There are two general places to sell your Packages:Packages on your web site: Build you own custom package with complete control over the rooms, items, pricing, dates, and minimum stay requirements. - Example: Romance Package:Combine a room, flowers, and a bottle of wine, etc… and sell it from your website with a two night minimum, available any day of the week.
- Example: Midweek Package: Bundle a room, a meal + a spa treatment, etc… and sell as a package to increase midweek bookings. Available Sunday – Thursday only.
Packages on the Global Booking Networks* Choose your rooms, rates, dates, and minimum stay requirements, and allow travel agents and large travel portals to add it to their sites or their ‘dynamic’ packages. - Example: Business Packages: Provide the GDS systems (travel agents and corporate planners) with a special rate and stay restrictions from Sunday – Thursday for business travelers requiring early breakfast, business office services provided by your staff, and ‘turn down’ service. A great way to entice mid-week business travel to your inn.
- Example: Orbitz Package: Provide a Bed, Breakfast, and Spa Package that Orbitz (one of the few OTAs that displays Package rates- more details on OTAs displaying Package rates are here) will sell as a composite package to its millions of shoppers.
How to Setup a PackageThe first step is to plan what is desired in the package. Will you simply make a ‘Fixed’ Package consisting of a marketing ‘concept’ tied to a Room? Or will you make a ‘Dynamic’ Package that taps into specific Inventory Items being managed so that proper financial reporting and daily management of the Items can be readied upon arrival? What dates will the Package be available on? What minimum stay and maximum stays must be met to purchase the Package? Planning ahead strategically will help when setting up your Packages. Types of PackagesConsiderations before setting up a PackageThe first step is to plan what is desired in the package. Will you simply make a 'Fixed' Package consisting of a marketing 'concept' tied to a Room? Or will you make a 'Dynamic' Package that taps into Rom Rates that vary season by season and add to these 'dynamic rate' changes Items that may be dynamic added as well? What dates will the Package be available on? What minimum stay and maximum stays must be met to purchase the Package? Planning ahead strategically will help when setting up your Packages. |