How many seasons do you have?

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IronGate

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How many seasons do you have in your innkeeping year? In other words, how many times a year do you adjust your rates? Do you get much push-back from guests wanting the rate in effect when the room is booked, and not the rate that will be in effect when the guests will be arriving?
 
Since my DH has a hard enough time remembering our rates (that contrary to my opinion on the matter that they should go up a couple buckes at least every other year) that have not changes since 2008 because everyone is convinced the bottom is out of the economy, I do not change rates until eventually I will say the heck with it and change them.
At first I thought you were asking if we were a 2 season or what in your area. We have all 4 seasons here - sometimes all in the same day!
 
We do just 2 (calling them high season and low season). Low season is March/Jan/Feb and we get lots of repeats in those months who live close and like to take advantage of the discount but don't expect it in the high season.
 
We have basically 2 seasons: 1) steak & lobster; 2) mac & cheese
wink_smile.gif

OK, seriously, we have 3 seasons. Peak, Dead and Pay the utilities.
We have 3 rates: Peak, Low and Shoulder
Yes, if guests see a range of prices they always want the lowest rate in the high season. However, I have rarely had someone book in Jan (Dead) and expect to pay that price in July (Peak).
 
We do not operate in a seasonal way as we are affected by the demand and supply of the conference center ie this week - sunday, monday, tuesday, wed was 4,200 people looking for rooms so price goes up Thursday not so busy price goes down, Friday, sat Sunday Flower show hits price goes up especially on the sat as is the most popular day, then sunday, mon, tue busy with neuroscience but dead wed and thurs so rates down then back up for the weekend. Rates basically are what I happen to feel they should be at that time. Our most quiet time is Feb so I would say that is our dead season where we try and do maintenance jobs and anything that is loud or makes a mess ie bathrooms and hall carpets.
 
We haven't had 'seasonal' rates in a few years, but this year I blocked off most of the weekdays in January and February and put up a discount on the website that brought the weekend rates to the same as the weekday. It showed up in the online booking system as a discount rather than the regular rate - I liked the psychological aspect of that a little better.
Our Jan/Feb revenue was up over last year.
 
We haven't had 'seasonal' rates in a few years, but this year I blocked off most of the weekdays in January and February and put up a discount on the website that brought the weekend rates to the same as the weekday. It showed up in the online booking system as a discount rather than the regular rate - I liked the psychological aspect of that a little better.
Our Jan/Feb revenue was up over last year..
So you worked smarter, not harder? :)
 
Up here in Canada we have 7 months of winter and the rest of the year is always a suprise from mother nature. It is April 15 and we still have snow in our front yard and we are thanking the good Lord we live up high on a hill cause the rest of the city is pretty much flooded out. All three accesses to our place are covered in water but DH found another one this morning where you can travel 10 miles out of your way to get here.
I know that's not what this is about though.
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere.
 
Playing with their minds! I like that.
Our occupancy sucks right now, gas prices are doing a number on us. We will survive...this too shall pass...
 
Up here in Canada we have 7 months of winter and the rest of the year is always a suprise from mother nature. It is April 15 and we still have snow in our front yard and we are thanking the good Lord we live up high on a hill cause the rest of the city is pretty much flooded out. All three accesses to our place are covered in water but DH found another one this morning where you can travel 10 miles out of your way to get here.
I know that's not what this is about though.
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere..
I still have snow here, too. However, a lot of it melted while I was gone and I could see the line on the driveway where the snow had been. And, my picnic table reappeared! It was completely buried when I left. And, yes, there's water in the basement. Looks like there was quite a bit of it. Luckily, we have a pump.
 
Up here in Canada we have 7 months of winter and the rest of the year is always a suprise from mother nature. It is April 15 and we still have snow in our front yard and we are thanking the good Lord we live up high on a hill cause the rest of the city is pretty much flooded out. All three accesses to our place are covered in water but DH found another one this morning where you can travel 10 miles out of your way to get here.
I know that's not what this is about though.
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere..
Victoria said:
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere.
For me, I'd just as soon have six rooms as one or two, so I post the discounts to try to fill the place up. We get some people who only come in the winter, and that's okay with us. Having the weekdays means we can do work around the Inn, go to a conference, visit friends and relatives, whatever - we still get to be lazy.
It's really hard to compare this year to last year, since in 2010 winter we had crazy snow. But I do think it pushed all our occupancy to the weekends, and that worked for us.
 
Up here in Canada we have 7 months of winter and the rest of the year is always a suprise from mother nature. It is April 15 and we still have snow in our front yard and we are thanking the good Lord we live up high on a hill cause the rest of the city is pretty much flooded out. All three accesses to our place are covered in water but DH found another one this morning where you can travel 10 miles out of your way to get here.
I know that's not what this is about though.
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere..
Victoria said:
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere.
For me, I'd just as soon have six rooms as one or two, so I post the discounts to try to fill the place up. We get some people who only come in the winter, and that's okay with us. Having the weekdays means we can do work around the Inn, go to a conference, visit friends and relatives, whatever - we still get to be lazy.
It's really hard to compare this year to last year, since in 2010 winter we had crazy snow. But I do think it pushed all our occupancy to the weekends, and that worked for us.
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muirford said:
Victoria said:
We never lower our rates during the winter, same all year, mostly due to laziness on our part. We do give deals in January, but don't post them anywhere.
For me, I'd just as soon have six rooms as one or two, so I post the discounts to try to fill the place up. We get some people who only come in the winter, and that's okay with us. Having the weekdays means we can do work around the Inn, go to a conference, visit friends and relatives, whatever - we still get to be lazy.
It's really hard to compare this year to last year, since in 2010 winter we had crazy snow. But I do think it pushed all our occupancy to the weekends, and that worked for us.
just call me dribbler bill.
being here for one room, one room, one room is difficult. but gotta take what I can get right now...as Sarah used to say on here "Gotta roll with the punches"
 
We had the same rate year round. I did the same for my guests no matter what time of the year. Why should I take less anytime, or for that matter charge more???
 
We charge the same rates year round. Weekend is $25 more (Fri/Sat) than weekday (Sun-Thu)
RIki
 
Two seasons... low season and crazy high season.
Low season is from the Last week in October until Easter. Holidays are excluded from low season rates.
 
We have a regular rate until October/middle of Novemeber, where it is peak rate through the fall season. Holidays are peak rate as well. We discount for last minute only.
 
We have a regular rate until October/middle of Novemeber, where it is peak rate through the fall season. Holidays are peak rate as well. We discount for last minute only..
LoveMyCareer said:
We discount for last minute only.
And doesn't that just perpetuate the cycle of "looking for a deal", "waiting until the last minute", "asking for a discount" that so many of you don't appreciate?
I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but it seems as if there are so many innmates who are interested in "educating" their guests to be nicer to the next innkeeper they stay with, ie- respect checkin/checkout times, food issues, general manners/courtesy. Is this teaching them something, too?
 
We have a regular rate until October/middle of Novemeber, where it is peak rate through the fall season. Holidays are peak rate as well. We discount for last minute only..
LoveMyCareer said:
We discount for last minute only.
And doesn't that just perpetuate the cycle of "looking for a deal", "waiting until the last minute", "asking for a discount" that so many of you don't appreciate?
I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but it seems as if there are so many innmates who are interested in "educating" their guests to be nicer to the next innkeeper they stay with, ie- respect checkin/checkout times, food issues, general manners/courtesy. Is this teaching them something, too?
.
I sometimes discount last minute.... of course, that might simply mean that you have to be needing those last 5% of my occupancy. It's like trying to find the right peg to fit in the right hole. Sure, you may get a deal, but more likely you are going to be disappointed and staying elsewhere.
 
More often then not, our no frills room (a queen bed, no hot tub, no jacuzzi, etc) is the last to go. It goes last minute at a 20% discount to give us a full house.
 
We have a regular rate until October/middle of Novemeber, where it is peak rate through the fall season. Holidays are peak rate as well. We discount for last minute only..
LoveMyCareer said:
We discount for last minute only.
And doesn't that just perpetuate the cycle of "looking for a deal", "waiting until the last minute", "asking for a discount" that so many of you don't appreciate?
I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but it seems as if there are so many innmates who are interested in "educating" their guests to be nicer to the next innkeeper they stay with, ie- respect checkin/checkout times, food issues, general manners/courtesy. Is this teaching them something, too?
.
We don't like to discount for last minute, to us it seems like a slap in the face for the people who took the time to plan ahead. But we have 9 rooms, so if it's only 1 or 2 that aren't full it's not that big a deal.
 
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