City breaks fuel tourism - push can help in decision making

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City breaks have become one of the most popular ways to travel and discover new places. Since tourists usually travel on a strict budget and tight schedule, hotels, hostels, and guesthouses look for ways to communicate their offers clearly and precisely. Push notifications can come in handy.

What’s the perfect city-break accommodation? 

The most important characteristic of city-break fans seems to be their flexibility - since the travel is short and usually on a budget, they don’t mind changing their plans per ticket prices or special offers found in another location. For those tourists, planning a romantic weekend in Paris can lead to booking a stay in Hungary for a wine festival they just learned about. 

The direction might change, but the general incentives to advertise remain the same across the world. Tourists look for places that are:

• Clean
• Cheap 
• Well-located

Other emerging factors are sustainability, pet-friendly accommodations, and options for solo travelers. 

According to numerous studies, the process of planning a city break can be as exciting as actually getting to travel. Only 17% of travelers turn to travel bookers and agencies, preferring to have freedom over their itineraries. Most of those surveyed find the process pleasant and exciting. 

Push to book a stay

Knowing what the future customers want is a first step to success. Of course, their first steps will be to check possible accommodation options on Booking.com or other OTP or marketplace. But that doesn’t mean that clear communication on the hotel’s own website or social media doesn’t count in the decision-making process. 

This is where web push can come in handy. 

Special price offerings

With up to 48% of tourists starting their browsing for accommodation earlier to get the best offers, setting up price alerts via push notifications can encourage them to stay in touch. This can be achieved through standard mass web push campaigns advertising early bird, late bird, or seasonal discounts.

The second way is building a personalized automation allowing hotels to communicate the offer that will be most interesting for a specific customer.

Loyalty programs

Return visits aren’t popular among the fans of city breaks who prefer to hop from one location to another. However, hotel chains can use them to their advantage, offering special discounts for customers booking with them in location A when they go to location B. In fact, many hotel chains set up loyalty programs that help them boost their bookings and create a guest’s profile to target them with more personalized offers. 

Web and mobile push notifications can serve as reminders for customers participating in the programme, incentivizing them to use the benefits and make bookings. 

Collecting reviews

The adventure doesn’t have to end as soon as the hotel’s door closes. In fact, from the host’s standpoint, it shouldn't. Gathering and displaying positive feedback from hotel guests is crucial to building a good reputation among future customers. 

Once again, web push can be a good way of asking for opinions. Once the stay is done, a 1:1 push notification might be sent, kindly requesting the guest to fill in a short questionnaire. 21% more likely to leave a review after a negative experience than after a positive experience. If you want praise, you need to work for it. 

Push notifications in the hospitality business

PushPushGo has been working with hotels and travel agencies for years, and we have always tried to build new tools allowing us to better serve those businesses. With options for targeting and personalizing push notifications, as well as building transactional push communication, we can accommodate city breakers on every step of their journey, from looking for the best prices to after-stay surveys. 

If you want to learn more about tools designed for the hospitality business, see our article on the subject. We will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.