Do not drop room rents, focus on domestic travellers: Hubloft

Hubloft Vacation Rentals has introduced a ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ initiative, under which it is implementing strict cleaning practices and guidelines before reopening. SOPs have been laid out for staff while dealing with guests on all its properties.

The guidance will include specific instructions on best practices such as contactless check-in, mandatory use of face masks while in contact with guests and enhanced cleaning standards.

“As we work to reopen, we want to assure travellers that our homes will be cleaner and safer than ever before when they are ready to travel again,” says Raiyaan Nayeem. “In order to build confidence among the travellers, we will ensure that our properties will commit to these protocols. Our staff have been trained on new protocols on cleaning and interacting with guests.”

Hubloft will also offer a flexible cancellation policy making it easier for travellers to make and change their plan during this uncertain time.

The immediate reaction during low demand is slashing room rates. It seems like a logical thing to do but studies have shown that hotels who drop their rates drastically can be the last ones to recover when demand increases.

Focus on your competitors and market supply to make appropriate adjustments with your pricing strategy. Reducing your rates drastically or lowering it to look more favourable against your competitors does not stimulate demand. It doesn’t make sense to start a price war with competitors. Lower pricing doesn’t bring in more customers – it brings in the wrong customers, Hubloft said in a press release.

Once travel restrictions get lifted, business travellers would be the first to return. Consider offering them extended stay options and discounts for such trips in order to attract these guests.

Another target audience that properties need to focus on are local travelers. After the recovery period, people would prefer to take staycations to places which are a short drive away. This is why hoteliers need to focus on the local community of travellers by setting up unique experiences for them to enjoy.

International travel (inbound and outbound) will be the last to recover from the coronavirus this year, if at all it recovers this year. So, it’s best to set your expectations on attracting domestic travellers since people would prefer travelling inside the country.

For properties that depend on inbound travellers, you can adjust your consumer profiling, distribution, and marketing to bring in domestic guests. Once the restrictions are lifted, you can also set up highly targeted ads to attract people within the country to your property, Hubloft said.