Attract local customers to keep your hotel spa busy during downtimes and off seasons. Here’s how.
Running a hotel, resort, and/or spa? Ignore the local market at your peril.
Marketing to local customers is essential, particularly for filling off-peak times and building a loyal customer base. This can be especially important during times of global uncertainty, like economic downturns and pandemics – which we hope are not frequent but have learned can be shockingly disruptive. Local patrons can help maintain steady occupancy and revenue during slower seasons, and are more likely to become repeat customers. Locals can also provide valuable word-of-mouth marketing to visiting friends and family as well as other locals, an effective and cost-efficient form of advertising is effective and cost-efficient.
Engaging with the local community strengthens relationships, encourages local partnerships, and can help you attract talent, an often rare commodity. Who better to point you towards job seekers than the people who know and trust them?
Attract local customers to keep the spa busy during slow periods
Luxury spa consultant, Irisha Steele, once said in an interview with Spa Executive, “Don’t forget about your locals. Connecting and marketing to the local community is important. As a former spa director, I made it a point to attend local events, volunteer, and offer local discounts to encourage community engagement. I understood the importance of keeping the spa busy during slow periods, and engaging with the local community was a great way to achieve that.”
Hotels, resorts, and spas can employ various strategies to reach and attract local markets. Among them:
Local SEO & Online Listings: Optimize for local search by ensuring the business is listed on sites like Google My Business and TripAdvisor. Use local keywords and phrases in the website’s content to appear in local search results. You can learn to find local keywords in this SEMRush guide: https://www.semrush.com/blog/local-keyword-research/
Social Media Marketing: Utilize social media platforms to target local audiences. Use location-based hashtags, post about local events, and run targeted ads to reach people in the nearby area. Learn more about social media marketing here. LINK TO OUR PIECE
Partnerships & Collaborations: Partner with local businesses, tourist attractions, or community organizations to create package deals, cross-promotions, or sponsored events that draw local attention.
Local Events & Workshops: Host events, workshops, or classes that cater to the local community’s interests. Host VIP events for locals to try your new spa products or test out a new treatment, or take a wellness workshop or cooking classes at a resort. Host stargazing nights in summer and campfire cocktail hour in winter.
Special Offers & Packages: Create special promotions or packages specifically for local residents. This can include discounts, special rates for off-peak times and slow tourist seasons, or added-value packages with extra services.
Community Engagement: Participate in community events, sponsor local sports teams, or engage in local charity work. This helps build a positive brand image and connects the business with the local community.
Email Marketing: Build a local email list and send out newsletters or offers tailored to the local market. Segment the email list based on location to ensure content is relevant.
Local PR & Media: Get featured in local newspapers, magazines, radio, or TV channels. Press releases or stories about the business’s involvement in the community or special local events can increase visibility.
Feedback & Reviews: Encourage local customers to leave reviews online. Positive reviews can enhance the business’s local reputation and attract more local visitors.
Loyalty Programs: Create a loyalty program that encourages local residents to visit repeatedly. Offer rewards, discounts, or exclusive benefits for frequent visits.
Day Passes: To cater to those wanting to visit for the day, make it easy to purchase a day pass for locals to take advantage of your pool, gym, steam room, and other amenities. Create day packages for guests that may include food, beverages, spa services or other items, but rather than making use of your facilities dependent on the purchase of a massage or other spa service, offer them the option to use them as a standalone.
Hoteliers can use the Book4Time platform and Book4Time’s Day Pass to market and sell packages that include items like spa services, pool/beach access, cabana rental, and food & beverage enhancements. Day & Resort Passes are now available to hotels and also to the nordic and thermal/hot springs spa market.
Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.