5 Ways Hotels Can Enter the Travel Experience Market

Who are some of the most innovative companies in the travel space and what do they all have in common? In addition to helping people decide where to stay, Airbnb, Google and TripAdvisor are all helping people find interesting things to do during their trip. Airbnb Experiences promises one-of-a-kind activities hosted by locals. Google Trips shows you things to do and provides day plans to help you organize your time. TripAdvisor, of course, shows you things to do in the area and even allows you to book tours, directly from the platform.

Hotels don’t need to play a backseat role to this trend. In this article we will share 5 creative ways that hotels can participate in the travel experience market.

1. Collaborate with existing tour guides

If you have a beautiful lobby or historic site, reach out to walking tour leaders in your city and invite them to start their experience in your lobby or see if they’re interested in adding a tea or coffee break to the agenda. Having people come through your doors is a great opportunity to wow visitors with your hospitality, show off your hotel, and perhaps get them to book with you on their next visit.

2. Promote your own ‘concierge’ tours

Who better to lead a tour in your city than your knowledgeable concierge? Allow your concierges to create and lead tours in your city. Depending on your city, it could be a pub crawl, coffee tour, a street food tour, an architecture tour, an ‘in the movies’ tour, or more. Have the tour start and end in the hotel so participants become familiar with your hotel and your warm hospitality.

3. Bartending classes

If your bar experiences downtime during the day, offer a bartending class with your professional bartender. This idea works especially well if your city is known for a certain drink. (Singapore and Paris, I’m talking to you!) Talk about the history of the drink, famous people that have frequented the bar, and allow long pours for a fun class that all adults will love.

4. Extend your existing tours

If you already offer tours or adventures to hotel guests, post them on 3rd party sites so anyone can book them. In addition to selling more tours, you will get more traffic through the door so more people will become exposed to your hotel. And, if you collect email addresses you can continue to market to these participants long after the experience is over.

5. Appeal to single travelers with a group dinner

Solo travel has become much more popular over the years. Give single travelers the opportunity to come together for a dinner at your hotel, featuring locally grown produce or the foods famous in your region. In addition to showcasing your great restaurant and service, you can share what makes your city or town special.

With some creativity, you can drive visitors into your hotel, even if they don’t book with you the first time around. Show them a great time, collect their contact email, and hopefully, you’ll capture a booking the next time they visit your area.