Full occupancy: how are you really getting on this peak season?

Maximise your digital marketing efforts to attract last minute bookings.

For most of us around the world we’re in peak season at the moment, as one of the busiest times of the year for holiday-makers and hoteliers. Hopefully you’ll have done your due diligence way in advance to ensure you are fully occupied throughout this time, but fear not if you aren’t quite where you want to be.

Lots of travellers are looking for last minute vacation opportunities, so there’s still a chance to snap up additional bookings and bump up your occupancy rates.

To secure this type of customers, the trick is to try and get in front of as many of them as you can, who may be looking for a hotel like yours. Visibility is a key component , as typically this type of shopper will be looking for a quick win, setting aside less time to research than the average longer-term booker.

To help you out, we’ve compiled three tips to aid you in getting those last minute high season bookings. Two will assist with visibility and the last will help you to convert that extra traffic much more effectively.

1. Impression share

One way to quickly boost your visibility online is through impression share marketing. Impression share is the number of impressions you’ve received (on an ad, keyword etc.) divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive. Eligibility is based on your current ads’ targeting settings, approval statuses, bids, and quality scores, and you can view impression share data at the campaign, ad group and keyword levels.

To maximise your impression share, firstly consider your ad spend and see if you can increase it on specific search engines. Campaigns should at least be at 95% impression share to prevent competitors from outbidding you, and try checking your re-marketing campaigns alongside this to make sure they are covering your entire potential customer base.

Ads should then reflect what customers are looking at on your website — so take advantage of this by retargeting them with specific content. For example, if they have looked at the spa on your website then retarget them with an ad with last minute spa offers.

Hilton Hotels and Premier Inn are just two examples of hotel groups who have used (and continue to use) successful AdWords campaigns, enticing customers from all over the world with last minute specials.

2. Events in your area

Many last-minute travellers may be looking to attend certain events or festivities in your area, so this is a great hook to attract them by. Showcase what events your hotel is near to, and then package up enticing offers that clearly present why it’s best to stay with you for this particular festivity. For example, do rates include a free shuttle to and from the event or is there a free ticket involved? Are you within walking distance?

During the Angkor Wat marathons, a key event in Cambodia’s Siem Reap, the Anantara Angkor Resort & Spa offered exceptional last-minute marathon packages with free transport to the start for runners. Rates also included in-room energy snacks, a recovery massage at the spa and celebratory brunch after the marathon. Advertise these kinds of packages online using event keywords.

For another example on how to utilize events in your area, check out our previous article on Melbourne Hotel, Treasury on Collins, who nail this as a key part of their on-going marketing strategy.

3. Website personalisation

The best way to equip yourself with the right message for any potential customer (not just the last-minute ones) is to make sure your website has a degree of personalisation. New technology including predictive capabilities means users are segmented in real-time with an ideal offer identified for each one. This allows a hotel’s website to be automatically customised for each individual visitor, which is fantastic for last-minute bookers who are looking to snap up an offer quickly.

To read more about predictive capabilities click here.

Peak season is a golden opportunity for each hotel and a chance to really showcase your USPs. Being proactive and using your digital marketing spend wisely is your best bet to a successful high season where you will be at full occupancy in no time!