Last minute winter holidays - ideas for getting bookings

22 December 2022Marketing

As early as mid-January, pupils in the first provinces will go on winter holidays. The winter holidays will last practically until the end of February. If you still have rooms available on these dates, use our tips to get a booking.

Winter holidays

Review length of stay restrictions

Visitors are less and less likely to choose establishments that only offer stays in the form of stays. Nowadays, they want to be flexible and often travel between specific destinations. If you have so far required at least weekly arrivals and this has not resulted in many bookings, try reducing the restrictions on length of stay. Additionally, if you have single nights free between guest visits, try to fill your calendar by allowing bookings to be made during such a 'window' at a revised rate. Although shorter stays will require more work to clean and change sheets or towels, this is a popular holiday date, so you can expect more revenue.

Create promotions

When listing on various booking sites, it is worth looking out for various seasonal special offers. For example, Booking.com has created a promotion called "Welcome 2023", encouraging guests to book their stays at the beginning of the year - i.e. during the Polish winter holidays. Such an offer is highlighted with a special badge, which immediately draws the attention of a booker browsing through dozens of offers, and the discount increases the chance of a quick conversion. If there are only a few free dates left to fill, you can test the use of the "last minute" option and win over last-minute guests looking for accommodation. Another idea is to create packages - that is, special offers with a specific number of nights on a limited date at an attractive price. If we have a facility that offers meals, we can include them in the offer. With packages in place, the customer is more likely to immediately choose a ready-made option that has been prepared with their needs in mind.

Create a need for relaxation

It has probably happened to you more than once when, while browsing through social media posts or surfing the internet, you came across a product that you wanted to have, even though you hadn't thought about buying it before. The same is true for travel and leisure. Showcasing the uniqueness of a place, interior design or nearby attractions can make visitors suddenly want to go there. Imagine you have a flat by the sea and would like to encourage guests to come in winter. Show how amazing the snow-covered beach and the vast expanse of space look without the crowds of tourists. Tell them about the clean air and the possibility of escaping from crowded and polluted cities. Perhaps at that very moment, someone travelling on a crowded public transport system will see your photos and want to be in that place you have shown.

Offer entertainment

Nowadays, accessing any information is not a problem at all, but we nevertheless like to have everything prepared in one place. We don't want to waste time looking for things ourselves, we like to have everything ready. Take advantage of this knowledge and, when proposing your property as the ideal place to spend a winter holiday, indicate what attractions are in the area. Suggest the best leisure options for families with children, couples, single travellers or seniors. It's also a good idea to show the distance between the visitor and the main attractions, as well as how to get there using, for example, public transport. If you add to this the approximate cost of entrance fees, it will be much easier for tourists to plan their holiday, and they will choose your accommodation in the certainty that you will be an excellent host.

Advertise your offer

Finally, the most important thing. Even the best prepared offer will not bring new bookings if potential guests do not see it. Analyse where tourists have come to you from so far, which towns are the easiest to reach and which people you are targeting with your winter offer. This knowledge will allow you to create appropriate advertising creations and plan your activities. To start with, use your own communication channels - a newsletter, a website with a dedicated subpage and regular social media posts. If you have a dedicated advertising budget, test Facebook advertising. There, you have the option of setting up your target group in detail, e.g. based on age, gender or location. You then have a better chance of creating the need for a holiday in your establishment among your guests. In addition, such advertisements will direct bookings directly via your website, thus avoiding the high commissions charged by popular accommodation aggregation portals.