There was a time when a hotel had a board outside that would state if there were rooms available for that night or in the coming week. This doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Yes, you will find the odd bed and breakfast that hangs a ‘vacancies’ or ‘full’ sign in the window but generally this way of advertising has seemed to die out. It can’t really be like when an estate agency has residential lettings and they put a large ‘to let’ sign outside. Hotels want to appear popular and not seem as if they have rooms free all of the time, this is why the use of signs may have died away. They want to keep up appearances and there is nothing wrong with that.
So what should a hotel do to advertise their empty rooms? The internet would be the best place to start. There are many websites where you can advertise late availability rooms and see those empty beds turn to beds that are full of intrepid internet browsers who love a last minute bargain. A hotel could also consider advertising on a spa weekend website if they have the relevant facilities. Offering guests packages where they can eat, sleep and relax will always be a winner!