Discounts for repeat guests

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Country Girl

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For those of you who offer a discount to repeat guests do you advertise this discount or mention it to them when they book? Do you offer a dollar amount discount or a percentage off? What if they book during a normally busy period when you would be full? Do you still offer them a discount? Do you offer the discount EVERY time they return? Thanks.
 
I don't discount one night stays, otherwise I give everyone some kind of discount.
 
Country Girl said:
For those of you who offer a discount to repeat guests do you advertise this discount or mention it to them when they book?
Both
Do you offer a dollar amount discount or a percentage off?
Percentage
What if they book during a normally busy period when you would be full? Do you still offer them a discount?
Yes!
Do you offer the discount EVERY time they return?
Yes!
what you want is for guests to return. returning guests have already chosen you and are very valuable. you want to KEEP them coming back. and, yes, if they love your place, they will continue to return ... but it's also nice for these guests to feel appreciated. also, they may decide, well - we like your place, but we want to try something new 'just because'. a discount for a return visit gives them the extra incentive to come back.
return guests often refer other guests to you (i have given 'rewards' to referrers for this!) and now they are boosters ~ be sure to acknowledge this!
sometimes, when i had really challenging, demanding guests - i would have booster guests booked at the same time who would tell the challenging guests how wonderful i was and they should do this or that. it was so nice.
 
Our list of top guests are members of our $30.00 Club. They get $30.00 off per night, anytime in any room with a two night minimum. They have to stay at least three times to join. The club is new, and summer has been booked, so we'll see how it works out once availability starts to open up.
 
I don't advertise the discount. Sometimes I let them know when they book but sometimes I have to check back to see if they were a pain or not before I knock money off their stay! My discount is good no matter when you stay, summer, winter, peak season or not. Yes, they get the discount every time. Most guests would come back without it (so they say), but some are very price sensitive and might not.
We changed the PO's 10% off to a flat $$ amount off. And we don't double discount. So, if you're getting a package deal then no repeat discount.
No minimum stay required. And they have to stay at least 3 times to get the discount.
 
No discounts for repeats. No discounts for anything...other than 10% for active military
 
No discounts for repeats, but I do give them little thank you presents....mug with our logo, etc. to show my appreciation. We also give a $20 referral credit for their next stay if they refer someone new to us who stays 2 or more nights.
 
We do a 5% discount for repeats. It does appear on our website. It typically serves to give them the room at last season's rates (since we usually raise our rates ~5% each year).
 
unadvertised
5-10%
It's more like a "whatever" discount... we discount military, clergy, and for "why not?" Repeat? Sure, why not?
=)
Kk.
 
We offer a significant discount for repeat guests which is a percentage off. Standing discounts are 15% military and 10% university, or $10/night for booking online. We rarely have one night stays, so I feel that I can do this. There are no limitations on the discounts other than no combination of discounts.
 
We have a standard, unadvertised discount of 10% applicable to our guests and to anyone they bring to fill our other cottage. I send this out in the form of a coupon attached to a thank you email.
 
10% for life. It isn't advertised, it is verbally shared either when guests are departing, in thank you emails and cards we send at the end of the year. We'll also attach our sliding scale, extended stay discount to it for the repeat guests we really love. Folks we like we halve the extended stay percentage. Folks we tolerate but need to pay the bills with, usually only get the original 10%.
Its all about the carrot with us. If you are a great, low maintenance guest, maximum discount and down the line.
We've tried the new guest referral thing and its had very limited success. I think it kind of goes over a certain line in some people's minds like we're recruiting them to do our bidding for us. This even though they blather on and on about telling all their friends about us the minute they get home.
Its one thing for people to refer others of their own volition, but you attach a reward or compensation offer and for some folks it cheapens the whole experience they had with you.
 
I only say on my web site that there is a discount for military and cops - ask if you qualify. For most of my repeat guests I give last year's rate. I just realized I don't with horse people but then I usually do not charge the escort from the Interstate fee if the come back. (Doing a round trip stabling does not count for this.)
 
unadvertised
5-10%
It's more like a "whatever" discount... we discount military, clergy, and for "why not?" Repeat? Sure, why not?
=)
Kk..
We discount at least $10.00 for repeats. Those are the guests who keep us going in the slow winter month and I appreciate them coming back to me. Thare are others they can choose from. But they also tell me that they love it here and would not want to goo somwhere else.
So I too show my appreciation....
 
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