How to Sell Last-Minute Holidays Directly

How to Sell Last-Minute Holidays Directly. 

Competition for these guests is immense – OTAs outdo each other in promotions, and you have very little time to convince them to book directly. The good news is that last-minute is also a huge opportunity – guests searching at the last minute are often more decisive and less price-sensitive than it might seem, as long as you reach them at the right time and in the right place.

We have prepared several practical tips on how to win the battle for the last-minute guest.

1. Activate the mobile discount – last-minute is a mobile game

Today, 76% of traffic on hotel websites comes from mobile devices, and in the case of last-minute bookings, this percentage is even higher – it is on the phone that most spontaneous decisions are made. The good news? This feature is free and just needs to be activated in the settings to start using it.

Why will a mobile discount work great for last-minute?

• Redirect guests from social media directly to the discount visible on their phone or tablet – make it competitive enough so that no "genius" can find a better one.
• Last-minute guests often make "here and now" decisions, scrolling through offers on their phones on the go or during a break at work.
• Tourists who are already traveling or on-site plan their next stay from their smartphones, without time to switch to a computer.
• Spontaneous bookings triggered by a sudden change in weather, a free weekend, or an impulse – the decision is made quickly, often on a mobile.

With last-minute bookings, every minute counts – the fewer barriers between the impulse and clicking "Book," the greater the chance the guest stays with you rather than on an OTA.

2. Plan a last-minute promotional campaign

Plan a short, clearly marked last-minute campaign, e.g., a discount valid only for upcoming dates, and combine it with a parallel email campaign to the database of guests who have previously shown interest in a short trip. A short promotion duration and a clear message like "last available dates" act on the imagination and speed up the decision.

Recommendation: Before you start – check what worked last year

Before launching a new last-minute campaign, it is worth looking back at last year's campaigns from this period and checking:

• Price efficiency: Which last-minute offers translated into the highest volume of last-minute bookings, and which – despite an attractive price – did not generate the expected demand?
• Guest profile and segmentation: Who was responsible for the highest conversion? Did families with children or groups turn out to be the key segment? Everything indicates that a personalized email mailing will bring better results than general communication.
• Discount policy optimization: Was the scale of the discounts granted justified? Or perhaps in the case of last-minute bookings, a smaller discount backed by a clear message about limited availability would have sufficed?
  

Based on this, adjust this year's action: repeat and strengthen the mechanisms that converted quickly, and resign from those that did not bring results despite an attractive offer. With last-minute bookings, timing matters more than the amount of the discount itself, so it is worth testing the sending times just as much as the content of the offer. Target specific guest segments with appropriate offers and attractions to gain even more last-minute bookings – singles, couples, or families looking for a sudden trip have different priorities, and it is worth reflecting this in communication.

Everyone who decides on a last-minute trip dreams of feeling like they are on a fully planned vacation, despite the short preparation time. Therefore, make sure the guest immediately sees what awaits them. Swimming pools, slides, SPA, beach bar, private beach, kayaks, bicycles, yoga place, jacuzzi… Take care of photos, descriptions, clips, reels, and shorts in social media that will put guests in a blissful mood and convince them that even a spontaneous decision can turn into a successful trip.

Remember that with last-minute, the speed of decision-making is key, so children's animations won't necessarily interest couples looking for a last-minute getaway from the crowds, but a great SPA or activities like bicycles, yoga, horse riding, etc., will. Make the guest feel as if they are already using the attractions at your hotel even before clicking the Book button! Thanks to Marketing Automation, you can easily prepare various last-minute email campaigns dedicated to specific groups of guests.

3. Invest in marketing activities and use the potential of Google Hotel Ads

With last-minute, the speed of reaching the guest matters, and Google Hotel Ads is one of the fastest channels you have at your disposal. In the new Google campaign models, based on AI technology, a trend is visible in which Google strongly involves AI algorithms in its products. Are you still wondering about using such ads to fill the last available dates? We know it's worth it and there's nothing to think about!

• Visibility: It is simply worth having these types of ads. Google Hotel Ads is a type of advertisement that gives the possibility of making a direct booking from our business profile appearing in text search results, pins on maps, or in Google Travel.
• Speed: You can see effects as early as the first month, and often much faster. Launching the first activities does not require complicated configurations and is possible within a few days.
• Reach: Campaigns are present in several places on the facility's profiles, reaching users exactly when they are looking for accommodation for "right now."
• Cost efficiency: Unlike classic Google Ads campaigns, Google Hotel Ads campaigns are cheaper, and a ROAS of around 1000% is possible with moderate expenses. This is achieved by combining actions with SEO to ensure continuity of traffic at every stage.

Enrich your offer by collaborating with local attractions

Inspire last-minute guests on how they can spend time not only in the hotel but also in the area – this is particularly important when the guest did not have time for their own research. Do you have interesting cooperation with local attractions? This is the time to show it off, thereby enriching your offer and facilitating a quick decision for the guest.

4. Prepare dedicated last-minute offering templates

Prepare dedicated personalised offer templates for the last-minute period – short, specific, with a clear emphasis on limited availability ("last available rooms," "only until Sunday"). Thanks to well-prepared and encouraging texts, you will be able to increase the conversion from the sent offers. Already at the stage of sending the offer, interest the guest with attractions and ideas for a successful, albeit spontaneous, trip. Remember that the content in the templates should not be too long – with last-minute, quick absorption of information counts.

Feel inspired? We hope our tips will help you win the battle for the last-minute guest and achieve success in the upcoming season. Remember that for these types of bookings, the key to success is the speed of response, availability on mobile devices, and a clear message about the limited availability of the date. We wish you many direct last-minute bookings!

Want to find out more? Reach out to our team here for more insights.