Fall season is sports season. And it’s not just the national pro leagues that are in full swing. Colleges, high schools, and other leagues, are all playing scheduled events throughout the country, giving hoteliers ample opportunity to set rates that fully match these demand drivers.

Sports events are not always commonly considered when hoteliers are setting rates, but are a strong part of a hotel’s overall business mix. Typically planned way in advance, sports fans book rooms to see their favorite teams in action. And in many cases, are willing to pay for the privilege of taking part in the thrill of their team’s victory, or in the agony of their defeat.

Here are some ways to leverage the opportunity for this enthusiastic, and less price sensitive customer subset attending pre-scheduled sporting events, such as professional, collegiate and youth leagues. In our next post, we’ll discuss how to handle last minute sports playoffs.

Make a list: Get schedules of all local team’s matches. This provides vital insight into which nights will be most in demand, and allow you to prepare accordingly way in advance of game day. This also applies to professional golf tournaments, NASCAR races and other sporting events such as cheerleader tournaments. Homecoming weekend for the local college, particularly, brings in lots of demand. Also, be sure to research which youth leagues are holding tournaments in your community. Then, reach out to organizers about securing rooms at your hotel for out of town guests.

Create premium priced packages: This is a smart way to charge premium pricing for individual components, which are masked by a single price around each sports event. Market larger rooms and suites, specifically, for those looking to enjoy more social time in the room before the event. Include elements, for example, such as room, event memorabilia such as a t-shirt or other logo item, drinks at the bar (if relevant), and perhaps a game day snack pack or tailgate lunch. For youth leagues, perhaps tie in some food options too. For example, partner with a local restaurant such as a pizza place and build that per person cost into the package.

Using a cloud-based property management system such as the SkyTouch Hotel OS®, allows hoteliers to easily create packages with definitive start and end dates that are distributed throughout all reservation channels.

Manage stay restrictions: With a PMS such as the SkyTouch Hotel OS®, hoteliers can set restrictions such as Minimum Length of Stay, Closed to Arrival, and special event rates. This function helps revenue specialists ensure rooms aren’t left empty because someone only booked a room the night prior to the event, and not the night of the event, for example. Now you can sell rooms only to people desiring to stay the entire event.

Automatic Rate Setting: Setting and resetting rates as demand increases for specific nights is a time-consuming process. So, a standard SkyTouch feature is automatic rate setting functionality. This helps ensure you’re securing the best rate on all distribution channels. Simply define rate alert triggers with minimum and maximum dates from date of stay. Then the right system automatically adapts BAR levels based upon changes in actual occupancy or number of rooms sold.

In conjunction, these two powerful, yet simple to use tools, can help guide the hotel to increased profitability.

On the Move Functionality: A cloud-based property management system, such as the SkyTouch Hotel OS®, offers mobile-optimized hotel management. So, if the owner or manager is off premise, say at a sporting event, he or she can change rates that are shared throughout all distribution channels while enjoying the Big Game themselves!