How Pros with Hospitality Management Careers Bring in Business During the Low Season

hospitality courses in Vancouver 4
As top travel destinations struggle to keep up with demand during the high season, more and more travellers are looking to the off-season when booking their vacations. Enjoying Paris on a cool winter day, or shopping in Rome on a quiet low-key afternoon is enough to attract many travellers. However, hospitality professionals know that even with these guests, it’s normal for an establishment to see a seasonal dip in bookings.

To help keep guests coming in at all times of the year, there are many clever strategies you can use. Here are just a few of the ones you can employ throughout your career in hospitality.

Conferences, Retreats, and Special Events

One of the best ways to keep business booming during the off-season is to host conferences, retreats, and other events at your establishment. Conferences can help draw in professionals from all over. However, to ensure that these events are a success, those with hospitality management careers will want to ensure that audio-visual equipment is in top working order.

Planning wellness, yoga, or meditation retreats can also help to draw in guests. Those who are looking to decompress might be drawn to events during the low season, as they’ll have less of a crowd to contend with. Of course, other events and experiences can also help to boost stays during the low season. A film festival, craft fair, scavenger hunt, or murder mystery can all add a fun flair to a stay. Throughout your career, you can use your creativity and imagination to come up with whole new ways of attracting guests during the off-season!

Offering wellness retreats can help attract guests to your establishment during the low season
Offering wellness retreats can help attract guests to your establishment during the low season

Creating Enticing Packages During Hospitality Management Careers

Enticing packages can also be a great way to lure in guests who might otherwise wait a month or two to book their vacation. Bundling spa services, tours with local travel companies, and meals into an affordable package can help give guests added bang for their buck, and encourage them to book a stay.

A package complete with spa services could be the perfect treat for many travellers
A package complete with spa services could be the perfect treat for many travellers

There’s also another important benefit to grouping services into alluring packages. Offering discounted room rates on their own can help draw in guests in the short term. However, by offering rooms at a discount, an establishment can end up getting guests used to the lower prices, and make them less inclined to pay full price for a stay. In extreme cases, it could even change the way they perceive the value of your establishment. Packages help to hide the specific discounts that have been applied to room prices. This in turn helps draw in guests while not unintentionally harming your establishment’s brand.

Attracting Business Travellers, Retirees, and Other Off-Season Guests

Another way to boost revenue during the off-season is to target those who are most likely to travel any time of year. Retirees, for example, might find it easier to book a trip for the middle of the week or during the off-season. Business travellers will also be booking accommodations regardless of the weather or season, which can make them a great source of revenue any time of year.

Business travellers can keep an establishment booked and busy all year long!
Business travellers can keep an establishment booked and busy all year long!

To attract these guests, graduates of a hospitality business course need to keep their specific needs in mind. Business travellers are known for prizing efficiency, so making check-in fast and easy, offering quick and healthy meal options, and making sure that your establishment’s website is mobile-friendly can all help entice these busy travellers.

For those looking to attract retirees, on the other hand, the perfect strategy could be quite different. This demographic might be less likely to book online, and might be more interested in lengthy and luxurious meals. By knowing the needs of the guests you wish to attract, and offering the services and experiences they want most, you can help keep your establishment busy at all times of the year!

Are you interested in completing hospitality courses in Vancouver?

Discover the programs available at Eton College!