How Ribas Hotels Fills Rooms in the Off-Season: Hotel Marketing Secrets

For the hotel business, the off-season is a period when natural tourist demand declines and competition for guests becomes more challenging. During this time, simply increasing the advertising budget or offering a discount on accommodation is not enough. A hotel needs to understand who might travel now, why they would want to, and which channel is the most effective for communicating the offer.

At Ribas Hotels Group, off-season occupancy is approached as a shared responsibility between marketing and sales. Marketing creates an additional reason to travel, while the sales team identifies the segments and channels that can compensate for the natural decline in demand.

In high season, marketing converts demand; in the off-season, it creates it

During the high season, guests usually already intend to travel: they have chosen a destination and dates and are looking for a hotel. Therefore, the main task of marketing is to be visible at the moment of choice and convince the guest to book a particular property. In the off-season, the logic changes. Demand becomes less obvious, so marketing must not only capture guests who are already ready to book but also create a reason for them to travel.

“During the high season, marketing primarily converts demand, while in the off-season, it helps create demand,” explains a Ribas Hotels marketing specialist.

That is why the company does not simply reduce its marketing activities but changes their purpose. Less attention is given to mass campaigns targeting broad audiences and communications that rely on strong seasonal demand. Instead, the focus shifts to performance advertising, remarketing, working with the guest database, special offers, local audiences, seasonal news hooks, and ready-made travel scenarios.

As a result, instead of a general “Come stay with us,” the communication needs to answer a more specific question: “Why should you travel now?”

Sell the experience, not just the room

One of the main differences between seasonal and off-season communication is the shift in focus from the hotel itself to the guest experience.

In summer, travelers often have a clearly defined request: the sea, the mountains, a vacation, specific dates. They compare rooms, location, service, and facilities. In autumn or winter, the decision to travel can be much more spontaneous, so simply showing an attractive room is not enough. The hotel needs to sell a stay experience.

This could be a few days of recharging, a weekend in the mountains, a wellness getaway, a gastronomic weekend, a family trip, a themed event, or an extended stay on special terms.

Therefore, seasonality affects not only the number of potential guests but also what exactly needs to be sold through communication.

The sales team: finding demand instead of waiting for it

Marketing creates a reason to travel, but the next task is to identify the segments that can turn this potential demand into bookings.

According to the Head of Sales at Ribas Hotels, there is no universal tool that works for every hotel. An urban business hotel, a resort complex, and a cottage property have different audiences, so their off-season occupancy strategies also differ.

The team analyzes specific dates, current occupancy and booking pace, as well as regional demand, event calendars, conferences, holidays, and school breaks. Based on this analysis, they identify the segments that may be relevant for a particular property.

For urban hotels, these may include corporate clients, business travelers, groups, and guests looking for extended stays. For resort properties, additional demand drivers can include wellness programs, themed weekends, family stays, local activities, and partnerships.

Therefore, the task of the sales team during the low season is not to wait for demand to return naturally, but to find new segments and create additional channels for generating demand.

Discounts are not the first or only tool

If the booking pace is in line with expectations, there is no reason to reduce the rate in advance. If the date is approaching and the required sales pace has not been achieved, the team looks for ways to stimulate demand.

An alternative to a direct discount can be to increase the value of the offer — for example, by including breakfast, SPA services, dinner, a transfer, late check-out, or creating a package offer.

“We need to look at booking pace, the time remaining before the date, the competitive environment, and the potential of other tools. Based on this, we decide whether demand should be stimulated through pricing, added value, or a combination of these tools,” explains the Head of Sales at Ribas Hotels.

Extended stays and local experiences as demand drivers

Another tool for increasing off-season occupancy is working with guests who are willing to stay longer. This approach can be relevant both for urban properties — for example, for business trips or work-related stays — and for resort hotels.

At the same time, it is important to sell not simply a “discounted room,” but a complete stay experience. A good example is the hotels in the Mykulychyn area. For this type of product, offering an attractive accommodation rate is not enough: guests also need to understand what they can do during several days in the region.

This could include new hiking routes, local experiences, fishing, workshops, tea ceremonies, and other activities that are particularly relevant during this period.

The same principle applies here: the hotel is not simply selling a room, but a reason to stay longer and get a complete experience from the trip.

An existing guest database is one of the most valuable resources

Another important off-season tool is working with people who are already familiar with the hotel. Previous guests know the product, service, and location, so bringing them back is often easier than attracting an entirely new audience.

That is why communication with the guest database, personalized offers, and remarketing become especially important during the low season. They allow the hotel to work not only with new demand but also to bring back guests who have already had a positive experience with the brand.

Seasonality is a matter of systematic management

Hotel occupancy during the off-season depends on more than one tool. Results are shaped by the intersection of marketing, sales, pricing, distribution channels, demand analysis, and operational management. It is important not simply to react to declining bookings, but to identify potential risks and opportunities in advance and adapt the hotel’s strategy accordingly.

That is why effective hotel management requires continuous work with demand throughout the year — from developing a marketing strategy and identifying new segments to managing rates, sales, and occupancy.

Ribas Hotels Management is an operating company within Ribas Hotels Group specializing in professional hotel management. It oversees the key areas of a property’s operations, including marketing and sales, revenue management, operational processes, and performance monitoring. Through its comprehensive hotel management service, the team analyzes property performance, manages sales channels, develops guest acquisition strategies, and helps hotels operate effectively not only during the high season but throughout the entire year.