With July school holidays providing a wee boost to accommodation providers and the imminent start of the FIFA Women's World Cup, winter could well be a bit busier for many! This month we have some exciting initiatives and insights to share, including:
Put aside just 1 hour a month for "Tourism Tech Talks" - 4 FREE webinars aimed to increase your knowledge about digital marketing and hosted by our Tomahawk tourism marketing experts.
July Webinar: Social Media Marketing
Hosted by Gina Paladini and our subject expert Jaimee Beck, learn the latest tips and strategies to boost your social media engagement.
How did June bookings go for you? If you wish to compare your own trends with other ResBook users, our latest Booking Intelligence data reflects the following:
Booking volumes in June remained steady, similar to both April and May. However the average booking value was down 30% compared to May. This could align with most June bookings having a shorter lead time when rates are lower in winter.
Interestingly, direct website bookings in June increased to 19% of all bookings compared to 13% in May and the YTD average of 15%.
Overall, the average booking value YTD for 2023 is down 16% compared to 2022, and at 74% of the 2019 average booking value. Inflationary pressures could now be having an impact on how much travellers are willing to spend.
Booking volumes YTD are up nearly 3% from 2022, and are at 72% of the same period for 2019.
Tips & Tricks using ResBook to increase your winter bookings and average booking value are below!
ResBook Tools to Increase Occupancy in Low Season 🛠️
For many accommodation increasing occupancy over the winter months is a challenge. Here are some built-in ResBook tools to help!
Promo codes are a great away to set up limited time offers combined with online campaigns
You can customise your own Guest Booking Form, consider using Services & Add On's to upsell extras in the booking process to boost the booking value
Can't find something in the Knowledge Base? Get in touch with Client Services, we'd be happy to help 👍🏼
Customer Spotlight: St Leonards Vineyard Cottages
Jonathan and Natashya found their dream lifestyle in Blenheim in the wonderfully relaxed atmosphere of St Leonards Vineyard!
We enjoy our partnership with the team at St Leonards, which includes not only ResBook and the Booking Engine, but also their website and gift voucher module.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for this season?
Jonathan & Natashya: Our biggest challenge going into the next season will be ensuring we maintain a good work/life balance. This includes staff wellbeing and family time!
What is one piece of advice you would give someone who is looking to start an accommodation business?
Jonathan & Natashya: Make your guests' experience your priority. Be innovative and brave, think of new ways of doing things. Make friends in the industry, they will support you and be able to give you advice on your journey. And most importantly have fun!
ResBook: What is one of your favourite functions/features of ResBook and why?
Jonathan & Natashya: We love that Resbook has a function to store the different agent details that we work with. This makes it easy for invoicing as well as keeping their information up to date.
ResBook: What is one of your favourite guest stories?
Jonathan & Natashya: We are very lucky to have wonderful guests from all around the world visit us. It is hard to pick a favourite guest experience! We have many returning guests, some of which spent their honeymoon at St Leonards and now return annually to celebrate!
Our favourite feedback that we receive from guests is that we have been one of their favourite stays whilst on their New Zealand getaway, as well as exceeding their expectations with the cottages, grounds and friendly service our team provides.
Get Your Business in the Spotlight! 🔦
Any ResBook customer is invited to participate in our spotlight series! Your spotlight will be featured in our newsletter, published in the spotlight & blog sections of our website, and shared on our LinkedIn & Facebook pages!
All you need to do is answer 4 questions and we will do the rest!
This email inbox is monitored 7 days a week so rest assured urgent emails will be identified quickly.
PLEASE NOTE: It is important to reserve the use of URGENT only for critical issues that immediately impact on your business taking revenue, so that our support team can react to priority issues promptly 😊
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