When you are in the hotel management business, increasing hotel bookings for your hotel is your number one priority. You want your hotel to be a popular destination for all weary travelers, known for its excellent customer service and top notch amenities. While your first thought might be to lower room rates,  that might only work temporarily, but not as a long term solution. It is not likely you will be able to book enough rooms to offset the lost revenue. There are other strategies that are better at creating demand and improving for brand awareness.

Here are some strategies for boosting hotel bookings for your hotel:

1. Offer special packages

By packaging rooms with other hotel services like fitness classes and beauty and spa treatments, not only are you making your hotel more appealing to potential customers, you are also encouraging the use of extra amenities that your guests might not have thought of taking advantage of otherwise.

2. Capitalize on your location

Location. Location. Location. Location is just as important to hotel management as it is to real estate. Hopefully when choosing the location for your hotel, you thought a lot about geography and what hot spots and attractions you would be close too. If you are near popular tourist attractions, cool shopping districts or entertainment hubs, then see if you can collaborate with them on some promotional work. Besides emphasizing these attractions on your website and print promotional materials, you can also use advertisements and editorials to emphasize how convenient it would be for guests interested in these attractions to stay with you during their visit.

3. Create mailing lists to stay in touch with former guests

Once a guest has stayed with you, you want them to continue to come back and make your hotel their preferred choice when staying nearby. One way to do that is to stay in touch with monthly emails where you keep them updated on upcoming special events, discounts and any improvements made to the facilities.

4. Grow your midday bookings

The weekends and holidays are usually easy to book because a lots of people are looking to get away for some rest and relaxation. Traditionally, however, midweek bookings tend to lag. If you are looking to increase your bookings overall, a boost to the number of hotel guests staying midweek can really help your numbers.

One way to do that is to offer special packages and discounts that can only be used midweek. A family might decide to stay on a Tuesday and a Wednesday instead of on the weekend if they know that they could save money. You can also create special events like conferences and poetry readings to draw bigger crowds during the week. Encourage local companies to rent out your open area spaces for their special events as well.

5. The way to the heart is through the stomach

While comfortable, clean, spacious rooms are the most important qualities of any hotel, hotel cuisine and drinks can also attract guests. Hotels known for great restaurants and a number of food and drink specials will often rate more overnight guests.

6. Be wedding-friendly

Hotel weddings have become more popular overtime because of the convenience of having the ceremony and reception all in one location and that guests can easily stay over at the end of the festivities. Think about which of your public spaces are conducive to hosting a wedding party and promote them with local wedding planners.

7. Make it easier for your guests to extend their stay

While being booked to the gills might make you appear to be the most sought after hotel in the area, it also makes it more difficult for your valued customers to extend their stay when they are having a good time. If your guests know that they don’t have to jump through a lot of hoops to keep their room for a few more days, they will be more likely to take advantage of it. Make sure they know about the option when they first check in.

8. Have a strong internet presence

With smart technology, most people are constantly tuned into what is happening on the internet, especially social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. These are perfect ways to stay engaged with your guests by letting them know about the latest going-ons at your hotel and by answering any of their questions. You should always also direct potential guests to your website for more information. Make sure that the site is free of any grammar mistakes and that it is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. A blog attached to your website is another great way to provide your potential guests with helpful information and to keep them engaged.

9. Respond to customer review sites

Whether the reviews are positive or negative, it is important to show your guests that how they feel is important. If they had a bad experience, you should offer them some sort of discount or special package to encourage them to give your hotel another try. For those who leave positive reviews, thank them and mention new events or packages that are coming up. The best part is that everyone on that comment thread will see what you post as well, driving even more business.

10. The personal touch can go a long way

No matter if you are big or small hotel, a part of a hotel chain or a unique boutique type hotel, one-on-one interaction with your guests is important in hotel management. Make sure you hire staff that are talented people-pleasers who know the importance of remembering names and guest’s individual needs and desires. Guests will always keep coming back to hotels where they know that they will be treated as a member of the family and not just another name on the hotel registry.

All of these strategies can help you boost the bookings at your hotel. Growing your business will be a lot easier as long as you always keeps your guests’ needs at the center of every strategy.