Great Marketing Creates Tremendous Memories and More Business!

While hundreds of hotels still struggle for heads on beds, one keen marketing/sales manager and a general manager identified a cool idea in the spirit of one couples wedding anniversary. While it did not sell out their hotel, it did create a “Wow effect”, got loads of publicity and rekindled the spirit between two youngsters of 60 years. After reading the article published in the New York Daily News, the Waldorf Astoria did the unimaginable – sell one of its luxurious suites for a whopping $26.72, (a room that normally draws revenue in the amount of $600 - $800 a night). Now it’s no doubt nostalgic, sentimental and a huge wedding gift to the couple, but how many other hotels could learn from this magical evening?

I get emails frequently requesting new ideas for marketing and sale plans to increase hotel occupancy in various given locations. Every hotel has a target market. Budget, mid-scale, up-scale, luxury, small, large, European, Bed-n-Breakfast, lodge, branded, non-branded, urban, metro, downtown, highway, secluded, suburb, city, mountain, shoreline … the list goes on. And in that broad spectrum, we develop our customers from different segments such as group business, associations, corporate, travel and leisure all encompassing of local, in state, out of state and of foreign origin. Ideas can do a lot to draw attention to your crowd and raise potential business. In the case of Waldorf, a couple who had stayed there 60 years ago used the event and celebration to draw such a wonderful marketing piece.

How many Sales Directors or General Managers look through the guest history to find guests who had stayed just one or two nights, call and discover they came for a special event – or to simply invite them back? Now finding guests that stayed over 20 years ago, may not apply or be practical – they may not even show up in your guest history for that matter or your property may only be 7-10 years old. But, it seems that most sales efforts place a lot of focus on new and recent business, which I highly encourage. On the other hand, there’s a good chance hotels are missing the customers that stayed one night for that 20 year reunion, or graduation, the birth of a grand-baby, or the marriage that started a life of bliss. A tremendous way to market is to search and conquer those customers who have been to your property and help them find an upcoming event or celebration that you could help in making another memorable experience. Waldorf could have charged the couple normal rates for the suite or provide a reduced rate for a more standard room, but identified the true marketability in helping the couple re-kindle an event, plus received great publicity for it.

Other ideas to raise occupancy would be to throw a celebration of your own, like an “open house” party, inviting old guests, new guests, chamber members, the mayor, news reporters, city employees, all to stay at your property where you throw in music, special foods, a BBQ, and goody bags with local vendor samples of interesting stuff … creativity goes a long way. A cool and interesting read with plenty of ideas is located online “Hotels Book Unusual Events to Draw in the Public” by Julie Weed, at www.ehotelier.com.

So, take a page from Waldorf Astoria and get crackin’ on new ideas that are sure to improve your occupancy, revenue and marketability. Have a fantastic week!