Five Ways to Maximize Your Hotel Exposure During Black Friday and Cyber Monday 

The holidays are a prime time for holiday shoppers and online sales. Millions of guests turn to the web on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to score the biggest discounts of the year. 

Companies rely on huge advertising campaigns to capture these shoppers and stay ahead of the competition during these peak times. Campaigns can cost upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars leading up to Thanksgiving week. As Marketing Dive reports, Black Friday-related advertising commands around 25% of retailers’ total advertising budgets.

The proof of the power of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) is in the numbers. A whopping 76% of consumers will be engaged in some way with  BFCM this year, and 43% of shoppers plan to use BFCM to purchase gifts for friends and family (and themselves), according to the digital publisher, Future Publishing. Despite inflation and rising costs, two in five shoppers are expecting their online shopping budget to increase this holiday season. Travel spending, in particular, will soar this holiday season, back to pre-pandemic levels, according to Commerce Signals. Hotel spending alone is projected to increase by 29%.

With such optimistic numbers being forecasted, there is a great opportunity for your hotel to enhance its online presence and exposure. Most hotels and hotel restaurants are listed on marketplaces or OTA such as Expedia, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, etc. This provides them the opportunity to take advantage of the high-dollar marketing campaigns of these companies and leverage the increased traffic to their listings during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

Here are five ways to maximize your BFCM exposure on these various travel and dining websites, to help bring in the most amount of incremental revenue to your hotel’s bottom line:

1. Refresh your hotel listing with seasonal images or videos. It may be an old adage, but one picture is really worth 1,000 words. Online competition is more fierce than ever. Make your hotel stand out with seasonal photos of holiday displays, themed food and beverage offerings, and unique experiences. Take advantage of the audience of the marketplace by including promotional videos of your holiday events to drive more ticket sales.

2. Create packages that boost your bottom line across multiple hotel assets. Customize your offerings to include value adds or discounts to other assets at your property - including spa offerings, shopping, activities, dining, and your special events. Add in special holiday massages for couples, complimentary food and beverage specialty items, discount on activities for kids, and other services and experiences that guests can enjoy and share with one another. This will not only add value and entice more guests, but it will also create more exposure and revenue for your spa, restaurants, and other assets. 

3. Update your descriptions to include information about upcoming events and holiday experiences. Shoppers today are looking for a unique experience that they can share with their loved ones. Adding a short description and dates of upcoming events on your hotel listings is not only great exposure for the events but showcases the unique experience during the holidays at your hotel. Most marketplaces provide customer service teams or dedicated account managers to assist with managing your page and help make any updates.  Remember to set a reminder to make updates before and after events so your information is always up-to-date.

4. Showcase seasonal food and beverage creations. Create holiday treats, meals, and craft cocktails that reflect the joys of the seasons. Since holidays are often synonymous with family, remember to show new F&B offerings that appeal to all age groups. Don’t leave out showcasing clever foods and delicious alcohol-free cocktails for the kids. Add links to your online menus directly in your hotel listings and update your photos with your new gourmet creations.

5. Ramp up your guest reviews on your various listing sites. With the enormous amount of new viewers, make sure to boost your hotel reviews across all your various listing sites. According to Podium, 93% of users have made buying decisions based on an online review. Encourage your current guests to share their experience online via social media or more importantly, via reviews.  

Enjoy the fruits of BFCM and watch the holiday cheer grow and multiply in the form of enhanced revenues and greater exposure to the traveling and shopping public. Happy holidays!   

About ResortPass 

ResortPass partners with more than 900 leading hotels and resorts including Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Four Seasons, and Fairmont. We’ve connected over 1.6 million locals and visitors alike to resort amenities since our founding in 2016, making rest more mindful, togetherness more meaningful, and escape more accessible by weaving relaxation and luxury into everyday life.