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Hotel SA November 2023

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P E A K S E A S O N<br />

Getting Ready For The Festive Season<br />

Whether it’s your first Christmas and New Year running<br />

a pub, or your fiftieth, it’s always good to check you are<br />

fully prepared for peak season.<br />

Many hotels have their own checklist. For those that<br />

don’t, <strong>Hotel</strong> <strong>SA</strong> offers a few suggestions to get you<br />

started.<br />

DO THE BASICS<br />

• Watch your costs. Some Xmas menus are released<br />

eight months in advance, with set prices. There is a<br />

danger that some costs will increase during this time.<br />

If, for example, the price of beef soars, how will you<br />

ensure that you retain your margins?<br />

• As you add temporary staff to cater for peak demand,<br />

make sure your employment contracts are all in<br />

order.<br />

• Remind and train staff about their responsible service<br />

of alcohol obligations. The festive season does not<br />

dilute your obligations.<br />

• If certain dates are quiet, give them a special theme<br />

and then use your database to conduct email<br />

marketing.<br />

• Make sure you are using internal promotions<br />

(posters, TV screens etc) to publicise the right events<br />

(that is, the dates that aren’t filling as fast as you<br />

would like).<br />

• You can also promote the fact that some dates<br />

are sold out. Nothing prompts people to book like<br />

scarcity.<br />

• Plug your Christmas menus and other promotions<br />

on social media.<br />

• If you are really nervous that numbers are<br />

down, harness the power of online advertising.<br />

Make sure you localise your ads, select the best<br />

keywords and use any profiling options (eg.<br />

tradies, white collar workers, female, male etc).<br />

• Introduce a deposit for peak days in order to limit<br />

“no shows”.<br />

• Also, use automated technology through your<br />

booking platform – or organise a member of staff<br />

to phone each reservation contact – to ensure you<br />

aren’t faced with empty tables.<br />

• Advertise your opening hours, including the<br />

bottle shop.<br />

• Reorganise your bottleshop so that easy gift<br />

ideas that attract good margin are prominently<br />

displayed, so that busy shoppers can ‘grab<br />

and go’.<br />

Back to Contents W W W . A H A S A . A S N . A U | <strong>Hotel</strong> <strong>SA</strong> | 19

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