How to Increase Hotel Occupancy in Low Season (Complete Guide)

By: Frank DePino | November 4, 2025

If your hotel faces empty rooms once the busy season ends, you’re far from alone. Every property, from boutique inns to luxury resorts, experiences seasonal dips in booking demand. Understanding how to increase hotel occupancy in low season is critical to maintaining consistent cash flow, brand visibility, and staff retention year‑round.

In this complete guide, you’ll learn:

• Why occupancy declines during off‑peak months
• How to identify new traveler segments for your marketing campaigns
• Which pricing and package strategies work best for low season demand
• A detailed 30‑60‑90 day plan to increase bookings fast

This isn’t about cutting rates or running flash sales. Instead, it’s about applying a strategic hotel marketing plan that builds long‑term guest loyalty, maximizes revenue per available room (RevPAR), and fills rooms with profitable guests even in slower months.

Table of Contents

1. Measure Your Hotel Occupancy Rate
2. Identify the Causes of Your Low Season
3. Re‑Target Travelers Who Book in Low Season
4. Create Value‑Based Hotel Packages
5. Optimize Pricing and Distribution Channels
6. Upgrade Your Hotel Marketing Strategy
7. Enhance the Guest Experience During Low Season
8. Track Key Performance Metrics
9. 30‑60‑90 Day Action Plan to Increase Occupancy
10. Proven Strategies to Boost Hotel Bookings
11. Mistakes to Avoid
12. Final Thoughts

1. Measure Your Hotel Occupancy Rate

Before improving performance, you need a clear starting point: your occupancy rate, the percentage of rooms sold over a specific period.

Formula:
Occupancy Rate = (Occupied Rooms ÷ Total Available Rooms) × 100

Example:
If your hotel has 80 rooms and 52 are booked on average during low season, your occupancy rate is 65%.

Knowing this figure helps you:

• Track how marketing efforts impact room demand
• Set competitive pricing and forecast cash flow
• Benchmark performance against your own historical data and local competitors using STR or CBRE market reports

Occupancy benchmarks:

• Below 40% – critical: implement emergency promotions and cost control
• 40–60% – underperforming: re‑evaluate pricing and marketing mix
• 60–70% – competitive: maintain momentum and refine offers
• 70%+ – excellent: focus on increasing ADR and optimizing ancillary revenue

Establishing these benchmarks enables precise tracking and more informed decision‑making when the next low season arrives.

2. Identify the Causes of Your Low Season

Every hotel has unique off‑peak periods, and understanding their cause helps you design stronger promotional campaigns. Use data from your PMS or channel manager to map booking trends over at least three years.

Common causes include:

• Weather shifts: coastal resorts see fewer bookings in winter; ski hotels slow down in summer.
• Event calendar gaps: fewer festivals or conferences reduce travel demand.
• School and holiday schedules: family travel pauses when school terms begin.
• Corporate travel cycles: business travel drops around holidays or fiscal year‑end.

Differentiate between:

• Shoulder season: moderate decline before or after peak, requiring mild price adjustments.
• Deep low season: drastic downturn; ideal for impactful marketing experiments.

Knowing which room categories, such as suites or standard rooms, experience steeper declines helps tailor seasonal offers that target those weak points directly.

3. Re‑Target Travelers Who Book in Low Season

High‑season leisure travelers may pull back, but new segments are constantly available. To boost occupancy during quiet months, design campaigns around alternative guest profiles.

Key guest segments include:

• Business travelers: They value reliability, fast Wi‑Fi, and accessible meeting facilities. Consider mid‑week corporate bundles with breakfast and workspace access.
• Remote workers and digital nomads: Offer monthly rates, coffee vouchers, and dedicated work zones.
• Couples: Highlight privacy, tranquility, and spa amenities for off‑season romantic escapes.
• Local residents: Promote staycations, day‑use rooms, or weekend getaways with dining credits.

Dive into your CRM or guest history to locate repeat visitors who traveled during prior shoulder seasons. Retarget them with segmented email campaigns or loyalty incentives. Domestic and regional guests are particularly motivated by short travel distances and flexible schedules, making them perfect for off‑season promotions.

4. Create Value‑Based Hotel Packages

Competing solely on price erodes profitability and damages your brand. Instead of running blanket discounts, focus on value‑added packages that make guests feel they’re getting more for their money, creating perceived value without reducing your average daily rate (ADR).

Popular low season package examples:

• “Midweek Spa Escape” – 2‑night stay, massage treatments, and daily breakfast.
• “Remote Work Retreat” – high‑speed internet, ergonomic chair, late checkout, and lunch vouchers.
• “Wellness Weekend” – yoga sessions, health‑focused dining, and access to local wellness activities.

Create experiences, not just room nights. Transform underused areas like meeting rooms into co‑working spaces, or host events such as wine tastings, art shows, or small music evenings. These initiatives attract local visitors while increasing hotel exposure.

5. Optimize Pricing and Distribution Channels

Your pricing strategy should evolve with demand, not rely on static rates. Use dynamic pricing tools to automatically adjust room rates according to occupancy, market competition, and real‑time search trends.

Recommended steps:

• Develop tiered pricing for direct bookings, loyalty members, and OTA listings.
• Encourage direct bookings by offering exclusive perks like free parking or late checkout.
• Stay visible on 
• OTAs
• , where price‑sensitive travelers often discover hotels.
• Simplify cancellation and booking policies to attract hesitant guests.

These methods not only preserve rate integrity but also improve visibility across multiple channels during slower months, ensuring your hotel remains top of mind.

6. Upgrade Your Hotel Marketing Strategy

A low season is the best time to refresh your hotel marketing plan. Shift your storytelling to highlight seasonal advantages, peaceful stays, personalized service, and local experiences.

Focus your efforts on:

• Email marketing: Send personalized offers based on guest preferences or past visits.
• Social media: Share photos and videos showing warm interiors, cozy dining options, or scenic off‑season landscapes.
• SEO and content marketing: Create blog articles that answer queries like “best winter getaways” or “romantic off‑season destinations.”
• Partnerships: Collaborate with local restaurants, spas, or tourism boards for cross‑promotions.

Your off‑peak marketing message should emphasize rest, value, and authenticity, helping guests envision why your hotel is worth visiting when crowds disappear.

7. Enhance the Guest Experience During Low Season

Off‑season periods give you time to exceed expectations. Focus on refining service and collecting positive reviews that will influence future travelers.

Ideas to implement:

• Provide personalized welcome letters, local recommendations, or seasonal welcome drinks.
• Train front‑desk and housekeeping staff for better service quality and upselling techniques.
• Offer small loyalty perks (e.g., free upgrade or late checkout for repeat guests).
• Collect feedback mid‑stay to resolve issues before checkout and encourage online reviews.

These experiences create emotional engagement and encourage repeat visits, strengthening your guest retention rate without expensive marketing spend.

8. Track Key Performance Metrics

To drive measurable improvement, monitor your hotel’s financial and marketing KPIs regularly.

Core metrics include:

• Occupancy Rate – demand indicator
• ADR (Average Daily Rate) – pricing strength
• RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) – revenue efficiency
• RevPOR (Revenue per Occupied Room) – guest spending trends

Segment these by guest type (corporate, leisure), room type, and booking channel to uncover the most profitable segments. Use dashboards within your PMS or BI tools to visualize patterns and adjust strategies with data‑driven precision.

9. 30‑60‑90 Day Action Plan to Increase Occupancy

Days 0–30:

• Review occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR data for prior low seasons.
• Audit digital presence—website, OTA profiles, Google Business.
• Segment guest database by travel purpose and booking source.
• Identify underperforming channels.

Days 30–60:

• Develop new value‑driven packages and promotions.
• Update website and OTA listings with seasonal photos and incentives.
• Set dynamic pricing rules.
• Launch segmented email and paid social campaigns aimed at local and regional audiences.

Days 60–90:

• Roll out promotions across digital channels.
• Collect performance data and guest feedback.
• Initiate referral or loyalty programs.
• Scale winning strategies into your long‑term marketing calendar.

This phased system balances short‑term growth with sustainable results.

10. Proven Strategies to Boost Hotel Bookings

Leverage these proven approaches to sustain occupancy throughout the year:

• Targeted marketing: Use data‑driven segmentation for higher ROI.
• Value‑based offers: Add meaningful perks instead of lowering rates.
• Smart pricing: Dynamic pricing ensures competitiveness without undervaluing rooms.
• Local partnerships: Create co‑branded experiences with nearby attractions.
• Guest retention: Strengthen loyalty to reduce acquisition costs.

Learn more from our Online Hotel Marketing Guide for additional tactics and templates.

11. Mistakes to Avoid

Avoiding these frequent missteps protects your profitability and long‑term brand positioning:

• Reducing prices too aggressively without adding perceived value.
• Repeating peak‑season campaigns without adaptation.
• Neglecting OTA analytics and conversion performance.
• Overlooking CRM segmentation.
• Ignoring data collection or KPI reporting.

Strategic restraint, combined with analysis, prevents revenue erosion and builds sustainable success.

Final Thoughts

Low season doesn’t have to be synonymous with losses. By identifying your demand drivers, re‑targeting the right guests, and crafting unique packages that emphasize value, your property can maintain profitability all year.

Ready to improve your low‑season performance?

Mediaboom specializes in hotel digital marketing, web design optimization, and SEO for hospitality brands, helping hotels boost direct bookings, brand awareness, and occupancy rates. Contact us today  to turn your off‑season into an opportunity for growth.

By: Frank DePino

Frank DePino is the Principal and Founder of Mediaboom, a digital marketing agency that partners with top hospitality and luxury brands. With over 30 years of experience, Frank has led strategic digital marketing initiatives for iconic names including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Millennium Partners, and Guardian Jet. He specializes in helping hospitality businesses elevate their brand presence, generate leads, and enhance guest experiences through website design, SEO, content marketing, and paid media. Under Frank’s leadership, Mediaboom is a trusted partner for brands seeking meaningful digital growth in the competitive hospitality landscape.