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 />
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