The temperature is dropping, the dark nights are drawing in, and your room bookings are slowing – or so the winter season goes. But how can you change this? Read our four practical tips for staying busy in the quieter months.  

Optimise your booking process over winter  

Off-season, when you’re less distracted by guests, is the perfect time to review your booking strategy. A good place to start for any independent hotelier looking to get more bookings is your booking process. Put yourself in your guests’ shoes and try to book a room on your website. Is the process seamless? Or are there friction points like a slow load time, blurry pictures, or unclear availability? All these things will put off prospective guests.  

Ideally, your booking process should:  

✅ Be mobile-optimised, fast, and clean  

✅ Have clear next steps  

✅ Be branded to create trust  

✅ Have a speedy checkout 

Using a commission-free booking engine like freetobook ensures the best guest experience. Our beautiful bloom booking pages show off your property’s best angles, with high-quality photos, clear descriptions, and personalised branding. You can also use it to upsell extras and advertise off-season offers. 

Fieldhead Hotel’s beautiful bloom pages.

A simpler booking process means guests are more likely to book directly with you, not the OTAs – aka more conversion and less commission!  

Get on Google 

If your hotel isn’t already on Google, you need to catch up. 97% of all online searches are made on Google, making it the perfect place to advertise your hotel.  

First, you need to set up your Google Business Profile. Then you can advertise your property on Google Zero or Hotel Ads, meaning that it will pop up when guests search for a place to stay. Google Zero shows your direct price for free in the “All options” tab. Google Hotel Ads is even better, spotlighting your hotel in the top “Sponsored” section.  

Using both Google Zero and Hotel Ad connections, the commission cost per booking comes to around 5% – much lower than the typical OTAs’.  

Google Hotel Ads (top Sponsored section) and Google Zero (bottom All options section).

A warning though! The OTAs are also lurking around your listing. Entice guests to book directly with you by making your rate the best. Do this by setting an OTA surcharge on freetobook, 15% is the most popular.  

For properties confident in their direct booking strategy, you can even use channel close outs to block the OTAs on busy dates e.g. bank holiday weekends. This means your direct booking link is the only one that appears on Google – almost guaranteeing direct bookings in the off-season when you need them most.  

Market your property on social media  

Social media has levelled the playing field: you can now promote your property yourself, without the need of a specialist media team or a big budget. With younger Gen Z guests relying heavily on visual content to choose where to stay, winter is the perfect time to showcase your property’s cosier side.  

Share eye-catching photos or short videos of your property’s best winter features, like roaring fires, festive decorations, frosty views, or warm breakfasts to inspire off-season getaways. Use bold, seasonal visuals to stand out on the infinite scroll.

Travellers trust other travellers. Repost user-generated content (UGC) from happy guests and let them tell your hotel’s story for you. You can even incentivise guests by proffering perks like a free drink or room upgrade when they post and tag your property.  

More people are now using social media as a search tool, as it has more up-to-date information than websites. Make sure to update your social media channels regularly.  

Freetobook property Foyer’s Lodge during winter.

Maintain your reputation over off-season 

Strong reviews matter year-round, and winter is no exception. A steady stream of high-quality reviews helps increase your visibility, build trust, and encourage more direct bookings. Remember, those shining 5-star reviews are not just a nice to have, they’re a long-term investment in your property’s success.  

Tools like Reputation Suite help you get more reviews where it matters. This automates the rather repetitive process of review collection, encouraging guests to leave a review on your preferred platform (we think that Google and TripAdvisor are best). The system helps prioritise your best reviews publicly while giving you the opportunity to address any constructive feedback privately, keeping your reputation strong and authentic.  

The more consistently you collect reviews, the faster you’ll climb the rankings, and the time you save can be spent with your guests.  

Turn winter into an opportunity 

Winter season doesn’t need to be slow. By tightening your booking process, increasing your visibility on Google, staying active on social media, and maintaining a strong reputation, you can keep guests coming through the door. Small tweaks now can make a big difference; helping you turn the off-season into an opportunity.