Black Friday is all around
It’s that time again. There’s no getting round it. Huge discounts and bargains are promised everywhere. Black Friday has grown in popularity and is now a global phenomenon. The widespread popularity of Black Friday has had an impact on consumer behaviour.
Black Friday also has a firm place in tourism. Almost every platform or many hotels use Black Friday for promotions. OTAs such as booking.com offer hotels the opportunity to participate in Black Friday/Week campaigns with a discount of at least 30%.
Nevertheless, hoteliers should carefully consider whether and in what form the Black Friday promotion fits into their general marketing strategy.
The abundance of Black Friday offers hardly enables a hotel to stand out from the competition; it is much more a question of fulfilling the expectations of guests through a carefully planned Black Friday strategy and increasing occupancy for the selected periods through attractive offers and filling rooms that might otherwise remain empty.
The discounts and offers granted (temporarily) reduce profit margins. Hotels must ensure that the discounts are designed in such a way that they can generate a profit or at least the contribution margin.
If the discounts are too high, there is a risk that the brand will lose value and guests will expect to always be able to book at these reduced rates.
Hotels and revenue managers should therefore consider the knowledge of their guests’ general booking behaviour (advance booking deadlines, length of stay, etc.) and weigh up the potential pros and cons to ensure that this promotion has a positive impact in the long term.
