10 magic tricks in room sales after COVID-19

It`s not really magic, it`s more knowledge. The survival of the fittest – that is what hotels are about nowadays with lots of places closed for conservation. This pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the tourism sector and it seems that it is still not over. Worldwide, hotels try to recover even though at the moment things do not appear to be heading in the right direction.

Incertitude is the perfect word to describe both future and present and there is nothing we can do about it. However, we still can decide to keep the party going. So – 

What can we do?

Let’s take a look at our recent guests. Most of the guests book last minute as in today for tonight, most of them are either local, either persons who cannot avoid the trip. Less corporate and this really is bad news, but companies are affected too so the travelling budget disappeared over night. Right now, we have a sales nightmare. 

We can only count on individuals – loial guest type, online guests, medical tourism, workers, unavoidable competitions, government travelers and some others. It is really hard to keep a hotel open with only this type of guests because it generates a low occ. rate. 

1. Start with OTAs if you want to start from something. Use promotions and use them wisely.
2. Lower the rates using promotions on OTAs (it is very important to lower with promotions, not by decreasing).
3. Talk to every guest to determine what is making them stay in your hotel, find out the reason of the travel in order to know who to target.
4. Offer great deals to individuals who contact you directly.
5. Contact all companies you were working with previously in order to sign new agreements with lower rates.
6. Check out nearby events to notice with some time ahead if the market demand grows so you can keep up with increased rates. 
7. Use social media to let your guests know you are open and you are ready to offer your services if needed.
8. Exclude breakfast in order to cut some expenses.
9. Find extras you can offer – extend the services according to the needs (like shuttle, room service, etc).
10. Change cancellation and refund policies. I know for sure that we have the ability to pur ourselves in the customer`s shoes. Now it is the perfect time to do just that. 

Hope all the informations are useful, do not hesitate to comment or to contact me if there is anything else you would like to add or to get more informations.