Hotel activities: Ideas list of fun things for guests to do

What are hotel activities?

Hotel guest activities are services offered by hotels to engage and entertain their guests, and to enhance the overall experience during their stay. these activities might take place at the hotel or be offered as off-site experiences. Some may be free while for others the hotel can charge fees and earn income.

In this article we’ll offer up a range of hotel activity examples, while breaking down why hotel activities are important, and how to offer them to guests in a way that generates more revenue.

Promote and upsell activities easily with Little Hotelier

Little Hotelier’s direct booking engine lets you sidestep OTA commission fees while increasing the value of every reservation. How? By upselling guests with paid activities as part of your custom booking process.

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Why are guest activities important in hotels?

Offering guest activities is important for a hotel for a number of reasons. Hotels with fun things to do can generate extra revenue, enhance the guest experience, increase customer satisfaction, encourage longer stays or repeat visits, and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Take a themed event or party as an example. It can generate revenue through ticket and drink sales. It creates a memorable experience for your guests – one that will keep your hotel in their thoughts, and may see them return at a later date. It can become a talking point in reviews. And photos from the night can be used in marketing materials for months to come.

Hotel activities list: fun things to do in a hotel

So what are some hotel activities you can try at your property? Hotel activity ideas are limited only by your imagination. But to get you started, here are three of the top activities offered by hotels.

• Guided local tours: Offer your guests the chance to get to know your local area with a tour from a local guide.
• Health and wellness activities: Offer your guests a yoga class in the morning, or massage and day spa services that they can book at their leisure.
• Recreational activities: Depending on the landscape of your local area, you could offer your guests the chance to cycle, hike, kayak, surf or bungee jump.

Hotels with activities and other fun things to do

What are the various activities of hotel accommodation? To get a sense of what to do in a hotel in terms of guest fun, let’s look at some inspiration from around the world.

• Lake Inari Mobile Cabins in Northern Finland offers a full complement of Arctic Circle activities, including sauna, skiing, ice fishing, dog sledding and e-sledding.
• The meticulously maintained grass tennis court at Haven Hall is perched atop the stunning, rugged coastline of the Isle of Wight, and has a pool next door for guests to cool down after their workout.
• In terms of resort activity ideas, Castaway Boutique Resort in Indonesia offers its guests private, personalised tours with local guides who share the culture and beauty of the Nusa Islands.

Hotel activities list of strategies to increase revenue

Armed with some ideas for guest activities in hotels, your attention should turn to how to increase revenue through entertainment in hotels.

Leverage local partnerships to offer exclusive experiences

You don’t necessarily need to run hotel activities yourself – you can partner with local guides and tour companies to offer your guests unique, high quality, exclusive activities, and take a cut from any bookings that you pass on.

Personalise offerings based on guest segments

If you run a B&B or romantic escape, focus on hotel activities for adults, such as wine tasting, cooking classes, spa treatments or themed parties. If you run a family friendly resort, focus on offering kids clubs, family tours and games to play at a hotel. You can further personalise these offerings by segmenting your guests into different demographics.

Upsell activities to boost guest spend

Paid activities can increase the amount of revenue you generate from every guest, particularly if you make it a point to upsell. One incredibly simple way to do that is to offer activities as part of your direct booking process – a simple tick box where a guest can opt in to an activity and pay for it when they book their stay.

Create themed events to attract guests during off-peak seasons

During low season you need to create reasons for guests to visit. A themed event – a Halloween party, food festival, wellness retreat or cultural night – can be that reason, creating a genuine buzz at otherwise slow times of year.

Implement a guest activity calendar for year-round occupancy

Why make an event or activity a once-off? Create a full calendar of guest entertainment that works to achieve maximum occupancy throughout the year. Capitalise on big events during high season, create your own fun during low season, and post your calendar somewhere easily accessible so word gets out.

I don’t have to overthink Little Hotelier. Little Hotelier delivers, and it makes a huge difference when you trust a system. I absolutely love Little Hotelier’s efficiency which conclusively supports my aims and objectives as a hotelier.

Claire Moseley,

Owner

Derwent House

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How to promote hotel activities 

Speaking of getting the word out, here’s how to let the world know about the fun that can be had at your hotel:

• Awareness stage: Use targeted strategies like content marketing and social media advertising to let potential guests know about your activities. Share photos and videos of previous events.
• Consideration: Provide detailed information about your activities on your website. People trust people, so highlight guest reviews and testimonials that mention your activities.
• Purchasing phase: Once a guest decides to book, offer activities as add-ons or as part of package deals during the reservation process. After they’ve booked, promote activities via email.
• During their stay: At check-in, let guests know what’s going on, personalising your recommendations from guest to guest. Provide daily schedules and encourage guests to participate in activities throughout their stay.
• After check-out: Follow up with guests via email. If they enjoyed their experience, ask for a review and invite them back. Send them information about future events and activities, perhaps with an exclusive discount.

Promoting and offering activities and events doesn’t have to be hard work either. By arming yourself with the right tools, you can automate much of the admin, while enjoying all the perks that we’ve outlined above.

The secret? A little bit of help from Little Hotelier.

By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).