There's a quiet window between "booking confirmed" and "welcome to your room" where guests are at their most excited — and their most willing to spend. Most hotels do nothing with it.
That's a mistake. The guest has already committed. They're imagining the trip. A well-timed, beautifully presented offer doesn't feel like a sales pitch — it feels like a concierge anticipating their needs.
Here are seven pre-arrival offers we see convert again and again.
1. The late checkout
The single highest-converting upsell, full stop. It's low-cost to fulfil, easy to understand, and removes a real anxiety ("will we be rushed out?"). Price it at £25–£40 and watch the take rate.
2. Champagne or a welcome drink on arrival
Guests celebrating an occasion will almost always say yes. The trick is to ask before they arrive, when the anniversary or birthday is top of mind.
The offers that convert aren't the cheapest — they're the ones that match the reason the guest booked.
3. Early check-in
The mirror image of late checkout, and just as valuable to a guest arriving off an early flight or a long drive.
4. A curated dinner reservation
You know the best table. You know it books out. Offer it before the guest spends an evening on Google.
5. Spa or treatment slots
Spa capacity is perishable inventory. Selling a morning treatment before arrival fills a slot that might otherwise go empty.
6. Parking and transfers
Unglamorous, but parking is one of the most common pre-arrival questions. Turning the answer into a pre-paid add-on is pure convenience revenue.
7. The "make it special" bundle
Rose petals, a cake, a handwritten card. Bundle the small touches into one tasteful package for guests who tell you they're celebrating.
How to launch this week
You don't need a new booking system. You need:
- A short, beautiful list of offers (start with three, not ten)
- A way to deliver it at the right moment — ideally a link in the booking confirmation
- A frictionless way to pay
That's exactly what Porter's pre-arrival Shop is built to do. Pick a few offers, set your prices, and let the guide do the asking.