When trying to improve your hotel’s occupancy, you know it’s important to use multiple channels to attract guests. A hotel can expect a certain percentage of direct bookings and OTA reservations. But what can you do to fill remaining vacant rooms?

While there are many websites to help travelers plan ahead, many still choose to make same-night accommodation choices while on the road. We’ll answer the most common questions we get from hoteliers about how coupons can be a reliable source of walk-in traffic for your hotel. Best of all, it’s commission-free.

How Do Hotel Coupons Work?

Not all travelers plan equally. Some on a long road trip may choose to drive until they are tired. Others might just have a last-minute trip that the traveler didn’t have time to research and book a hotel for. These travelers will visit state welcome centers, rest areas, and restaurants along their trip and find free hotel publications like the HotelCoupons guide. Travelers can browse the guide for dozens of hotel discounts along their travel route.

Once a traveler has chosen a hotel they would like to stay at from the guide, they’ll walk in and ask for the coupon rate. They are encouraged to call ahead to check the availability of rooms at the listed rate. Most hotels will only honor the rate if the customer walks in without a reservation; others will allow the traveler to book while on the phone. Some coupons list a slightly higher “call ahead rate” to encourage reservation conversions using HotelCoupons.

Why Would a Traveler Use Coupons?

Even though most of your guests will have booked online, many traveler demographics still prefer to call a hotel directly or physically walk into a business to make a transaction. Picking up a physical HotelCoupons guide at rest areas and visitor’s centers is often the best way for these travelers to find out which hotels are options on their drive. HotelCoupons guides are especially attractive to those who don’t want to use their cell phone data to search for a hotel online or don’t like to use their credit cards on public Wi-Fi.

Other customers who choose to use Hotel Coupons are simply looking for the best deal they can get. Because of rate parity, OTAs and hotel websites often offer the same rate for a hotel night. However, hotels can offer coupon rates that are even lower than published rates online. Although the rate is lower, an otherwise vacant room gets filled, and the hotel doesn’t pay any OTA fees for the booking.

How Much Do HotelCoupons Cost?

We know that no one likes hearing “it depends,” but unfortunately, that’s the case. The rates to advertise in the HotelCoupons guide depend on the size of your ad and the region of the U.S. you are in, based on distribution. The ad price you pay is a flat rate, which means you’ll easily be able to track your ROI. Simply track how many bookings come from coupons in a month, and subtract the ad price. Coupons are an excellent commission-free avenue to fill vacant rooms.

Does it Really Work?

We’re flattered to say that many of our hotels have been with us for years, and some, for decades. You can read a case study about how we helped one Best Western reach more travelers and bring in 536% ROI from HotelCoupons.

Ready to learn more? Visit our HotelCoupons page and fill out the form to get your free consultation.

I have been using TMG for my hotels for over 25 years. Coupons are a great way to fill empty rooms at a lower rate. I have found that most guest using the coupon only found my hotel through the book or website, and would not have stayed otherwise. I have always found the return on investment with the coupons is higher than most forms of advertising. They are also very easy to track, so the return is very quantifiable.

– Mike Winberg, Choice Hotel Owner