By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com)
While drive market couple and family retreats have dominated
the summer of COVID-19, new challenges will present themselves as the weather
cools. But we may still realize brisk business for the forthcoming holiday
season.
Unless you have space heaters everywhere, in much of the
country come October many will want to move their dining inside and away from
physically distanced patio spaces. This falls on top of the typical return to
normal job responsibilities, preventing many more from taking more vacation
time off. Next, through what has been christened as ‘post-Covid stress
disorder’, many will still be afraid of attending group events long after the
borders have opened and international flights have returned. Then combine all
this with more hotels that will be looking to reopen during the end of the
calendar year, adding yet more competition to the mix.
Given all the factors contributing to a slow recovery
through Q4, the pent-up demand for corporate retreats, romantic getaways and
postponed reunions amongst extended family members may result in a frenetic
holiday travel season as customers look to get a trip in before 2021. That is,
the period between Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day may be the proverbial
line in the sand where guests decide to travel no matter what.
While formulating an initial plan for the holiday season
typically begins in earnest in the latter half of September, with so many
hotels looking to recover some semblance of revenues lost in Q1 through Q3,
expect a voraciously competitive market come November. This implies that the
time to start getting a program together is now.
In the face of so much uncertainty with regard to a second
wave and the economic conditions leading up to December, what does a good plan
look like? Even though it’s quite early, you will need to get creative in your
offers and packaging to stand out. Much of this goes beyond marketing and sales
negotiations, requiring operational adjustments.
Some items to consider right now include:
- Are
you equipped to handle family reservations and small groups by assigning
adjacent rooms or whole room sections as well as private dining setups?
Are you incentivizing these types of bookings through sliding scale room rates?
What videoconferencing technology can you supply for those unable to
attend?
- For
F&B, do you have an established holiday meal program that you can
revitalize? Can this be adjusted for in-room dining while keeping costs
under control?
- On the
marketing front, what have you learned from the summer of staycations in
terms of where customers are coming from? How do you see this changing for
the upcoming holiday season? Would it be worthwhile to start advertising
now with an early booking bonus?
- Has
your sales team been actively keeping their rolodex of leads warm by
inquiring about fall bookings? While it may be too early for many to
decide upon a gathering for late Q4, it wouldn’t hurt to develop your
offer now and get it out there.
- What
services and amenities do you provide for couples and groups who want to
have a bit of entertainment in their rooms and away from others? Could you
augment your holidays revenues through the creation of bespoke (and
sanitized) gift baskets to be used as either a welcome amenity or sold as
a deliverable present? Are there any outdoor activities you can offer? How
can you put a holiday spin on all this?
About Larry Mogelsonsky
Larry Mogelonsky
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky
is the principal of Hotel
Mogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His
experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and
independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is
also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work
includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule”
(2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel”
(2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business challenges
or to book speaking engagements.
Media Contact:
Larry
Mogelonsky
Email: larry@hotelmogel.com
Website: http://hotelmogel.com/
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