This document provides 7 tips for attracting more bookings during the off-season: 1) Identify your low season and target guests, 2) Leverage existing customer and lead databases, 3) Update property listings to focus on the low season, 4) Adjust policies like cancellation to attract bookings, 5) Make weekdays more attractive with deals but avoid over-discounting, 6) Add amenities that convert well during the low season, and 7) Consider adding property types that appeal to low season travelers. The presentation was created by Booking.com for industry partners to help boost bookings when occupancy is normally lower.

1. 7 ways to attract more
bookings in the off-season
Mieke van den Nouland & Thibault Masson

2. Agenda: Actionable tips from your industry
1. What is your low season? Who is your guest?
2. Leverage your customer and lead base.
3. Effectively update your listings.
4. Craft low season policies.
5. Make weekdays attractive. But do not over-discount.
6. Add amenities that convert well in the low season.
7. Add, to your portfolio, properties that attract low season travelers.

3. How we built this presentation for you at VRMA
Mieke van den Nouland,
Booking Home Manager EMEA
Thibault Masson
Product Marketing Manager

4. What is your low season? Who is your guest?

5. What is your low season?
Stayed vs. Booked

6. What is your low season?
Stayed vs. Booked

7. Does low season differ per nationality?

8. What can you do to attract specific nationalities?
• Know their preferences
https://doyouspeaktouriste.
fr/chinois.php
• Get on international platforms
• Note down Golden Week dates

9. Leverage forecasting tools
Booking.com Pace report - Upcoming Paris events, 2017 vs 2018

10. Leverage forecasting tools
HomeAway MarketMaker

11. Leverage your lead and customer bases.

12. Get future direct bookings by looking back
• Past Guests who had stayed at your properties in the
low season (email special offer?)
• People who had enquired, but did not book
• Ask for referrals from previous guests and make it
worthwhile to them (gift?)

13. Grab your phone, see remarketing in action!

14. Example from our industry: Vacation Rental Event
• Customer List
• Aged 18+
• in Amsterdam
NOT JUST « VISITORS » ! / PROPERTIES I’VE VISITED
<<

15. Matching a list of past contacts into Facebook

16. Uploading your contact list to target them

17. Effectively update your listings.
Make it seasonally relevant.

18. Update main photos to influence Look to Book

19. Seasonal options to make your property attractive.

20. Craft low season policies.

21. Same dates, same place, 4 prices
Low price, yes, but non-refundable price and no breakfast included

22. Test: Is more flexibility better than lower price?
Guests have more negotiation power in low season.
• Simple:
• Become more attractive to guests by offering more flexibility
• e.g. Free cancellation until 2 weeks before arrival
• Advanced:
• Set up 2 cancellation policies running at the same time
• No flexibility can work with last minute bookings: Non-
refundable prices that are at least 10% cheaper seem to
convert well close to arrival

23. Policy can be a change in your procedures.
Do you have more time in the low season?
Lower chance of cancellation by getting more personal.
‘Every time we get a booking, we always send them an
email to say thank you for the booking and things like that.’
- Booking.com Partner, Wales, UK

24. Make weekdays attractive.
Make them bookable, but do not over discount.

25. Personal experience: really not available?

26. Be flexible on your arrival days
Pula region - Croatia
Market average | apartmentsProperty Manager X

27. Only create a deal when you get incremental business
• When do guests book normally? (lead time)
• How strict am I normally on cancellations? (policies)
• How many nights is the average booking? (length of stay)
Get some (free) marketing
in return!

28. 2x more revenue for a PMC in Portugal
Changed free cancellation policy from 30 days -> 7 days

29. Convince your
home owners
- not booked?
Be available for last
minute bookings

30. Add amenities that convert well in the low season.

31. Amenities that create more value
Hot Tub, in Autumn, for couples = Good idea

32. Use OTA tools to mention important amenities
Example of the Booking.com Content Score: The higher, the more
chance to attract bookings. Based on experiments!

33. Add, to your portfolio, properties that attract low
season travelers.

34. How about attracting business travelers?
Airbnb Business Travel Ready

36. Conclusion: Test out for yourself!
• Try, mix and match solutions
• Learn from your peers, from channel managers and from OTAs (Network at VRMA!)
• Visit the nice people at the Booking.com ;-)

37. Thank you!
Visit us at our booth!
Mieke van den Nouland & Thibault Masson