While summer is the traditional peak season for Australia’s hospitality industry, that doesn’t mean a winter dip must follow. While it’s easy to assume that shorter days and colder nights will impact patronage, visiting our favourite hotel F&B venue, restaurant, cafe or bar is an essential Aussie pastime all year round. However, to turn winter into a second peak, venues must know how to tap into customer behaviour, seasonal creativity and curated experiences, using the data they collect year-round to help inform their operations and marketing.
As a former café owner, I know firsthand the trepidation that can come with winter, when consumers are often less inclined to go out. However, I also know that my most successful winter seasons were when we were hyper-focused on seasonality, identifying why our guests would visit us. For venue operators today, the same applies. From optimising reservation times to crafting personalised offers and curating seasonal experiences, learn how top venues spread cheer and boost revenue throughout the winter.
Tapping into approved guest data
For venues, approved guest data could be the key to unlocking a busier, more profitable winter. Through it, operators can unearth critical insights that help them create experiences that generate more revenue. Data enables venues to understand their most valuable and reliable winter guests, what they order, and how to incentivise their return.
By using guest data as the fuel for personalisation, venues can tailor offers, communications, and experiences to match guest behaviour. For example, guests who frequently order wine could be invited to a winter mulled wine event, or those who often visit for a Sunday roast could be targeted for ‘Christmas in July’- related events or initiatives.
Becoming a seasonal destination
Winter means colder days and longer nights, but this shouldn’t be viewed as a challenge to overcome, but rather an opportunity to seize. Tapping into this seasonality is essential. In the same way, venues might promote long lunches on their ‘sun-drenched’ terrace or aperol spritz deals in summer; similar approaches are just as impactful during winter. So too is the way they’re communicated.
Hospitality operators could consider menu tweaks like swapping light lunches or summer salads with rich pastas, slow-cooked favourites and hot desserts. Drinks like mulled wine or spiced cider might also generate more sales than a chilled red. Operators shouldn’t underestimate the importance of language and the impact that words like ‘warmth’, ‘indulgence’, and ‘cosy’ can have on their marketing at this time of year.
Creating experiences that sell
SevenRooms research shows that Australian diners are increasingly demanding heightened, ‘luxe’ experiences and would pay more for them. Most Australians are willing to spend up to $97 per person for a meal out. Our research also found that three in four (74%) plan to or have already returned to a venue after a unique experience.
From the point of reservation, operators should consider adding value to the experience, like adding a seasonal welcome cocktail, reserving seating next to the open fire, or offering a holiday menu like Christmas in July. These upgrades and experiences not only elevate the guest experience but also increase average spend in the immediate term and retention and repeat spend long-term.
Operators should also think about opportunities beyond the dining room. Many venues today are more than just hospitality operations; they’re lifestyle brands tapping into commerce, too. SevenRooms shows that 77% of Aussie consumers purchase non-food items from restaurants. Whether cookbooks, candles and pantry items, or the branded caps, tees and tote bags that are a common sight on the high street, operators should tap into new revenue streams and unleash a new era of brand ambassadors this winter.
Venues and revenue optimisation
A change in season can prompt a change in diners’ habits, including when they make reservations and their dining windows. With this in mind, venues should revisit their strategies to maximise revenue opportunities. For example, if reservations data shows that a venue’s ‘peak’ window narrows, because daylight ends earlier, operators could roll out off-peak offers and prices to encourage additional patronage later in the day. This can also help venues more effectively manage their rosters, ensuring they’re well-staffed during potentially different seasonal peak windows and not overstaffed during periods that are busy in summer but quieter in winter.
Similarly, if winter brings longer or shorter turn times, operators should consider changing their reservation windows so they don’t have to hurry guests out the door, cut short their spending, or have tables sit dormant for too long between bookings. Plus, if venues can identify trends in party sizes, they might be able to recalibrate and optimise their seating plans, growing their indoor capacity.
For many hospitality operators, it’s easy to think that winter requires a survival mindset, but that’s not the case anymore. With the right data and a seasonal and timely approach to menu planning and marketing, winter could be a second peak and a springboard into summer.
By Paul Hadida, Managing Director, APAC GTM at SevenRooms.
