Apr
2
Some days business is up. Some days business is down.
It is the way of things.
Some days hotels charge full rate. Other days they seem to make up prices as they go along.
I was reading today about how hotel "bookers" can still get great deals by waiting until the last minute.
They're waiting until they can hear your sales managers' pips squeak.
...and boy do some sales managers pips squeak.
Wild drops in price do not lead to an equally wild increase in bookings. Fact.
Yet hotels all across the country are "selling" (in inverted commas because they aren't selling at all - they've given up) at prices some 30% of (yes, I mean 30% of, not 30% off...)published rack rate.
Come on guys, you can do better than this!
It is the way of things.
Some days hotels charge full rate. Other days they seem to make up prices as they go along.
I was reading today about how hotel "bookers" can still get great deals by waiting until the last minute.
They're waiting until they can hear your sales managers' pips squeak.
...and boy do some sales managers pips squeak.
Wild drops in price do not lead to an equally wild increase in bookings. Fact.
Yet hotels all across the country are "selling" (in inverted commas because they aren't selling at all - they've given up) at prices some 30% of (yes, I mean 30% of, not 30% off...)published rack rate.
Come on guys, you can do better than this!
These same hotels won't quote you a good rate six months in advance, because they can't sell that either.
You're left with the choice of rack rate and "take it or leave it" - so most people leave it and make the hotels sweat for months until finally they crack.
Revenue managers responsible for panic price dropping - are you doing this at the behest of your general managers? Your regional managers? Tell them to let you put a proper marketing plan in place. One that really addresses the way people book hotels. Tell them to get their fingers out months before the date of arrival, not hours before.
Smart hotels are following the airline model. Smart hotels are backing that up with better selling: Looking at what the customer wants; working out what "value" means and delivering on it; telling people about that value and what it's going to feel like as you enjoy it.
Daft hotels are standing in the middle of the street with their trousers round their ankles, bleating "cheap".
£40 for a room in a 3 star city hotel?? Are you insane? Even if you do sell it, you'll make no money. And how are you going to persuade your customers your rooms are worth anything more than £40 in the future??
Rate dropping doesn't make more demand.
You're left with the choice of rack rate and "take it or leave it" - so most people leave it and make the hotels sweat for months until finally they crack.
Revenue managers responsible for panic price dropping - are you doing this at the behest of your general managers? Your regional managers? Tell them to let you put a proper marketing plan in place. One that really addresses the way people book hotels. Tell them to get their fingers out months before the date of arrival, not hours before.
Smart hotels are following the airline model. Smart hotels are backing that up with better selling: Looking at what the customer wants; working out what "value" means and delivering on it; telling people about that value and what it's going to feel like as you enjoy it.
Daft hotels are standing in the middle of the street with their trousers round their ankles, bleating "cheap".
£40 for a room in a 3 star city hotel?? Are you insane? Even if you do sell it, you'll make no money. And how are you going to persuade your customers your rooms are worth anything more than £40 in the future??
Rate dropping doesn't make more demand.
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