The Top Ways to Boost Small Group Sales

The demand for small group gatherings at hotels and resorts is growing as people look to create stronger relationships face-to-face. Corporations, in particular, know the value a smaller experience can create, strengthening relationships through one-on-one interactions, in-person meetings and trainings, and more.

As proof of this emerging need, the San Francisco Travel Association recognized that while large events returned to scale in 2022, 75% of group room nights booked were for events held at venues other than the city’s main convention center, as reported by Skift. This data was essential to 2024 planning, prompting the association to secure more corporate events at hotels due to their smaller size and to support the city's hospitality, event, and tourism businesses.

With this growing demand for small group events, more hoteliers want to meet consumers’ interests in creating simpler, more authentic connections. That said, group sales is a highly competitive market with several options available from other local hotels, restaurants, and experience-based venues like museums. So, how can your property stand out and take advantage of this market trend?

Recognize the opportunities and power of small group sales

First things first, it’s important to remember all the benefits of small group sales:

• Small gatherings allow a property to host more events on the same day.
• Shorter events increase the number of gatherings held each week, month, or year.
• More events increase property foot traffic, further building brand awareness.
• More people visiting a property means additional sales at the hotel bar, restaurant, or spa, or with room service.
• Small group sales drive more revenue!

Prepare for common challenges of small group sales

Just like with any type of event-driven business, hospitality teams should be prepared for any potential drawbacks of small group sales:

• Small gatherings can be less reliable and prompt more last-minute requests, requiring a faster response time from sales and finance teams.
• Small gatherings can also require faster turnarounds, increasing the demand on the property and its operational teams.

How to boost small group sales and increase conversions

Ready to host more small group sales, but not sure where your property or portfolio should begin? Here are some key action items:

• Build a small group sales strategy that harnesses the power of their opportunities while addressing common challenges.
• Be prepared for last-minute bookings with processes that expedite contracting and invoicing.
• Use a single centralized system to track current opportunities.
• Monitor existing contracts to ensure all teams know the latest status of each contract and invoice.
• Modernize your process to make it easy for customers to sign contracts and complete payments (especially on mobile devices), which will simultaneously streamline these processes internally.
• Increase collaboration across departments so sales and finance teams can better work together, freeing up time to support improved customer experiences.

Small group sales offer immense opportunities for properties to drive sales, but teams must have the right processes and tools to take advantage of these opportunities With a dedicated strategy and a single source of truth for sales and finance to stay on the same page, your property will benefit from improved efficiency and additional revenue from small group sales.

To learn about how ROH can drive growth for your property group or hospitality brand, sign up for a free demo of our platform.