings you can ride off these popular days by offering attractive extension deals.

Offer guests the option to stay for one or two extra nights at a lower rate during the booking phase. So when guests use your booking form to book Friday night, they’ll see a message that says something like, ‘why not extend your break and arrive Thursday for 20% off.’

If you don’t entice them at the booking stage, remind guests again when they arrive at check in. Your Sunday arrivals may be tempted to stay an extra day or two.

Promote value added packages for typical midweek bookers

Instead of trying to spread your net wide in the hopes of catching everyone, take a more strategic approach.

Think about the kind of people that already book hotels midweek. The majority may be retired couples, people on business, or perhaps couples with time off work.

Create packages that appeal to each demographic. For the older couple, they may like a midweek break that includes afternoon tea and a bus tour of the area.

Busy business guests will appreciate a full breakfast, free wifi, public transport discounts and flexible check in.

Younger couples may enjoy a discount to a local attraction or a couples’ spa package.

Give your packages a recognisable name that will stand out to each target audience. When you create a wholesome experience for typical midweek guests at a competitive price, you’ll have an easier time increasing occupancy rates.

Diversify your business collaborations

Partnerships with local and national businesses can create huge midweek profit potential. They offer a beneficial relationship for both businesses and can generate revenue for your hotel on an ongoing basis.

Bear in mind, some relationships may not be so obvious. Real estate agents and building contractors can be a great source of short stay and long stay bookings.

Many people will travel to view new homes and office buildings throughout the week. Estate agents can refer your hotel to their clients while you offer them something in return. Such as advertising at your hotel or a referral fee.

Building contractors will have a work force needing a place to stay during a building project. These can be particularly lucrative for large scale projects covering longer time scales.

Jump on the phone and speak to contractors about the benefits you can offer. Such as your long-term rates and incentives. You could provide a full breakfast and a packed lunch in the price to seal the deal.

Leverage midweek events

Oftentimes people travel solely to enjoy special events, and many will take place midweek. These event goers need accommodation, so it’s your job to show them why your hotel is the best choice.

Every month, research all the music events, conferences, fairs etc in your area midweek. Then create a strategy outline you can use to attract attendees for each event.

Write a blog post about the upcoming event to drive organic traffic to your website. Use your social networks to promote a special deal for people attending.

In most cases, events will have their own hashtag. Use the hashtag in your posts to be seen by people following the event’s updates on social media.

Offer midweek breaks as prizes

This can prove effective in two ways. Firstly, you can create a social media contest and offer your midweek deal as the prize.

Although the winners won’t be paying for their room, you’ll still gain ample exposure online through shares. You’ll also increase sales as the winners will likely buy drinks and additional services while staying at your hotel.

Secondly, you can pair up with businesses and fairs that hold raffles and offer your midweek break as a prize. This can work particularly well with large businesses holding elaborate Christmas parties.

Your brand will be seen by hundreds of potential guests, and you could even include your brochure in their Christmas goody bags. In the brochure, include the details of your midweek package and many more may take you up on the offer.

You’re not alone in the struggle for consistent midweek bookings. But the key is to implement methods that’ll generate sales long-term.

With a little time and effort, you can tackle each tactic above and wave goodbye to the midweek ghost town.