It’s official: travelers are booking holiday vacations more now than ever before.
The number of people flying from late November through December this year is set to meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels, according to NPR, and US hotel leisure travel revenue is projected to end the year at 14% above 2019 levels.
For independent accommodation and multi-property owners, these statistics can be double-edged. If travelers are spending more on plane tickets, they may be more likely to skimp on accommodations – and while you might see your customer base grow around the holidays, you may also find it more challenging to grab their attention, as travelers are faced with more options for unique accommodations than ever before.
Here are 3 ways to beat out the competition by getting your property in front of as many potential customers as possible — just in time for the holiday surge.
Automate your holiday pricing adjustments
With eviivo Promo Manager, you can create rules to automatically adjust rates for in-demand special events and set up competitive discounts on your website.
Whether your ideal guests are visiting loved ones for the holidays or getting in a much-needed vacation over Thanksgiving or Christmas break, you can appeal to them with dynamic pricing automation that will show when demand is high or availability is close to filling up.
These rules can apply to your entire business or specifically to certain channels and room types.
Encourage direct bookings with special offers
If you want travelers to book directly with you, make web promotion a priority.
Create a stunning website that is SEO and mobile-friendly with eviivo Website Manager, and use Promo Manager to gain access to a wide array of promo tools, including early bird, was/now pricing and more. You also can target your optimal audience with unique promo codes that will entice them to choose your property over others.
For instance, you can share a holiday code on your website for site visitors during a small window of time. This is a smart way to not only drive traffic to your site but also encourage repeat visitors who will keep an eye out for your next deal.
Advertise your promotions on Online Travel Agencies
Listing on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) is great as it can help you get more direct bookings; check out our data on this.
You can make your listings stand out even more by creating exclusive segmented promos for different OTA users. For example, you could promote a discount to someone who uses a major OTA’s loyalty program, or offer a discount exclusively to mobile users.
Because eviivo works with all the leading OTAs, including Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, you can decide which channels and agencies will have access to your targeted promos — and manage them all on one platform.