Tour and activity operators – do you partner with any local hotel desks or concierges? 

While many customers now use the convenience of mobile search to book their holiday tours and activities, there are still plenty who love to wander down to the hotel desk where they’re staying and get local recommendations from the staff on shift. This adds a fun sense of serendipity to the customer’s travel experience, and also comes with a level of trust that can only come with a word-of-mouth recommendation. After all – hotel staff are locals and in the know!

Why take bookings through local hotel desks? 

Tour and activity recommendations can benefit both your tour travel company and the hotel’s business. You receive indirect bookings from customers who are already motivated and excited for the experience. Meanwhile, the hotel is able to meet their customers’ needs with detailed information and a smooth booking process. 

When it comes to providing this smooth booking process, it’s essential to consider the travel and tourism software you’re using. The very last thing you and the hotel will want is for the guest to turn up on the day and discover the activity is double-booked, because someone else made a reservation at the same time. For this reason, real-time availability and inventory management is an absolute must in any tour booking software online

 

How to increase your bookings through local hotel desks

Local hotel desks are such an untapped source of bookings for many tour and activity operators, so here are some simple ways to build interest and awareness with the hotels in your area.

  • Ensure you have tours or activities that are ideal for travellers who might be staying in the area. Experiences that are a few hours or a half-day long are ideal for spontaneous bookers.
  • Do your research and identify which hotels might align with your customer demographic. Do you cater to families, to high-flying luxury travellers or to couples seeking romantic getaways?
  • Have online tour reservations system in place that shows live availability of your inventory and allows hotel staff to easily and quickly book the customer in, such as Rezdy Channel Manager.
  • Reach out to your local hotels via Marketplace, networking, social media or in person and get them excited about your tours and activities. You might even invite concierges and staff to experience a tour or activity with you so they can enthuse about it to their guests.
  • Make it clear that you offer competitive commission rates for businesses that gain bookings for your tours and activities. These commission rates can easily be negotiated and configured within Rezdy Channel Manager.
  • Nurture these relationships and check in regularly with hotel teams who actively support your bookings and business, if the partnership is proving beneficial for both of you.

 

Tourism operators and hotels can both expect happier customers when it’s easy to recommend and book fun, last-minute experiences that can make someone’s trip amazing. If you’re looking for the right activity and tour guide software in Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere that will help you to connect with third party resellers, Rezdy really does provide the full package.

 

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