How to get a package sold successfully?
Good question, in general it will never amount to more than a small fraction of the overall leisure business generated, in fact it depends on the accompanied marketing strategy if a package is successful, as one in general reaches only niche audience that specifically look for special themed packages or offers. Possible tools to market packages are:

• listing on hotel website
• blog listings
• third party website listings
• distribution via on-line press releases
• advertising
• distribution through social network sites like Facebook, LinkedIn or XING
• listings in hotel newsletters and hotel magazines
• hotel internal promotions
• distribution via flyer

One should focus on its core mission to market a specific package, also look at the items/services included to decide which marketing tool fits best. Good examples of packages that are special and sold successfully are:

Omni Hotels, which do offer a socalled “Retail Therapy” package, a girlfriend getaway package that does include shopping elements. Omni Hotels market this via their own hotel websites as well as www.hotelchatter.com.

Babymoon packages, pre-baby vacation packages for expecting parents, a real “hype” for resort destination hotels but also a package that becomes very popular for city hotels. One can market these via various third party websites like www.babymoonguide.com, www.babymoonfinder.com or www.baby-moon.eu, a few good examples of babymoon package can also be found on these sites. A nice babymoon package is the “Luxury before Birth package” offered by The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel, more details on www.theringhotel.com.

Numerous hotels offer “pet-friendly packages” as many guests prefer to travel together with their dog, a nice example of a “pet-friendly package” is offered by the Hotel Pere Marquette, have a look: www.hotelperemarquette.com

Pretty new on the market are the socalled “green travel packages” or “ecofriendly packages”, websites like www.greenhotels.com do explain “green travel” very clearly, for hotels as well as for guests and hotels like Kimpton Hotels & Resorts do explain their mission statement and “earthcare program” (www.kimptonhotels.com) on their website, a nice example of an eco-friendly package is the package of the Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco (www.theorchardgardenhotel.com).

How about “dynamic packaging”? In this way a hotel offers simply accommodation and next to that their guests a large variety of booking additional services like breakfast, lunch, dinner, limousine services, spa treatments, museum tickets, fruit baskets, flowers and many more items. Hotels can act fully flexible as to their selling strategy and promote specific services/items. Also the guest can act fully flexible and can decide if he wants to book specific services beforehand or at check-in.

Looking for a creative, trendy, extraordinary or themed hotel package? Just use the well known search engines and type in the different themes and the words “hotel package“, it is amazing what comes up.

1. Who are you?
Ilonka B. Molijn–van Ginkel, business owner of BabyMoon luxury pre-birth getaways and responsible for Sales & Marketing in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

2. What do you like about what you do?
Interacting with clients from different parts of the world. Each with its own creative ideas and knowledge about its hotel and destination. New targeting challenges when a new Babymoon Package and destination is introduced.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
There is no single thing I don’t like, but what I prefer less is the preparation of the annual tax administration.

4. Please tell us about Baby-moon and your future goals?
BabyMoon promotes the Babymoon travel trend and represents extraordinary and memorable Babymoon Packages offered by the most luxurious and finest hotels in the world. Starting with our 3rd year in the babymoon business, our goals were and will be creating awareness of the babymoon trend at luxurious hotels and resorts worldwide and seeking for media opportunities at high quality media around the world.

Up to now we enjoyed a global media coverage in North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East. With more participating five star hotels in Asia Pacific in 2009, we hope to achieve in an extensive media coverage in Asia Pacific as well.

5. Are you working with other blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
My favourite blog is our own blog, BabyMoon the blog, www.babymoonblog.com
At BabyMoon the blog we feature 6 topics : babymoon, beauty, destinations, shop, spa and travel. With this extension of our website, we are able to write more details about Babymoon Packages at the participating hotels and other newsworthy features at hotels . Our editor also loves to write about must haves for Moms to Be like the Sweet Cake baby bath, chic maternity wear, Lacoste and Burberry strollers and travel equipment for your baby,

6. Your experiences with the overall ‘babymoon’ industry?
Nothing but good, the babymoon concept is very positive. It is about taking the time
as an expecting couple to celebrate your special time together.
A vacation itself is important because it is a great way to improve your health : reducing stress and recharge your batteries and to reconnect with your friends, partner or family.When you are pregnant these benefits are even more important because of the changes physically and emotionally. A relaxing pregnancy is good for yourself, your unborn baby and your partner!

BabyMoon luxury pre-birth getaways launched its website at the beginning of January 2007. During this period there were hardly any Babymoon Packages outside the United States and Canada. The company started because of the passion for this great positive concept and the lack of hardly any Babymoon Packages in Europe.

We are excited to see the coverage in Europe right now, and are looking forward to more coverage of extraordinary babymoon packages in other parts of the world as well.

7. What are your most favourite ‘babymoon-hotels’?
The Ring in Vienna: the Luxury before Birth Package is very creative and captured exactly how a Babymoon should be. With an ‘Energy Welcome Kick’, Spa Treatments for both, Presents from the famous Belly Button and a guided city tour through Vienna with a limousine to avoid too much walking, it’s the perfect mix for the ultimate Babymoon!

Hotel Dorf Grüner Baum in Bad Gastein (Austria): The perfect romantic Babymoon with a daily yoga class, baby and parent magazines, Spa treatments for both with more than 3 hours of treatments for the future mama, a horse drawn carriage ride with dinner in a beautiful chalet, a good night kiss with Häagen Dazs ice cream and a Polo Ralph Lauren baby present.

8. Any comments you want to share with us?
Celebrate your Pregnancy!

Babymoon Package at The Ring Hotel, Vienna

The German label “bellybutton”, with its headoffice in Hamburg, and “The Ring” hotel, Vienna´s Casual Luxury hotel, like to bring the trend of the so-called “babymoon” holiday, originating for the USA, to Vienna. Owner and founder of belly button, Dana Schweiger, and bellybutton fan Arabella Kiesbauer presented the new highlight at the Ring: the babymoon package.

“The Ring” presents the “Luxury before Birth“ package with very special treatments, especially designed for the needs of the parents-to-be, who should feel very comfortable during their stay in Vienna.

Dana Schweiger, mother of 4 kids, remembers: “The time of the pregnancy is a very special one in the life of a woman. Especially during that time you should look well after yourself and pamper your body with a lot of relaxation and care. A “babymoon“ holiday gives the pregnant woman the opportunity to relax and to feel beautiful before the life with the baby begins. I wish, at the time I was pregnant they would have been such a program!”

The package includes among other amenities a pre-birth-massage, especially designed for mothers-to-be, which increases the feeling of relaxation and calmness. Further more there is a personal booklet and a gift from bellybutton included. bellybutton is a company specialised on clothing and cosmetics for mothers-to-be and Babies. The products convince with a very high quality.