All About Packages
What are Packages and why are they important
If your main business is the overnight leisure tourist business you may not be familiar with 'Packages' and how the travel agent industry works.
In the overnight leisure tourism industry you tend to set prices for a night, and then alter those nightly prices at different times of the year.
In the business tourism industry you set a range of prices for different scenarios. We call these scenarios 'packages'. A longer stay might be a lower nightly price but you are banking more money as you set a minimum booking length tevel. The prices are usually offered to agents as 'net' prices, which is the amount you expect to be paid after all commissions, fees etc by the seller are taken out.
As digital nomads are more of a 'business' market, Nomad Stays uses more business like systems including the use of packages.
Different Packages
Packages are 'unique combinations of features and prices' that are not generally available to overnight leisure guests. They tend to be more 'sales' offerings rather than different rooms or facilities.
Packages are used like 'specials' and 'deals' to heighten awareness and drive additional business with some 'offer'.
Dates are usually set for the 'tourism year', the internationally accepted booking year (1 April to 31 March) : This comes from the days when yearly brochures were printed and send to agents around the world. The prices and packages were available for the year. Anthing less and agents generally we're not interested as they didn't have enough time to geneate demand and sell them,
Examples of Common Business Packages
Typical business packages might include:
- Winter FIT packages
- Groups of over 20 pax
- Conferences packages with morning breakfasts
Different packages are designed for different markets, with different inclusions, and for different times of the year.
Why digital nomads need packages
The digital nomad market has learned that they can expect lower overnight prices than leisure tourists in return for longer bookings.
When the typical 'tourist'' booking lasts only 1 and 2 nights (Airbnb for instance averages 1.1 nights per average booking according to their Dec 22 report) its widely known within the digital nomad market that substantial savings can be negotiated or achieved for longer bookings.
These offers are more readily available out of peak season and can be quite motivating for digital nomads to take up in off peak periods.
Digital nomads are also more likely to the single people that fly between countries so choose places with good transport options from airports. Gymnasiums and coworking spaces are also highly used by digital nomads so packages involving collaboration with nearby suppliers also bring more attention to your Stay.
What might be in a digital nomad package
As a digital nomad example package for a remote area Stay you might create a combination that includes;
- a great longer stay rate,
- a meet & greet service,
- transfers to your property from the airport, and
- morning breakfasts
- Free drinks at the nearby bar when they can mee the locals
Items that may be more important to digital nomads that don't necessary appeal or apply to your overnight, leisure guests.
You might also only offer this unique combination only at selected times of the year.
How to Create a Package
You create a Package on your Edit Packages page.
There are 6 Steps to creating a Package:
- Choose the Room or Room Type for the package
- Choose the Dates that the package operates for (these are the range of check-in dates that apply to the package)
- Choose your Currency
- Add your wholesale rates
- Name the Package
- Add the written text of inclusions of the package
Photos, Room Facilities etc. are not needed
Photos, room and Stay facilities are already covered in your Room and Stays pages so are not needed for a Package.
Package Dates
The dates used in each package are the dates in which Members are able to start their package. It refers to their check in dates.
For example, a Winter Package may commence on 1 December which means it can only be booked for check-ins on and after 1 December.
If someone books on 30 November for instance they will have to book a different package. One that has 30 Novemebr as a valid check-in date.
The Last Check-In Date of a package is the last date possible in which a package can commence. If, for example, the Winter Package has a Last Checkin Date of 15 March then 15 March is the latest time a Member can grab this package. If they checkin on say 16 March then they will have to use a different package.
It's important to realise that someone that books a 1 month package on 15 March using the Winter Package will stay with you until 15 April. This can have the effect of using a great price to drag business in earlier than what otherwise might be possible.
What happens when Packages Expire
Packages that expire are no longer shown on the site.
If this was your last package, and it has expired, your Stay may also become delisted and no longer able to be found.
Our free booking site is designed to allow digital nomads to book great packages. Of course packages are required to exist to be shown.
Extending a Package is Easy
In most instances it is easy to re-list your Stay and package by simply extending the package dates.
To do this you simply:
- Log in
- Visit the Package Page
- Find your Package and Click one of the Edit Buttons alongside prices
- Change the last check-in date to one in the future
- Click the Update button
And you are now updated.
Adding more Packages
You are not limited to 1 package. In fact you can have many packages with different combinations or at different times of the year.
As long as the package is 'listed' and not expired it will be visible to our Members to book.