Start with your booking data. Look at the period between now and when your Christmas period kickstarts and identify the dates, days of the week or offerings that are underperforming, or need that little extra push.

Do not just look at overall occupancy or revenue. Look for patterns.

Are Sundays consistently quieter than Saturdays? Are midweek rooms behind target? Are certain restaurant sittings soft? Is spa availability sitting empty on particular days?

Then compare those gaps with your current marketing plan. If your activity is focused on dates that are already filling well, shift your attention.

Your next campaign should be built around the areas where more demand will make the biggest difference.

What to do now:
Write down your three softest dates or periods between now and the end of the year. Make these the focus of your next email, website update and paid campaign. Remember, marketing works at its best when multiple channels are aligned with the same message simultaneously. 

Once you know where you need more bookings, give people a reason to choose those dates. Avoid falling straight into discounting. Instead, take what your business already does well and turn it into an experience.

If Sundays are quieter, create a Sunday Sleepover with an autumn roast, overnight stay and breakfast. If midweek rooms need support, create a Midweek Escape for Two with dinner from a popular menu, an overnight stay and perhaps a later checkout.

A spa could combine a treatment with lunch or afternoon tea. A restaurant could add value with a complimentary offering to entice bookings on quieter evenings. The aim is to make the date feel more appealing, not simply cheaper.

What to do now:
Choose one quieter day or period. Combine it with one or two of your strongest guest experiences and create a package that is easy to understand and easy to book.

Your database is one of the quickest places to find potential demand. But avoid sending the same message to everyone, use what you already know about your guests.

If you are promoting an autumn stay, start with previous guests or people who visited at a similar time of year.

If you are promoting a spa package, send it to past spa customers. If you are promoting a dining experience, look at previous diners or local customers. The more relevant the message, the more likely someone is to pay attention.

Keep the email simple. Lead with the experience, show what is included and make the route to booking clear.

What to do now:
Choose one audience from your database and send them one relevant offer this month. This could be the autumnal offer mentioned in point three. Then wait a few days to send a retargeted email to those who opened but didn't click, this acts as a reminder to those you know are already engaged with the email. Remember to always comply with GDPR.

Sometimes the strongest reason to book is happening outside your business. Look at what is happening locally between now and the end of the year.

That could be autumn walks, food festivals, Christmas markets, theatre, shopping events, local attractions or seasonal experiences. Then connect those events with what you offer.

A hotel could promote a one or two night stay around a Christmas market. A restaurant could promote pre-theatre dining. A spa could create a package around a day of Christmas shopping or a break before the festive rush.

What to do now:
Choose two local events or seasonal experiences happening before the end of the year. Add them to your website content with helpful information and build one of them into your next email or social campaign.

There is no need to overhaul your whole marketing plan before the end of the year, and certainly don’t take your eye off 2027 bookings, those dates will come around quicker than you expect.

Start by identifying the dates that need an extra push, create an experience that gives people a reason to choose them. Then, make the offer or experience easy to find and easy to book. Then put your marketing behind it.

Small, focused campaigns can often work harder than broad activity spread across everything. Remember keep the messaging clear across several touchpoints for brand consistency and familiarity.

The more focused your marketing is on the dates, guests and experiences that matter most, the better chance you have of turning autumn availability into stronger occupancy and revenue before the year is out.