With Halloween approaching, the season for ghosts, ghouls, and goblins is right around the corner. It’s a great time to market to guests who like their stay with a few shivers, and these haunted hotels have their offerings down pat. Read on for inspiration!
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa knows what’s haunting with no fewer than five ghost tours. Guests learn all about those who have not passed on and even visit the hotel morgue (yes, the hotel has a morgue). Guests can see where the bodies were kept when the hotel briefly served as a fraudulent cancer center.
There’s something for everyone whether they’re a novice investigator or paranormal pro. They even have a kids’ ghost tour for ages 5-12. Parents can take them for a fun time knowing it will be spooky but not scary. Just in case, the hotel makes sure that a guardian over 18 accompanies the child, for no extra charge!
And they didn’t forget to incorporate these tours into their packages. To boost their midweek bookings, they offer two ghost tour tickets and a collectable ghost basket along with a night’s stay.
Lastly, they host the Eureka Springs Paranormal Weekend every year. They’ve found their niche group and are using it to generate repeat business. And who knows? Maybe one of those guests will decide to linger on and show future investigators a ghostly good time.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Once a convent, then expanded on the site of an “asylum for orphan girls,” Bourbon Orleans Hotel has a history ripe for hauntings. There’s a complement of nuns and children from the orphanage along with a Confederate soldier and a ghost dancer. Guests may want to avoid the ballroom late at night…or bring their spirit box!
Bourbon Orleans Hotel capitalizes on this through their partnership with Cajun Encounters to provide a 15 percent discount on both guest rooms and tour tickets. On tour, guests can explore the most haunted spots around New Orleans.
Partnerships both expand your offerings and boost your marketing. You can collaborate with your partners on social media, blog posts, and other online promotions to widen your reach and improve your SEO.
The Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel is where Stephen King had the inspiration for The Shining (don’t ask if their service really was the stuff of nightmares). They’ve capitalized on this pop-culture connection with a themed tour and even managed to snag one of the axe props from the film! It’s a fun experience whether you’re a horror buff or a history buff.
And if the tour isn’t enough, those horror buffs can sign up for a vacation special for the chance to test their trivia knowledge, win prizes, and see live shows. The Stanley Hotel has some spine-chilling theater going on. Who’s ready for a seance?
The room Stephen King booked in 1974 is still available, now known as The Stephen King Suite. The furnishings are new and gorgeous, but it’s still perfect for those looking for a thrilling time (or to break through that writer’s block).
And guests can always attend their traditional Halloween costume party… Only this party has macabre circus performers and a Grammy-nominated musical act. They go all out!
Hotel Alex Johnson
Hotel Alex Johnson features classic hauntings such as the hotel’s founder, a young girl, and the Lady in White, a bride who threw herself—or was pushed—out the window (it never ends well for brides in these stories). Guests can book a Ghost Adventure package to stay in a haunted room, which includes valet parking, $25 dining credit, and free bar access in case they need a couple stiff ones afterwards.
However, what jumps out from a marketing standpoint is that guests are invited to share their own paranormal experiences via the hotel’s website. It’s a great way to gather user-generated content (UGC), which is key to building trust with consumers. Eighty-two percent of American consumers are more likely to buy from brands that include UGC in their marketing campaigns.
The Black Monarch Hotel
The Black Monarch Hotel, once a gentleman’s club, really leans into its haunted history with unexplained sightings reported both before and after an 1899 fire burned the hotel to the ground.
Each room is themed around a particular serial killer or supernatural creature. The outlier is the Nikola Tesla Room, named because he visited the town in 1899. At least no one thinks he was a serial killer…
Another interesting, if lesser known, honoree is H.H. Holmes who could have murdered as many as 200 people, some by luring them to his hotel/murder castle. See if any guest gets a good night’s sleep after that story!
The strength here is novelty. “I slept in a Lizzie-Borden-themed hotel room!” makes for the kind of adventure you can tell your friends at a dinner party.
Karosta
This Latvian military prison turned hotel and historic site is a draw for ghost hunters and history lovers alike. Guests can learn about Karosta’s history by taking a group tour…or by spending the night in a cell. Luckily, they offer an officers’ breakfast for those guests who just aren’t cut out for prison.
This unique place brings a whole new meaning to the term “immersive.” There’s even an escape room with ciphers, tasks, and hidden clues. When designing hotel activities, think about things guests can do in addition to things they can see.
The Mizpah Hotel
The Mizpah Hotel is both a WebRezPro client and host to the Lady in Red. They offer regular ghost tours from 6pm to 9pm, or guests can book a private excursion at whatever hour they choose, even at 2am if they’re feeling brave. (At that hour they should be worried less about ghosts and more about what they’ll do to the unlucky person who has to wake them up.) The nocturnal timetable makes their tours stand out and adds to the ambiance without adding to the cost.
Create Your Own Haunting Halloween Packages
Don’t despair if your hotel never had a guest/ghost plummet from a window. There are still plenty of petrifying packages and promotions you can use to bring living guests in the door this Halloween.
Scary movies and local ghost tours are especially popular this time of year. There is probably something haunted in your city, even if it isn’t right on your doorstep (if you live in the UK, the ghost of Anne Boleyn will be right on your doorstep). You could also try something ghost adjacent such as a murder mystery night or a “potion brewing experience” for the kids. Then there are adult potions like the Mizpah Hotel’s Red Lady Bloody Mary… Naming a specialty cocktail or a menu dish is a simple, no-cost way to get guests in the spirit of the season.
Creating packages or add-on experiences is a good way to add value without slashing rates to entice guests. For instance, 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa’s midweek ghost package brings in bookings when business is typically slower. Packages can also be used to highlight your property’s unique selling proposition.
With WebRezPro’s flexible package management features, your imagination is the limit! For example, you can create password-protected rates to limit certain packages to special audiences like your loyalty program members. You can also use restrictions, including min/max length of stay, booking windows, CTA (closed to arrival) and CTD (closed to departure), and rate-restricted booking and cancellation policies, to control your inventory and maximize profitability. As well, you can automatically track revenue from the different components of your package to the appropriate revenue accounts, such as activities or food and beverage.
Remember to promote your offerings well in advance, using your website, social media, and other channels. Make sure guests can book packages through your website, using your direct online booking engine. With WebRezPro, guests can select add-ons and services when they reserve their room. You can attach booking add-ons to certain room and rate types to ensure only relevant offers are presented to guests.
Finally, monitor how well your packages perform using your booking engine data so you can be sure to offer guests exactly what they want next year. WebRezPro also features a products/services report that shows how profitable your various amenities are.
Whether or not you have ghosts drifting along your halls, now is the time for paranormal packages. Use these spine-tingling ideas to boost bookings this Halloween!
