By Charles Tan
Chasing Short-Term Sales Through Discounts
Many hotels treat discounting as the first solution to every sales problem.
Rooms aren’t filling — discount.
Demand slows — discount.
Competitors drop prices — follow.
Yes, rooms fill faster.
But behind the numbers:
- Profit disappears
- Brand value erodes
- Guests book for price, not preference
- Quality guests don’t return without a deal
When a hotel trains the market to
“wait for the promotion,”
the regular rate becomes a price no one wants to pay.
Discounting is not a strategy.
It is a painkiller —
effective short term, damaging long term.
🔥 One-Line Executive Summary
Discounts may fill rooms today,
but they weaken the hotel tomorrow.
