As Valentine’s Day draws near, the hotel industry is slowly preparing for this huge event. Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity for hoteliers to attract new guests, as well as re-engage their previous visitors.
With a pre-established strategy including special offers and themed incentives, your hotel could easily be the first choice for many guests during Valentine’s Day.
Luckily, there are many Valentine’s Day marketing ideas for hotels to utilize and ensure that people will want to spend this romantic day as your guests.
Don’t turn to traditional strategies, they are dull and unexciting. Look to provide an unforgettable experience filled with romance to make this day special for your guests.
Not all potential guests are the same
One of the reasons why a lot of hotels have slim success for Valentine’s Day is because they target all of their potential guests in the same way. They simply adjust their offers for this day and communicate, sell, and market to all of their customers the same way.
Even though it’s true that Valentine’s Day is the same for everyone, it doesn’t mean that everyone wants the same thing or should be approached in the same way. Use your hotel software to quickly go through the customer database and segment people into different categories including:
- Loyal customers that repeatedly book a stay at your hotel.
- Guests that stayed at your hotel on last Valentine’s Day.
- People that almost booked their stay at one point but dropped out.
- Highest paying guests.
- People who’ve never stayed at your hotel.
Provide room décor as per guest’s choice
Offer all the Valentine’s Day guests extras during their stay. Some of the extras you can add to your rooms include fruits, chocolate, wine, candles, rose petals, complimentary breakfast, massages, and so on. Offer something special and give your guests the option to choose what extras they want and tailor it to their personal requirements.
Another important thing about this event is the present. You can incorporate presents within your “extras service” by helping guests buy their presents with you and have them prepared for their stay.
Around 31% of people prefer buying Valentine’s Day presents online, so why not provide this alongside your online hotel software with a mobile-friendly booking system.
Additionally, people who buy presents in-store might consider this option as well, since most people buy similar things, including candy, romantic events, jewelry, flowers, clothing, certificates, gift cards, and so on. This means that you can offer all the “common” options and that they could be really appealing.
Host various Valentine-themed events
Couples want to feel special during Valentine’s and they want to make the whole day special. This is why for most people room decor, presents, and decorations simply aren’t enough. You need to add various events for this day to make your offer even better and promise that Valentine’s day magic everyone is looking for.
For example, you can offer private breakfasts, lunch, and dinners. A lot of people want to be alone on this day and avoid being in a room full of other lovesick couples. Many people would like private dining options and if you have a large garden, you can set up tables there and create an intimate atmosphere.
Another idea is to offer cooking classes for couples. You can either hire a famous chef or have your cooking staff help couples prepare romantic meals or cook for them and have it delivered to their room. Try and find things that will help your guests feel enchanted by their love and help them renew their passion on this magical day.
Spread the word about your specials through appropriate channels
The best Valentine’s Day marketing ideas for hotels are performed online. A survey from 2017 shows that 88% of people in the United States prefer to book hotels online. When it comes to Valentine’s Day, nothing changes, people still find it convenient to book a hotel online.
This means that they will be looking for information in their emails, newsletters, social media, and online searches. This is why every hotel needs to promote additional online activity weeks before the event itself to try and reach as many guests as possible.
Send emails, talk to your audiences on social media, and share special offers, run new online advertising campaigns, and talk to your community about what they want for this special day. This is one of those rare periods where a lot of people will actively be looking for a place to stay, so make sure that you make the most of this opportunity.
Don’t miss out on this emotionally charged event and make sure to adopt these strategies, as they will bring in p help you win over new customers.