Last Minute Road Trips and One-day Adventures Are the Rage. How Can Your Community or Hotel Property Make the Most out of It?
Travel industry experts are saying the year of the last minute road trip is here. Getting your property or destination properly positioned will be critical. We’ve assembled some ideas and suggestions to help you make the most of the new normal of travel.
USA Today shared an article discussing how this summer’s leisure travel is quickly morphing into a last minute rush. The article quotes Hyatt’s CEO Mark Hoplamazian:
In the U.S., more than 65% of full-service hotel bookings and more than 75% of budget hotel bookings were made only four days in advance during the month of June…
This statement presents a greater challenge in an already challenging time. With travel windows shortening, how can your property or destination engage these last-minute travelers?
1. INCREASE ENGAGEMENT BY SHARING MORE
Last minute travelers want to know what is happening this weekend. Your previous social posting or email schedule may not be enough. Start ramping up your early week content and see if there is improved engagement. Although budgets are tight, it is a great time to use paid social media promotions to reach new eyeballs.
2. FOCUS ON ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCES TO REPLACE CANCELLED EVENTS
It’s no secret your property or destination needs to be innovative in creating the new “why” travelers need to come to you. Visuals are everything. Tease and show experiences travelers can enjoy using video or list-style articles.
Ideas can include an incredible hiking trail to catch a sunset, best picnic spots for a romantic take-out dinner, or even making the most of the fall harvest season—apple picking, pumpkins, and farmer’s markets.
3. BUNDLE OR PACKAGE EXPERIENCES
Another way to create the “why” travelers will choose you! Whether you’re a destination marketing organization (DMO) or a hotel property, you have incredible connections to your community.
Cross promote your business neighbors by teaming up on package deals. From lodging and delivered dinner packages to boat rentals and brewery tours, you can get creative in how you team up. You’ll be able to cross-promote and compound your reach through social media, email, and search.
4. SHOW YOU’RE SAFE
Many last minute plans are last minute because safety is a concern. While COVID has been front and center in the minds of travelers, they still want to make sure you’re taking every precaution. A couple major points:
- Ensure your enhanced cleaning and precautionary measures are clearly displayed on your website
- Share how your operational hours or customer capacity has changed
- Show your team practicing safety regimens such as masking, distancing, or other recommended guidelines
- Link to community safety guides from your city, county, state, and Federal organizations
CALL IN MARKETING EXPERTS
Implementing all of this is a big task. Unless you have a dedicated team member working on this, it might be time to call in some assistance. Give one of Signalfire’s creative marketing marketing professionals a shout. We’ll be happy to help create and implement a trackable program that will bring in travelers and help make the most of 2020. To get started, just reach out!