From The Ritz-Carlton's Facebook page
The extended weekend has given hotel brands extra space to craft compelling packages for the Fourth of July.
Many properties stitch the celebratory holiday into larger summer arrangements. However, since the holiday falls on a Friday, many affluent consumers have likely planned a small trip.
"With summer family travel in full force going into the July 4 holiday, luxury hotels often fade back and simply savor the full occupancies," said Damon M. Banks, freelance journalist and media consultant, New York.
"However, many hotels still look for creative ways to attract more guests and the locals to take advantage of the property's spa, restaurants and activities," he said. "These perks often make a difference when consumers are looking for a hotel for the holidays."
Part of summer
The majority of luxury properties will offer some form of Independence Day celebration, varying on the scale of patriotism.
Most conspicuously, a grand firework display is an easy way to pull both travelers and local consumers who want to stop by for an evening.
Brands should seek to differentiate themselves through last-minute digital efforts, since consumers expect a firework display as a minimum. Creating a conversation on social platforms and putting together image galleries or videos can help get consumers in the spirit.
Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore put together a "Wit & Wisdom's Fourth of July Celebration" package that includes musical entertainment, views of the harbor where a firework show will take place and various Americana activities.
Four Seasons Baltimore view of the harbor
Chef Clay Miller will lead the barbecue, where guests can order fried chicken, pit beef sandwiches, pulled pork, grilled brats, shrimp cocktail, oysters, eggplant and tamarind baked beans.
The property will also have red, white and blue sangria at the bar.
St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, CA, will also host an evening of live entertainment, fireworks and gourmet barbecue.
Throughout the summer the property is enticing consumers with stories and s'mores every Friday and Saturday night through Labor Day.
St. Regis Monarch Beach's stories and s'mores
For hotel brands comfortable with their position heading into the weekend, emphasizing the post-celebration activities may be beneficial.
Hotel brands have increasingly sought to differentiate on the basis of experience.
For instance, The Peninsula Hotels launched a program to better immerse guests in the native culture of each hotel location.
The Peninsula Academy will assist guests plunge into the heart of their hotel’s country or city. Each hotel will offer several programs that will submerge guests into the art, cuisine, fashion, style and culture of the location and will present guests with greater opportunities to connect with the city and country and the individual Peninsula hotel (see story).
Also, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is compiling top experiences from properties around the world for its new “Extraordinary Experiences Collection” series.
The collection aims to immerse guests in a location’s culture, which inevitably leads to a wide range of potential options. Travelers have consistently professed that trips should entail original experiences, and luxury hotel brands are fundamentally shifting to meet this demand (see story).
Digital conversations
Hotel brands are feeding the insatiable consumer desire for travel research with a number of digital tactics.
While consumer reviews on travel Web sites and word of mouth still hold sway over many travel decisions, hotels are becoming increasingly transparent to reel in the consumers busily browsing for their next trip. Microsites, mobile applications, social media feeds and content hubs are employing enhanced research tools to convince consumers to book (see story).
"Hotels who connect with current and future guests via social media can often create very long-term positive relationships with guests who can become loyal followers," Mr. Banks said.
Final Take
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York