Having a hotel sales strategy for next year gets your bedroom and event sales pipeline building nicely while the rest of the world is submerged in mince pies and mulled wine.
It might feel counterintuitive to be chasing 2027 targets while you’re still ploughing through this year’s Christmas party enquiries. But truthfully, the teams who win big in January are the ones who do their groundwork in November.
So, let’s talk about how a hotel sales strategy for next year is a pre-emptive strike, including three things successful sales teams do before Christmas.
Build Q4 and Christmas Events into Your Hotel Sales Strategy for Next Year
Every gala dinner, awards night and Christmas party during the busy autumn/winter season is a roomful of warm leads. So, don’t let them walk away without a conversation about next year:
Pitch hotel corporate contract renewals live in the room – Offer to hold the same date and space for next year while an organiser is mid-celebration, before your competitors even gets a look in.
Mine the guest list for event sales pipeline building – Big events are bursting with smaller opportunities. For example, business card collection and guest data can point you to local and national companies who need meeting and event space and/or accommodation.
Bundle it up – Encourage corporate bookers to commit their spring conference, summer soiree and next year’s Christmas party into a single contract, sweetened with a tiered discount for bulk bookings.
Lock In Corporate Volume Before Year End
The pre-Christmas stretch is also RFP season in hotel sales. This should be factored in when you’re putting together your hotel sales strategy for next year.
Accordingly, the following tactics stand you in good stead to hit the ground running, rather than coming back to work after Christmas unprepared:
Get corporate rate renewals signed off – Most corporate clients start booking for the following year before it starts. For this reason, both you and them need to agree rates. Plus, it’s an extra incentive for them to commit before Christmas if you’re upfront about ring-fencing their availability and rates during peak times, e.g. conventions and major events when rates get inflated due to excessive demand.
Target ‘after Christmas’ events – Many businesses in sectors like hospitality, entertainment, food and beverage, and retail are too busy looking after everybody else to party in December. In addition, an increasing number of businesses are favouring multi-purpose January events to celebrate the past and look ahead to the future. It’s a no-brainer to include them in your hotel sales strategy for next year.
Chase leftover budget – Plenty of businesses have leftover spend they need to allocate before the tax year closes. A Q1 event or even a deposit on a future booking later in the year could be the answer to their problems.
Identify and Plan to Plug Gaps
You know you’re going to be full when major events come to town. So, it’s extra vital to know where your gaps are – and aim to fill them early.
Cases in point:
Identify your quiet times – Pinpoint low occupancy dates by combining this year’s data with next year’s data as it currently stands. Then, design something compelling to fill them.
Go after mid-week training business – HR teams and training providers are planning their calendars too. Why not reach out to them before they switch off for the holidays, and position your venue as a brilliant option?
HotelTechReport’s Jordan Hollander warned in his article 6 Hotel Sales Strategies to Boost Occupancy and Revenue in 2026: “With fluctuating travel demand, rising customer expectations, and increased competition from alternative accommodations, hotels must implement proactive sales strategies to remain profitable…”
So, the sooner you nail your hotel sales strategy for next year, the sooner you’ll be on your way to delivering the results promised in it.
Your New Sales Year Starts Right Now
Here’s the reality when your hotel sales strategy for next year incorporates November and December:
Budgets get approved
RFPs get won
Group and event business with anything from 6 -18 month lead times gets confirmed
Conversely, someone else’s team is out there sealing these deals right now if yours isn’t.
At Selling Savvy, we’re ready, willing and able to ensure your sales team is set up to make an impact in 2027 before it’s even started.
Get in touch for an initial chat and see for yourself how our industry-built hotel sales training can help jump start next year’s forecast.
