Understanding Shoulder Season

Going from Good To Great

Shoulder season is the period of time between a destination’s peak season and off-peak season. This period can last months or just weeks. Usually, during the shoulder season, students are back in class, and holiday activities either have yet to come or have already passed. Here along the Gulf Coast, our peak season is summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), and off-peak is winter (Thanksgiving to Mardi Gras), which makes our shoulder seasons Spring and Fall.

Travelers are now much more savvy. They understand that shoulder seasons are less expensive, less crowded, and typically offer more moderate weather. In fact, some travelers now say shoulder season is the only time they’ll travel.

Running a successful property management (PM) business requires a great understanding of all the seasons. While many PMs have strategies for peak and off-peak seasons, they overlook shoulder season. Unlike off-peak season, shoulder season isn’t the time when business is lowest, so some PMs don’t have a well-developed business strategy for shoulder season. Due to the unique challenges of shoulder season travel, property managers need to implement targeted strategies to drive business during this time.

Marketing is extremely important for a PM all year. However, the messaging needs to change depending on the season. PMs need shoulder season marketing strategies based on the driving forces and the travelers specific to their market. The messaging used for the peak season is not going to work for the shoulder season. Travelers’ preferences change, and their motivation to travel during this time is different than during peak season.

Just as important as a marketing strategy specific to this season is an in-depth understanding of revenue management and a dynamic pricing strategy. Room rates vary throughout the year, and successful PMs anticipate the fluctuations and strategize accordingly. A revenue management system collects and organizes data related to rates, occupancy, and trends, and based on the analysis determines the pricing that is likely to attract the most guests and boost rental revenue.

Shoulder season is as important as any other season. Knowing how to drive bookings during shoulder season requires preparation, strategic & and targeted marketing, and top-notch revenue management, and can be the difference between a good year and a great year.

Please reach out to me, Kathy Harr, about our referral program, or to get more information.