Guests increasingly are booking hotel rooms closer to the date of their stays, including via walk-ins with no notice, forcing hoteliers to be more flexible and plan ahead to manage last-minute demand.
Hotel News Now reached out to hoteliers across different markets and hotel types to gauge successful strategies being implemented to capture demand.
Samy Ghachem, managing director at Sereno Hotels, which has luxury properties in Lake Como, Italy, and St. Barths, said in an email interview that current booking trends “give a whole new meaning to ‘more last-minute.”‘
Bookings across the properties are coming in anywhere from one month out to, more often, one to two weeks and even one to two days out, he said.
Additionally, his hotels are experiencing an increase in walk-in bookings, which staff must be well-positioned for at all times.
“We are also seeing changes in plans or schedules. So, any cancellations are quickly refilled. We are offering more flexibility with reservation system…