When is high season for hotels

Many hotels experience their peak season during the warm summer months and their off-peak season during the cold winter months. Other locations, such as ski resorts, see opposite travel patterns.

Shoulder season falls in the months between your peak season and your off-peak season. If you operate from a coastal hotel, for example, you likely experience the height of your booking demand from June-August, and your lowest demand December-February.

The shoulder season for a location with this booking pattern would be from September-November and March-May. Due to the unique challenges of shoulder season travel, hotels need to implement targeted strategies to drive business during these months.

Shoulder season is the median travel season that influences the business and revenue that comes into an entire area. Restaurants, area attractions, and local tourism booms in the area, and then simmers down.

Hotels will see a drop in demand, as there is less overall business to be captured in the area during shoulder season. Still not the slowest time of year, hotels will need to find other sources of travel to help bridge the gap during shoulder season.

Hotel managers must also keep in mind that seasonal travel grows in proportion to the general growth of tourism in an area. Let us help you maximize your hotel's revenue. College towns, for example, tend to see a huge surge of business around student move-in and move-out dates, visitor weekends, and popular sporting events.

After students have moved in, the collegiate market driver will slow down until the next major event. When there is not a high demand for college-related accommodations, hotels may need to look at corporate travel, group business, or other market segments to offset the revenue loss and fill rooms during slower seasons.

While shoulder season can be challenging, there are certainly benefits for hotels and travelers during median months. Consider some of the common pros and cons of shoulder season before implementing your revenue strategy. No one should know your unique market demands better than you! Shoulder season requires a lot of preparation, so we recommend breaking your efforts down into these three simple steps.

Run reports that track occupancy and rate changes throughout the year. When looking at detailed reporting, you may be surprised to learn that your shoulder season start or end dates may fall outside of your initial estimations. Leaving any stone unturned can leave revenue on the table.

Balance your shoulder season revenue goals with the entire year in mind. You can't get a dentist, and many launderettes may be closed, but tourists are basically unaffected by Europe's mass holidays.

Just don't get caught on the wrong road on the first or fifteenth of the month when vacations often start or finish, causing huge traffic jams , or try to compete with all of Europe for a piece of French Riviera beach in August. Some places are best experienced in peak season.

Travel in the peak season in Scandinavia, Britain, and Ireland, where you want the best weather and longest days possible, where the horrible crowds of other destinations are rare, and where sights are sleepy or even closed in shoulder season.

Scandinavia has an extremely brief tourist season — basically from mid-June to late August; I'd avoid it outside this window. In shoulder season, you'll enjoy decent weather, long-enough daylight, fewer crowds, and a local tourist industry still ready to please and entertain. Shoulder season varies by destination. Because fall and spring bring cooler temperatures in Mediterranean Europe, shoulder season in much of Italy, southern France, Spain, Croatia, and Greece can actually come with near peak-season crowds and prices.

As mentioned earlier, Paris is surprisingly quiet in July and August. Spring or fall? If debating the merits of traveling before or after summer, consider your destination. Both weather and crowds are about the same in spring or fall. Mediterranean Europe is generally green in spring, but parched in fall. For hikers, the Alps are better in early fall, because many good hiking trails are still covered with snow through the late spring.

On a budget note, keep in mind that round-trip airfares are determined by your departure date. Therefore, if you fly over during peak season and return late in the fall shoulder season , you may still pay peak-season round-trip fares. Every summer, Europe greets a stampede of sightseers. Before jumping into the peak-season pig pile, consider a trip during the off-season — generally November through March.

Expect to pay less most of the time. Off-season airfares are often hundreds of dollars cheaper. With fewer crowds in Europe, you may find you can sleep for less: Many fine hotels drop their prices, and budget hotels will have plenty of vacancies.

Many properties have shoulder seasons in the spring and fall, but the dates vary. It typically depends on the specific destination, including what activities the destination is famous for offering.

If you're looking for a skiing destination, warmer months of winter are the shoulder season, but if you're interested in scuba diving , colder months like October and November are the shoulder season. Shoulder season also depends on spring break and other special events and holidays, which are exceptions to shoulder season discounts. Countries in Europe, the Carribean, and the Americas often expect tourists during holidays like Christmas and Easter in addition to seasonal school breaks.

As a result, businesses often raise prices on flights and accommodations. Even during the shoulder season prices can vary from the weekdays to the weekend, depending upon whether the property or service is frequented by business travelers or weekend visitors.

Be sure to check out your destination's website and ask the reservation manager about packages and other special offers when you call. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Beach destinations hit peak season in the summer, for instance, while high season for ski resorts is winter.

Extreme weather conditions—like searing heat, blizzards, storms—usually mean off season. Temperate conditions often mean peak season. Prices on everything from airfare to hotels are at their highest during peak season, and crowds are bigger, too.