More low-season bookings without losing margin
The nature of tourism means that most holiday let owners and managers depend heavily on income from the busiest seasons of the year, because tourism is highly seasonal.
Yet something that is understandable is not necessarily desirable. This is one of the differences between holiday lets that succeed over time and those that struggle as soon as an obstacle appears. What makes the difference? In particular, how shoulder and low season are managed.
For this reason, we recommend never writing off bookings during these parts of the year.
Fortunately, there are now many ways to increase bookings for your holiday let during shoulder and low season.
What are they? In this article, we share 7 essential tips to increase your accommodation’s shoulder- and low-season bookings. Read on to discover them.
7 tips for increasing holiday let bookings during shoulder and low season
1. Define your shoulder and low seasons
When does low season begin for your property? When does high season start? Do you have a shoulder season? The answers depend on your property’s location and the guests who stay there.
As an owner, your task is to understand and clearly define your accommodation’s low-season dates. Only then can you put an effective strategy in place for those months.
2. Adjust your prices
Low season is real: demand varies with the destination, calendar and reason for travelling. Adjusting prices may help, but it cannot create sufficient demand on its own. Before discounting, consider which travellers you can serve and what margin you would retain.
One of the best strategies is to adjust your apartment’s rates. However, finding the right price can be difficult. A rate that is too high will put off most travellers, but cutting prices too far can be counterproductive.
How should you approach pricing in low and shoulder season? Start by looking at the competition.
Search for holiday lets similar to yours on platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo to see the prices being offered.
Another useful approach is to track hotel rates on online travel agencies throughout the year, so you can see what percentage discounts they apply to off-season bookings.
In our view, however, the best strategy is to use a dynamic pricing tool. These applications adjust prices automatically throughout the year according to demand, competition and other criteria you set.
As well as saving time, you may also improve your property’s profitability.
3. Reduce the minimum stay
Shoulder and low season are popular times for weekend breaks, but attracting these travellers requires some flexibility.
One of the best strategies is to reduce the minimum stay at your accommodation, making it more appealing to a wider range of travellers. It would be a shame to leave the apartment empty simply because you do not accept bookings of fewer than 3 or 4 nights.
4. Run offers and promotions
To attract more booking enquiries, you could offer three nights for the price of two, or a week for the price of four nights. Promotions like these can help fill your calendar faster than you might expect.
At the same time, special offers provide a reason to contact previous guests or people whose initial interest did not turn into a booking.
5. Understand your customers
If you already have experience of shoulder and low season, another option is to review bookings for the same period in previous years to identify the guests who stay during these months.
You may find they are older travellers who value peace and avoiding crowds, couples seeking a romantic weekend or perhaps groups of younger travellers looking for a few enjoyable days away.
Once you know whom you want to attract in shoulder and low season, how can you make your apartment appealing? Put yourself in your guests’ shoes. Are they older travellers? Prioritise comfort. Are they couples?
Read more: How to use revenue management to improve your holiday let’s returns.
Describe nearby intimate venues and places for a romantic evening in your listing. Is it a group of younger travellers?
Make sure the Wi-Fi, television and sound system work properly.
6. Remember public holidays
Low season includes plenty of public holidays. Bookings often rise naturally around these dates, as travellers use the time to take a break from everyday life.
There are also dates that are not public holidays but still offer potential for holiday lets. These include Black Friday, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, which can provide opportunities to encourage bookings.
Remember that making the most of these occasions requires preparation. A calendar of the year’s special dates is the best way to stay informed.
When one of these dates approaches, you will be ready to launch a promotion or offer guests an exclusive discount.
Check whether the increase in bookings justifies the cost of the campaign. A promotion can increase occupancy while reducing returns if discounts, commissions or changeover costs are too high.
7. Give people reasons to visit the area
If your holiday apartment is on the beachfront, most bookings probably arrive in summer. Consider what else the area offers that visitors can enjoy in winter.
Another example is accommodation in mountain areas. Many properties depend in winter on visitors to the nearest ski resort.
However, summer offers opportunities too: you could focus on ecotourism, slow travel, mountain biking or climbing.
Find local events, festivals and activities of interest, and tell potential guests about them through your website, holiday rental listings, social media and emails.
We hope this article has helped. If you still have questions, another low-season tip or an experience you would like to share, please contact us.
At Alehost, we will be happy to help with whatever you need.
A discount that preserves your margin
Illustrative example: three nights at €100 generate €300 in accommodation revenue. A three-for-two promotion reduces this to €200. If the channel charges 15% and variable costs for the stay are €75, €95 remains to cover fixed costs and contribute to the result, compared with €180 without the promotion. This is not net profit, and your actual figures will depend on your operation.
The decision also depends on the likelihood of selling those dates without a discount. Compare the expected outcome and avoid applying promotions to every booking by default.
What to check each week
- Enquiries and bookings for each date range.
- Average rate, average length of stay and acquisition cost by channel.
- Gaps created by minimum-stay requirements and the realistic chance of selling them.
- Promotion margins and reasons for cancellations.
- Information missing from the listing for your target traveller.
If you are considering a different type of stay, review the contractual model and requirements for that use. A quiet season does not automatically turn a tourist booking into a mid-term rental.
