The hospitality market today is competitive, fragmented and rapidly evolving—an environment that can create challenges for resorts aiming to attract guests and improve profitability. With shifting guest expectations, a predominantly digital booking landscape, and heightened competition, resort operators must rethink how they generate demand and engage the attention of modern travellers. Simply offering discounts or relying on flash sales is no longer sufficient to fill rooms or maximise revenue.
To succeed, resorts must adopt a strategic approach that combines revenue management expertise, personalised guest experiences, and advanced technology. From crafting targeted promotions to using data insights for informed decision-making, resorts should leverage every available tool to capture guest interest and convert potential bookings into revenue.
Increasing demand begins with creating enticing offers that capture the attention of potential guests. From a revenue management perspective, it is crucial to first determine when a promotion is necessary based on the resort’s own demand forecast and what the optimal pricing strategy is—whether it be discounted offers, stay-pay promotions, or value-added packages. Once these factors are considered, revenue managers can design targeted offers that sales and marketing teams can use to attract business.
In today’s competitive environment, resorts must go beyond traditional promotions and discounts by delivering personalised guest experiences. Tailoring packages and experiences based on individual preferences and past behaviour is not only a way to differentiate from competitors, but it’s also an effective strategy for driving repeat business and referrals.
Resorts should create bespoke packages that align with guests’ interests and travel motivations. For instance, those travelling for a romantic getaway may be enticed by packages featuring local attractions, such as wine tastings or spa weekends, while families might value activities like a kids’ club or adventure experiences. Additionally, offering dynamic pricing per person can attract guests with a packaged rate and provide flexibility based on the number of family members. By monitoring the performance of these packages in real-time, revenue managers can dynamically adjust them to optimise appeal and profitability.
Leveraging guest data is key to personalising the resort experience. Utilising information collected from previous stays, preferences, and feedback, resorts can craft unique offerings that resonate on a deeper level. This might include remembering a returning guest’s preferred room type, providing a personalised welcome gift, or tailoring in-room amenities based on past dining choices. These thoughtful touches not only elevate the guest experience but also build loyalty, encouraging repeat stays.
To generate demand through their most profitable channels, resorts need to focus on securing direct bookings, which eliminates costly third-party commission fees.
To maximise direct bookings, resort owners should begin by boosting web traffic and converting these visitors, or “lookers,” into actual “bookers.” This requires a deep understanding of buyer behaviour: What dates are they searching for? Which locations are they interested in? What factors influence their choice? By collecting and analysing this intelligence, resorts can create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with the right audience.
Attracting traffic to a resort’s website is just one part of the equation. The next step is to ensure that the site delivers rich, informative content and a seamless, user-friendly booking experience. If the booking process is cumbersome, potential guests are likely to abandon the site for an easier-to-use Online Travel Agent (OTA) platform, from which hotels will incur commission fees and limit the sharing of valuable customer data. To avoid this, resorts must invest in a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate website, complete with a secure and straightforward booking process.
Creating tailored experiences should extend to the booking journey as well. Resorts should ensure their direct booking channels offer guests the ability to customise their stay, whether by selecting specific room attributes, adding on spa treatments, or booking local tours and activities. A seamless, user-friendly platform that caters to personal preferences will not only enhance the booking experience but can also result in higher average spending per guest.
Increasing demand doesn’t always translate into increased profitability for resorts. To maximise commercial outcomes, resorts must focus on attracting high-value guests. Previously, this required manual revenue management practices, such as analysing booking history and current activity levels to forecast demand. During periods of high demand, managers would raise rates, while low demand would see them offering discounts to stimulate bookings.
However, demand generation is no longer this straightforward. With heavy reliance on OTAs and flash sales, manually monitoring resort booking activity, recognising shifts in demand, and reacting quickly to maintain profitability have become nearly impossible. This is where a revenue management system (RMS) can have a significant impact. With an advanced RMS, resorts can dynamically price all the promotions associated with the best available rate to maximise revenue and reduce unnecessary discounts. They can also optimise their business mix to target the most valuable demand, understand total guest spend, and gain insight into the true cost associated with booking channels that drive business.
Effective demand generation today depends on having accurate and consistent data to identify promotional opportunities, guide pricing and inventory decisions, and tailor marketing strategies. From a demand marketing perspective, revenue management data can help identify guests with the greatest value to the resort. Analysis should look beyond room spending alone and consider total guest value, including ancillary spending on food & beverage, spa services, golf, and retail. This holistic view can then inform targeted campaigns to attract similar travellers and boost overall resort performance.
Boosting resort demand requires a multi-faceted strategy that combines smart promotions, personalised experiences, and data-driven insights. By assessing when and how to implement promotions, crafting bespoke packages that reflect guest preferences, maximising direct bookings, and leveraging revenue management technology, resorts can not only attract more guests but also increase profitability and build long-term loyalty.
This article was written by Tracy Dong, Principal Industry Consultant, IDeaS
For more information on how your resort can drive demand with revenue management technology, please visit www.ideas.com.
