With winter very nearly almost upon us (how did that happen?) hoteliers are turning their attention towards planning for Quarter 4, and everything that entails. As well as the key dates to push, like Cyber Weekend, Christmas and January sales, how else can you increase your revenue? Through vouchers.
People are still catching up with each other after over a year of uncertainty and wavering lockdowns. As well as occasions missed, people are putting more emphasis on collective experiences, and they also know that a hotel gift voucher is a great gift their loved ones can use in our increasingly confident and vaccinated environment. The government is also considering reintroducing the stay and spend scheme – watch this space!
We have noted voucher sales to be strong all year. August was a particularly strong month (and it is not usually a month we would see such healthy voucher sales). In the Republic of Ireland, we noted voucher sales increased by 53% and in the North of Ireland, they increased by 75%.
Why vouchers?
There are so many missed moments and special occasions to catch up on – anecdotally, we could exchange travel/getaway plans we’ve discussed or even the experiences we’ve recently had to make up for lost time with friends and family (in fact, the phrases ‘make up travel’ and ‘revenge travel’ have even been coined to describe the act of making up for lost travel time).
As confidence grows continues to grow, (and after people have ventured out for their first trip and they realise it’s all gone okay) they’re clearly more likely to book more trips themselves, and also to consider a gift for friends or family which will involve them taking a trip. With hotels becoming more savvy with how they market and communicate their attractive features, amenities, grounds and safety measures to a post-Covid customer (safety is key – and so is outdoor!)
Purchasing a hotel voucher is clearly giving guests the opportunity to gift experiences that have been lost. This is clearly why we’re still seeing such strong voucher sales – there’s a lot of time to make up for.
A hassle-free gift
Hotel vouchers are thoughtful, decadent, exciting, and also completely hassle-free. Your customer can purchase their voucher easily online, without having to pop in anywhere. They have a gift for their loved one within seconds. With our attention having been brought back to the simpler and more thoughtful things, why don’t you encourage customers to accompany their voucher with an email or a card? This adds sentiment and emotional value to the gift.
Supporting each other
Another attractive thing for customers to consider before buying a voucher for your hotel is that they’re supporting local, and by doing so, are contributing to the future health of our economy. Buying local is important to customers and it’s important for our communities, too.
What are the benefits for your hotel?
- You can build your vouchers with added value & credit. They will contribute to your cash flow
- You can build unique packages and experiences that people will crave – think about who your customers are in this post-pandemic world
- They give your customers flexibility in the future, rather than pre selecting dates in months to come – still an attractive feature
- They allow you to cross sell your property & each outlet within your hotel – whether it’s dining, the spa, the health club, an overnight break or golf, you can hone in on whatever it is your hotel offers that you’d like to highlight
- You can categorise your vouchers for key dates, and then build your vouchers to match perfectly
- You can personalise your vouchers, make them stand out more for your customers
- You can be rest assured you’re safe in our hands when it comes to email delivery & secure automatic payment options
- It’s more important than ever to continue to market your hotel online. This is a strong way to help keep your presence consistent and accessible
If you would like to learn more about our online gift voucher platform for hotels, take a look here.
This blog was updated to reflect new data on 30th September 2021
