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Whilst the hospitality industry is working flat out to accommodate the annual influx of tourists, it is simultaneously starting to eye up its next prize - Christmas.
It seems a bit ludicrous that the summer holidays aren't even over, yet across the country menus, wine lists and tariffs are being carefully thought out to help businesses to cash in on the Yuletide atmosphere.
But is it really that ludicrous? When you think about it, as people return from their summer holidays and get back into the usual routines in September, and as the nights start to draw in, many will begin to look longingly towards that Christmas break.
Larger businesses are likely to start booking their spots sooner rather than later to ensure all of their staff can be accommodated, and they'll soon be followed by SMEs and then the general public (our study of 278 diners revealed that 24% of people are planning to make bookings in October).
So in reality, pubs, hotels and restaurants need to know what their festive offering is before the phone starts to ring.
Remember that you need to keep your staff up to date with what's going on! For those early phone calls to your venue, you need to be confident that whoever answers will not be caught off guard with a Christmas booking. Our survey revealed that if staff didn't have information to hand on that first booking call, 84% of respondents said they would expect the venue to get back to them the same day, and almost half within 4 hours.
So yes it might seem a bit mad to be talking about Christmas at the end of August, but be a summer Scrooge at your own peril. Preparation is key!
Get in touch if you would like us to perform some mystery sales enquiries to test your teams and make sure they are well equipped to convert them into bookings.
