How to Generate Last Minute Bookings

Being fully booked all year around is the dream of every hotelier. In reality most places have slow seasons which require increased marketing efforts.

last-minute-hotel-bookings

The good news is: The last-minute market is emerging. More and more people travel with mobiles, tablets or laptops and use these to book on the go. These tips can help you generate last minute bookings.

Have Last Minute Pricing
Everybody loves a good deal.  Special last-minute deals can trigger more bookings. With more people booking at short notice such a strategy can help optimising occupancy rates.

Promote Deals
Publish your deals on social media. Use good #hashtags so your information can be found and encourage your followers to spread the word. Newsletters and Email marketing are cost effective tools to promote your lodging to previous and potential guests. Show last minute deals on your web site and make sure potential guests can book directly online.

Be Mobile
A growing proportion of last minute bookings are made from mobile devices. If your web site and booking engine are not mobile friendly you might miss out on direct last minute bookings.

List on OTA´s
Big portals receive large amounts of website traffic. Several OTA´s including Booking.com and Expedia have launched special same-day booking services. Therefore listing on portals is an easy way to fill last minute bookings. If you are using third-party booking channels a channel manager can help you manage your rates and inventory.

What can Beds24 do for you?

  • With Beds24 you can create multiple rates, discounts and special offers. Even fine tuning your prices on a daily basis is possible.
  • The Beds24 booking page is mobile friendly. You can promote up to three special offers along with your standard rate. Guest can book directly and commission free from any device.
  • A guest database makes it easy to keep track of all previous guests for marketing and other purposes.
  • The channel manager makes it easy to manage multiple booking channels. Administrating your business on one secure platform not only saves time but also reduces the risk of overbookings.