Open-dated accommodation vouchers to the rescue!

Cash is King. So when you operate a hotel in the Caribbean, how can you generate more, at a time when international tourists are a little uneasy about jumping on a plane, because of you-know-what? Here's how the team at RCD Hotels managing four Hard Rock Hotels generated over $1M in new revenue over the summer.

The team understood that lowering their prices will only take them so far. No matter the discount, some people will still be too anxious to jump on the plane right now. But luckily, this is not actually required for hotels to generate cash flow at all.

Instead, the RCD team decided to start selling open-dated accommodation vouchers: generating cash now that it's needed the most, redeemable anytime within 12 months of purchase. Brilliant!

They created all-inclusive accommodation packages ranging from 3 to 7 days, with optional upgrades. Prices were set to remain the same throughout each quarter. They were the cheapest for travel closest to the beginning of the pandemic when everything was in flux and increased each quarter as we found our way in the 'new normal'.

The team understood this stability opened up new marketing opportunities. To showcase all offers in one place, they asked Hotel Treats to create a branded online shop, which was quickly integrated to the main menus of their websites. Marketing was expertly planned and flawlessly executed by the dream-team of Mara Dias, Cyntia Candelas, and Carolina Pérez De Jesús. It included a "Save Now, Travel Later" campaign, promoted via SEM, social media, newsletter and more. All resulting in a flurry of direct bookings at the most unlikely time. Kudos!

The branded online shop we created proved the perfect tool for managing these sales. It created beautiful landing pages perfect for creative marketing, allowed the team to stay in control of the numbers and manage voucher redemption.

Would this be useful at your hotel? Find out more about what we do here or request a demo to discuss the details.