'shoulder season?'

[TheBeachHouse]

Morning. (I was going to do a poll but couldn't find a poll button. Anyway.....)
We made a big decision to eliminate 'shoulder season.' We are changing our rates to 'peak season' and 'off season.' $50 swing between October 31 and November 1 and again between April 30 and May 1.
Anyone else do this?
We also are changing to a different rate for every room. We had three rates for 6 rooms, but after two years, it is obvious to us and our guests which rooms are the most desirable and we are pricing based on that. We have a new bathroom going into our most popular room and are raising the rate by $50. But for our least popular room, we are lowering the rate. Making it very easy to say, 'you get what you pay for,' (but, of course, in a nicer way.)

 

[TheBeachHouse]

DH says he doesn't care if anyone books during winter. He makes his money in summer and being open in winter is just 'marketing.'

 

[Generic]

We don't do "shoulder", maybe we should. We do peak and off-peak with a change of $30. Then there are the doldrums... which we just use now as vacation time... Early December, and Mid-January.... hello Asia!

 

[2cat_lady]

We have regular and off season rates. Averages about $20 difference. We have three different rates for our four rooms. Same as you Beachie, you get what you pay for. And I've learned from the Forum, no upgrades. They wanted cheap, they can stay cheap.
Was hoping for some slowness but it looks like we may have been 'discovered' by the hockey crowd. Have bookings this weekend and I'm almost full the next. Thank goodness I'm going away for ten days so we'll be shutting down. I may just come back to more busyness. Sigh.

 

[gillumhouse]

Same here Beachie - winter is open only because we live here anyway (and cannot afford to go anywhere even if Himself could travel which he cannot). My rates are the same - period (each room a different rate though). Himself has a hard enough time remembering rates without changing them with the seasons or anything else.

 

[Morticia]

We used to do that then we went to shoulder rates because we just could not get peak season rates before July.
Now we have 5rate groups. Winter, pre summer, summer, fall, early winter.
excellent idea to raise and lower rates by room now that you know preferences.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We used to do that then we went to shoulder rates because we just could not get peak season rates before July.
Now we have 5rate groups. Winter, pre summer, summer, fall, early winter.
excellent idea to raise and lower rates by room now that you know preferences..

We used to do that then we went to shoulder rates because we just could not get peak season rates before July.
Now we have 5rate groups. Winter, pre summer, summer, fall, early winter.
excellent idea to raise and lower rates by room now that you know preferences.

I guess we'll see if the higher rates in May scare people off. Last year, we switched to summer in June, but were pretty busy in May.

 

[OnTheShore]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October.

 

[Morticia]

We used to do that then we went to shoulder rates because we just could not get peak season rates before July.
Now we have 5rate groups. Winter, pre summer, summer, fall, early winter.
excellent idea to raise and lower rates by room now that you know preferences..

We used to do that then we went to shoulder rates because we just could not get peak season rates before July.
Now we have 5rate groups. Winter, pre summer, summer, fall, early winter.
excellent idea to raise and lower rates by room now that you know preferences.

I guess we'll see if the higher rates in May scare people off. Last year, we switched to summer in June, but were pretty busy in May.
.

We used to do that then we went to shoulder rates because we just could not get peak season rates before July.
Now we have 5rate groups. Winter, pre summer, summer, fall, early winter.
excellent idea to raise and lower rates by room now that you know preferences.

I guess we'll see if the higher rates in May scare people off. Last year, we switched to summer in June, but were pretty busy in May.

I think it will depend a lot on the weather. If we get warmer weather in may, yes, it's busier. This year it was so cold for so long everywhere that there was no reason to 'get away' from the heat.

 

[Silverspoon]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.
.

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

Interesting. I'd not heard that before. We do give a free 7th night if you stay a whole week, but that's it. Other than a weekly discount, it sounds difficult to manage. How do you decide to whom to give a lower rate? How do you decide what a longer stay is?
Do other folks do it like this? I know the big hotels will lower the rate if there are plenty of unbooked rooms. We haven't done that yet, but are considering it.

 

[Silverspoon]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.
.

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

Interesting. I'd not heard that before. We do give a free 7th night if you stay a whole week, but that's it. Other than a weekly discount, it sounds difficult to manage. How do you decide to whom to give a lower rate? How do you decide what a longer stay is?
Do other folks do it like this? I know the big hotels will lower the rate if there are plenty of unbooked rooms. We haven't done that yet, but are considering it.
.

I do not give free nights. Instead I discount the rate, which costs me less in the long run. Since I am the booking agent I have all the executive power to set rates as I see fit. This probably would not work for most of you who have on-line booking and who use OTAs. But it works for us, giving us the flexibility to offer our best customers the best rates within set parameters.
Offering a range of rates is an incentive for our guests to book early, to reserve stays of 4-7 nights, and to become a "returning" guest. We have found that guests who fit that profile are the most considerate guests, making less work for us with less angst as well.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.
.

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

Interesting. I'd not heard that before. We do give a free 7th night if you stay a whole week, but that's it. Other than a weekly discount, it sounds difficult to manage. How do you decide to whom to give a lower rate? How do you decide what a longer stay is?
Do other folks do it like this? I know the big hotels will lower the rate if there are plenty of unbooked rooms. We haven't done that yet, but are considering it.
.

I do not give free nights. Instead I discount the rate, which costs me less in the long run. Since I am the booking agent I have all the executive power to set rates as I see fit. This probably would not work for most of you who have on-line booking and who use OTAs. But it works for us, giving us the flexibility to offer our best customers the best rates within set parameters.
Offering a range of rates is an incentive for our guests to book early, to reserve stays of 4-7 nights, and to become a "returning" guest. We have found that guests who fit that profile are the most considerate guests, making less work for us with less angst as well.
.

I sure understand the positive of a longer stay and a returning guest. Sounds like you have a good thing going.

 

[Silverspoon]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.
.

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

Interesting. I'd not heard that before. We do give a free 7th night if you stay a whole week, but that's it. Other than a weekly discount, it sounds difficult to manage. How do you decide to whom to give a lower rate? How do you decide what a longer stay is?
Do other folks do it like this? I know the big hotels will lower the rate if there are plenty of unbooked rooms. We haven't done that yet, but are considering it.
.

I do not give free nights. Instead I discount the rate, which costs me less in the long run. Since I am the booking agent I have all the executive power to set rates as I see fit. This probably would not work for most of you who have on-line booking and who use OTAs. But it works for us, giving us the flexibility to offer our best customers the best rates within set parameters.
Offering a range of rates is an incentive for our guests to book early, to reserve stays of 4-7 nights, and to become a "returning" guest. We have found that guests who fit that profile are the most considerate guests, making less work for us with less angst as well.
.

I sure understand the positive of a longer stay and a returning guest. Sounds like you have a good thing going.
.

Well, honestly? It works most of time....but every now and then, especially at the beginning of the season when our funds are in need of replenishing, I give a new guest a room on the low end of the rate just to fill the house.
I firmly believe in working smarter, not harder. There is still a bit of tread on us but it really is beginning to wear thin.
We will see how 2016 goes, reducing our reservations a bit more than we did this past year. As we age we are having to hire out lawn care and some heavy maintenance that we have always done ourselves. At some point the upkeep of the property may just overwhelm our ability to make the B+B pay the bills to support the place. Then its time to quit and figure out plan B! LOL

 

[MtnKeeper]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.
.

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

Interesting. I'd not heard that before. We do give a free 7th night if you stay a whole week, but that's it. Other than a weekly discount, it sounds difficult to manage. How do you decide to whom to give a lower rate? How do you decide what a longer stay is?
Do other folks do it like this? I know the big hotels will lower the rate if there are plenty of unbooked rooms. We haven't done that yet, but are considering it.
.

I run a summer special - stay 3 nights and save 5%, stay 4 or more save 10%. Resnexus automatically calculates it on the reservation. I love getting guests for more than 2 nights - less checks and less turns.

 

[ChrisandShelley]

We are closed from ~mid/late October until ~early/mid May, because there are few tourists but mainly because we drain all of our plumbing because the pipes are going to freeze. Here's a graph of our occupancy:

We have three rate periods: peak, shoulder, and off-season -- (1) July and August; (2) June and September; and (3) May and October..

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.
.

Next year we are going with 3 rate periods as well: Spring (April-Memorial Day), Summer(Memorial Day through mid-September and Fall (mid-September-mid-October for the cottage as guest house accommodation with no breakfast.) Each period will have a range of rates so we can adjust as needed. The lower end of the rate spectrum goes to longer reservations and returning guests. The higher end goes to shorter stays and popular periods.

Interesting. I'd not heard that before. We do give a free 7th night if you stay a whole week, but that's it. Other than a weekly discount, it sounds difficult to manage. How do you decide to whom to give a lower rate? How do you decide what a longer stay is?
Do other folks do it like this? I know the big hotels will lower the rate if there are plenty of unbooked rooms. We haven't done that yet, but are considering it.
.

I do not give free nights. Instead I discount the rate, which costs me less in the long run. Since I am the booking agent I have all the executive power to set rates as I see fit. This probably would not work for most of you who have on-line booking and who use OTAs. But it works for us, giving us the flexibility to offer our best customers the best rates within set parameters.
Offering a range of rates is an incentive for our guests to book early, to reserve stays of 4-7 nights, and to become a "returning" guest. We have found that guests who fit that profile are the most considerate guests, making less work for us with less angst as well.
.

We have online booking with Rezstream, but I can set the rate parameters very easily. We have mid-week rates and weekend rates, rates for festivals, and so on. We could set it to give a discount for multiple nights, we just don't choose to.