In this time of crisis, several luxury hotels are adopting certain desperate measures to recover as many losses as possible, even if that means offering a huge discount to the customers.
Several hotels have also started offering huge discounts, freebies, staycation packages, and surprising up-gradation of rooms to woo the guests.
New Delhi: With the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc and several states and cities reeling under the impact of the extended lockdown across the country, tourism and the hotel industry became one of the most affected sectors since the very start of the virus spread. And, in this time of crisis, several luxury hotels are adopting certain desperate measures to recover as many losses as possible, even if that means offering a huge discount to the customers.
As per reports, the hard-hit premium hotels are even urging customers to book their rooms directly instead of booking them through online tour operators (OTA). After the hospitality industry saw a sharp decline during the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020, several hotels have also started offering huge discounts, freebies, staycation packages, and surprising up-gradation of rooms to woo the guests
Recently, when a woman in her 30s made a booking at a five-star hotel in the national capital for a staycation, she was surprised with a suite. Even though the woman booked her hotel room through an OTA, the hotel reached out to her and offered a 35% discounted rate if she canceled her OTA reservation and booked directly with the hotel, said an ET report.
The premium hotels and properties are encouraging guests to book directly instead of booking through OTAs mostly to avoid sharing a commission with the intermediaries during this tough time for the industry. Booking the hotel rooms directly through the hotels also allows them to offer larger discounts topped by other offers and add-ons like a luxurious buffet, three-course dinner, and even airport pick and drops, all included in the tariff.
Perks of booking rooms/staycation packages directly through Hotels:
- Booking directly can get you huge deals to pre-book your holidays.
- Get more services at the same cost.
- Direct booking can get you a minimum of 30-40 % discount
- Better loyalty programmes and staycation packages at lower costs for longer sale periods.
- As the hospitality industry witnessed a massive dip during the second COVID-19 wave even before it could revive from the previous one, such offers are the only way to bring back customers.
