9 Things You Can Do to Bring More Local Guests to Your Hotel

The hotel industry is constantly evolving. People are still not comfortable travelling to faraway places. The low travel confidence has given rise to new trends and travel behaviours that hoteliers are keen to explore. Amidst the uncertainty, it is essential that hoteliers roll up their sleeves and adapt to the new changes.

The time is now ripe to tap more on the local tourists since it is a robust recovery roadmap.

Attracting local guests at your hotel not only helps you secure your business, but also you can have enough cash flow for mortgages and bring back your furloughed employees.

Hotels should now promote the concept of staycations so that more locals are enticed to visit the property to have a good time.

They must remember:

“Local culture may not always be glamorous, but it’s always meaningful.”

Nyssa P. Chopra, The Cultureur

But in case you are thinking about why and how to attract locals to your hotel, I have covered it all in this blog. Give it a read and you shall know the basics.

Let’s get rolling now!

Why Attract Local Guests to Your Hotel? 

If you are thinking about how local guests can become a steady source of income, then let me explain to you further.

Tapping into the local travellers offers you a steady source of income even when the business is a bit slower from other parts of the country or the globe.

Local guests can be a great source of advertising. Must be wondering how! 

• Delighted local guests can spread the word of mouth like wildfire. Thus people around you get to know and wish to explore more 
• Local guests can be a great source of indirect marketing 
• Locals who have a happy experience are most likely to leave positive feedback on the review sites.
• With more local travelers at your hotel, the stayover guests can interact with them, leading to cultural interchange 
• The presence of locals in your hotel lends authenticity to the property

How to Attract Local Guests to Your Hotel?

It is beneficial to bring in more local guests to your property but for that, you must have a full-proof plan. In this blog, I will pen down some of the most significant ways that will help you attract local travellers. You need to implement these strategies and soon you will see local guests flocking at your reception.

1. Do not take off seasons for granted

If you’re keen to draw locals to your property you shouldn’t ignore the off-season months. Remember the off-season months usually remain a little slack for the community around you. During this time you can attract local guests to your hotel with special packages and deals. 

It will help them unwind at a place not so far from home. Selling last-minute deals including vouchers and staycation coupons is a good idea. It’s an effective way to play with the psychology of your guests wherein they get a chance to feel lucky. 

You can offer free nights. It helps in brand building, publicity, and of course buck-building. 

2. Promote the concept of stay and play

The concept of a staycation is back and it is here to stay. To explore opportunities for staycations you can work around the location of your hotel. 

If you are located in the midst of the city, you can target guests who are reluctant to drive a long distance. 

You might put up a quick ad on your social media platform saying, 

‘Pamper yourself with great food, wine, and un-ending luxury without driving too far. Hotel ABC has brought in tailor-made packages for your tired mind and body. An opportunity to rejuvenate yourself before the long weekend is over.”

Similarly, if you are located a little further away from the city, you already have the locational advantage, you just need to promote the theme of stay and play so that it touches the right chord.

You could try saying:

“Just a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Hotel XYZ has crafted packages for you to unwind over the weekend with authentic local cuisine, vintage wine, and endless entertainment opportunities. Grab a bag and check into one of our cozy rooms and the rest we take care. That’s a promise we make.”

Besides, you could collaborate with local vendors like breweries and restaurants to design packages that make the staycation experience more appealing.

3. Let your marketing tone resonate with the locals

Did you know your marketing language can either make or break your business? The hotel industry is no exception. The language you use in your website or social handles determines your guests’ persona. If you are looking at attracting more local guests to your hotel, try to find out the factors that interest them the most. 

For example, if you are located between two popular attractions of the city you could entice guests by saying that a halt at your hotel will ease out their experience. They can explore places, and additionally, they have the opportunity to experience luxury away from the daily humdrum of life at most pocket-friendly prices.

You could also say that you are offering a free city ride if they stay in your hotel. Another great idea is to promote local food. 

For example:

If it is the strawberry season in your area you could run promotions by saying that you are offering a complimentary tour to the biggest strawberry plantation of the town or you could promote some lip-smacking dishes that have strawberry as the main ingredient.

When using the right marketing lingo the opportunities are endless, you just need to be a little thoughtful and go a little creative.

4. Focus on organizing events

Go creative when you have to organize events on your property. When the mercury is soaring you can organize a beer festival along with a night’s stay. With such tempting offers, you can attract the young population with ease. 

There are other interesting ways as well. For example, a baking workshop, a small fair that showcases the local artisans, or a live music concert. 

But the golden rule is to always club all your events with a night’s stay. This way you will get guests who are looking for a mini gateway along with some exciting events.

5. Work on building local tie-ups

Despite having talked about this factor earlier in the blog, I would like to draw special attention to the importance of local tie-ups. 

I would say get your feet dirty. Get onto the field and find out some of the quaint little places with whom you can tie up to give your guests that unique local flavour. 

Is it that bakery in a faraway neighbourhood that whips up artisan baked goodies? Or that group of organic farmers who has been producing fresh and chemical-free vegetables for quite some time now? You can promote both of them together or choose one at a time. But the key point here is to promote your tie-ups well. 

Craft a message that resonates with the demand of your guests. Listen to the ‘Demand of your Guests’. For that, you may engage with them on various social handles or talk to friends, families, and extended families. Motivate your staff to gather such information and always remember no information is redundant.

6. Highlight your facilities

Leonard A Cole had once said, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” It is true for the hotel business. To attract local guests to your hotel, it is important that you highlight some of your state-of-the-art facilities. 

You can craft a message which says:

“A home away from home with all the comforts and additional amenities like an excellent gym with most advanced equipment, a spa run by experts, accompanied by great food prepared by the best food connoisseurs in town. Come and give your tired body the pampering it deserves.”

It is indeed a great way to entice guests since they get to know about the plethora of facilities that you can offer them.

7. Use local influencers as an advertising strategy

Hotels can seek the help of local influencers to promote their facilities to local guests. When you approach the local influencers remember that even they have been affected by the pandemic, so you can create a win-win situation for both. 

When words come out from well-known people in society they have a higher impact on people. Look for authentic influencers to make the most of the situation.

8. Promote your brand through social media

Social media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.

Brian Solis

Social Media has a crucial role in brand promotion. Hotels can let their target guests know about the various facilities that they offer such as discounts, freebies, and so on. 

Also, taking into account the current scenario hotels should also mention their safety protocols to ensure a virus-free environment. Leverage the power of social media, get into the psyche of people, and feed them with the content they are looking for.

9. Perform local SEO on your website

Attracting local tourists isn’t an easy feat. There are several things that you need to consider. And one of them is local SEO.

When the target audience of your business changes, you should update your website as well. The web pages should be designed keeping in mind the taste of local guests. You could add more about local attractions or you can add a word or two about your expertise with local cuisine. 

Give a clear message to your guests that you are ready to offer them a memorable experience. The content should be more vocal for the locals. 

Also, don’t forget local SEO, all your web pages should be optimized from the local SEO perspective so that your hotel ranks up higher when people are searching with keywords like, ‘weekend getaways near me’ or ‘hotels near me with spa facilities’. 

These are some of the indicative search terms that I have talked about there could be many more. You could get in touch with an SEO expert for the task.

For an old couple, you can have items like nature walks, meditation sessions by eminent personalities, and so on. 

But, for a young couple, who has newly shifted to your city, you can craft a completely different package. Try to give them a sneak peek into the city’s heritage, its food, and culture. You can include a complimentary foot spa or give them a choice between a foot spa and visiting local artisans.