Midweek occupancy is a tough one for hoteliers. It’s often just a fraction of your weekend performance or completely non-existent.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be like this. Midweek bookings can be sought and gained, and in greater numbers than you might think.

Here are five tips that’ll help you build a solid midweek booking strategy for the future.

1. Keep in mind the target audience

Chances are, you’re not going to attract lots of romantic getaways during the week. Nor are many families likely to pass through your doors unless it’s during the school holidays.

The target audience for your midweek breaks will fall into a few categories:

  • travelling business people
  • retired baby boomers
  • travelling millennials

Keep the personas of those groups in mind (there might be more – have a brainstorm). Where are you likely to find them (for instance, tour groups might give you access to each of the groups we’ve listed)? What type of rates and packages will pique their interest?

2. Start working those email addresses

If you’ve got a decent property management system (PMS) in place, you’ll almost certainly be capturing email addresses.

Are you doing anything with them?

It’s a classic mistake: collecting email addresses but neglecting to use them for marketing purposes.

What if, behind those email addresses were midweek guests who simply need a tempting offer to place a booking?

Get those lists working today by signing up to an email marketing platform and segmenting the data you have in your PMS.

3. Offer a midweek break as a prize

People love contests, and they love prizes which offer genuine value.

If you’re struggling to improve midweek occupancy, you can kill two birds with one stone by offering a midweek break as a prize.

By running a contest on social media (Facebook and Twitter make this super easy and engaging), you’ll not only gain a midweek booking, but also place your hotel in the spotlight. You never know who might be watching.

4. Speak to your local friends

If you have restaurants or other tourist attractions nearby, make a point of speaking to them about the possibility of teaming up to offer tempting midweek experiences.

By combining your accommodation offering with a guaranteed table at one of the best local restaurants or a discounted round of golf at a nearby course, you may start to see midweek numbers rise.

5. Promote midweek weddings

Getting married on a Saturday is so yesterday. And that’s great news for hoteliers, because it means you can satisfy the increasing need to host weddings during the week.

It’s a win-win: you gain several midweek bookings and the soon-to-be-wed couple slash the cost of getting married.

Every little helps these days, and you could set yourself apart by highlighting the benefits of booking a midweek wedding at your hotel.

Wrapping up

Midweek occupancy is something you’ll master, in time. And that’s the one thing to keep in mind; there’s no silver bullet.

A consistent approach to the above strategies is what’s needed to create a sustainable, reliable source of midweek bookings.

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CMS Hospitality holds over 30 years of experience in delivering hospitality software solutions. GuestCentrix offers the most complete solution in hospitality software, whether you’re running a hotel, a resort or a hostel. Our highly experienced support and installations team holds a unique understanding of the hospitality industry and will aim to provide software that suits your property’s needs.

Call us today at (+61) 2 9440 9711, or email us at sales@cmshospitality.com. We will be happy to guide you to the GuestCentrix solution that’s right for you.