Providing unique experiences enables hotels to stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Some luxury and boutique properties are extraordinary experiences in themselves—like our client Ancient Lore Village, where guests can stay in their very own leprechaun lair—and others reinforce their brand by providing exclusive activities and excursions.
However, you don’t have to be made of money (or leprechaun gold) to deliver memories guests will cherish. Any property can rise above its competitive set by tailoring unique, local experiences—even if those experiences are low cost.
Here’s how.
Identify Relevant Experiences
Identify experiences that are relevant to your guests by using your booking engine and property management system (PMS) to gather guest data that reveals their travel motivations and preferred activities. For example, take a look at the products/services report in WebRezPro to discover your property’s most popular add-ons and activities. Continue—or expand—your investment in these amenities and services and consider similar additions. If everyone loves your daily kayak tours, what about offering night trips as well so guests can enjoy the bioluminescent zooplankton?
Demographic guest information is also important and easy to record and access in guest profiles. Families looking to spend fun, quality time together may be drawn to the nearby waterpark (sell sunscreen in the gift shop!) while couples may enjoy a sunset boat tour with champagne. However, experiences unique to your destination can attract travelers across guest segments. The one thing each guest has in common is that they all chose your destination.
Form Partnerships
For most properties, the ability to package activities and experiences depends on establishing partnerships with other local businesses. In addition to tour and activity operators, reach out to restaurants, museums, galleries, theme parks, spas, event organizers, and the like. City tours, outdoor adventures, culinary experiences, attraction tickets, or spa treatments are all ways to turn a standard hotel stay into an extraordinary one. Culinary tourism in particular is booming—this market is expected to grow from $11.5 billion in 2023 to $40.53 billion in 2030.
Ideally, you can leverage partnerships to offer guests discounted activities and experiences. However, even if a discount isn’t possible, you can still make booking through you the most attractive option by delivering exclusive access. For example, imagine partnering with a local surf school to provide guests with surfing lessons. But in addition to the lesson, your guests also enjoy a free post-lesson drink at your bar to celebrate their success in the sea. Giving guests an experience curated just for them is a surefire way to make them feel special. So what perks can you provide? Work with your partners to establish the best way to combine offerings and don’t be afraid to get creative.
Stay up to date on what’s happening in your community and keep an eye out for businesses you may want to partner with. You can even recommend them before a partnership is in place, both at the front desk and in your digital guide. This builds goodwill for the future, and guests are—literally—hungry for these local recommendations.
Consider Day Guest Experiences
Your property offers far more than just rooms—capitalize on all your on-site amenities to create memorable experiences and drive additional revenue. Not every guest needs to stay the night. By promoting your pool, spa, restaurant, and other facilities as stand-alone daytime experiences, you attract experience-focused travelers and local visitors alike.
This strategy not only enhances guest engagement but boosts your RevPAM (revenue per available meter), unlocking the full earning potential of your property. In fact, ancillary revenue accounts for 10 to 15 percent of all revenue across the hospitality industry—don’t miss the opportunity to capture your share.
By offering these experiences separate from your overnight stays, you expand your pricing spectrum—making your property accessible to a wider audience without devaluing your accommodation. Local guests attracted by these day-use amenities also fuel positive word of mouth, enhancing your brand reputation in the community, while sustaining your property during shoulder seasons.
Offering guests activities not only creates memorable stays that can turn them into loyal customers and advocates—it’s also a great promotional opportunity for you and your partners. Partnerships expand your reach through shared marketing channels and help increase your credibility. Be sure they backlink to your website from any joint promotions!
Promoting curated, local experiences that align with guests’ travel motivations helps define your property’s brand. The offer itself reflects your commitment to guest satisfaction and involvement in the community. So, promote activity packages across offline and online channels, including your website, social media, and direct guest communications such as email and SMS messaging. This not only spreads the word about your offerings but also improves your SEO and GEO with relevant content.
Manage Bookings Effortlessly
Extraordinary experiences are supported by flexible, intuitive reservation systems that make booking activities with accommodation a breeze. Ensure your booking engine and PMS provide the tools to manage, track, and sell stay-and-play packages or separate activity bookings to prevent an extraordinary stay experience from turning into a frustrating one for you and your guests.
WebRezPro allows properties to sell optional add-ons and activities during the booking process, or they can be added to reservations later. You can even include images to boost the appeal of your offerings—visual materials are 2.3 times more effective at driving conversions than text alone.
Providing activities is a practical and effective way for hotels of all kinds to distinguish themselves through unique stay experiences, especially when those experiences are thoughtfully and appropriately curated for your guests.
