If shoulder season performance starts slowing down, discounting can feel like the obvious answer. But if you joined our latest webinar, you heard a different perspective: pricing often isn’t the real issue.
In “Shoulder to Peak Season Strategy—Protecting Margins Without Discounting Using AI,” David Wells, Director of SEO, and Chelsea Frye, Sr. Strategic Account Manager, walked through what may be affecting your bookings—and where the biggest opportunities tend to hide.
More often than not, the problem isn’t demand. It’s visibility, conversion friction, and missed opportunities to connect with travelers before they’re ready to book.
Watch the full webinar recording below to hear the complete conversation and key takeaways.
Traveler Behavior Is Changing—And Your Strategy Needs to Keep Up
Today’s travelers are booking differently.
With rising costs and ongoing uncertainty, guests are becoming more intentional about how they travel.
You may already be seeing trends like:
- Shorter stays
- More drive-to or closer-to-home trips
- Last-minute booking behavior
- Increased demand for flexibility and added value
That shift means competing on price alone isn’t always the answer. More often, stronger performance comes from improving how travelers find you—and how easy it is for them to book once they do.
Where Performance Usually Breaks Down
One of the biggest themes from the webinar was this: shoulder season performance tends to slip quietly.
Maybe your website’s visibility drops. Maybe your search experience feels clunky. Maybe your property pages aren’t enough to convert.
Or maybe marketing simply shifts into “maintenance mode” during slower months.
The reality? Shoulder season is often when small improvements can have the biggest impact before peak demand returns.
Refreshing seasonal imagery, updating content, improving internal linking, and fine-tuning property descriptions are all simple ways to strengthen performance without relying on discounts.
The Biggest Opportunities to Improve Performance
Improve Visibility Through SEO + AEO
If SEO and AEO feel like separate conversations, it may be time to rethink that.
AI-driven search experiences still rely heavily on traditional search signals, meaning your visibility strategy should work across both search engines and AI discovery.
That can look like:
- Updating seasonal content
- Refreshing property metadata
- Removing outdated or thin pages
- Creating content aligned with traveler intent
Make Email Marketing Work Harder
Your best opportunities may already be sitting in your guest database.
High-performing campaigns like booking abandonment reminders, anniversary emails, and shareable trip experiences can help bring travelers back without increasing ad spend.
Sometimes the easiest booking to win is from someone who already knows your brand.
Strengthen Your Direct Booking Experience
When a guest lands on your property page, confidence matters.
Professional photography, skimmable descriptions, highlighted amenities, FAQs, urgency messaging, and stronger “Why Book Direct?” content removes friction and improves conversions.
Small changes can make a big difference when someone decides whether to book now or keep shopping.
A Quick Reality Check on AI
AI came up a lot during the webinar, but not as a shortcut.
The biggest takeaway? Don’t just throw prompts into ChatGPT and expect strategy.
The strongest results happen when you use AI intentionally to speed up analysis, uncover opportunities, improve reporting, and make smarter decisions backed by data.
Final Thoughts
If shoulder season has you thinking about lowering rates, it may be worth looking at the bigger picture first.
Sometimes the biggest gains come from improving visibility, strengthening messaging, and removing friction—not discounting.
If you want help identifying where performance may be breaking down, a strategy session can help uncover opportunities before peak season arrives.
Let’s connect and see where we can help improve your strategy.
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