Traditionally, the middle of the week is a quiet time for hotels. This can be harder on boutique hotels than big city chains, who are frequently able to pay online travel agent sites big premiums to appear first on the list when travellers are looking for rooms.

But what can smaller boutique hotels do? If you can’t afford to pay big travel sites plenty of cash every month you don’t need to resign yourself to the midweek lull. In fact, with a combination of clever marketing and good ideas, you could actually increase your room occupancy rate.

If you have a hotel website booking engine and assorted software, practically a must in 2017, you’ll be able to see who your target audience is. They could be business travellers, older folk taking short breaks, or people staying in town for a special event. Creating packages that will engage them—like a de-stressing express spa package for the business traveller, a room service offer for the holidaying couple, or an inclusive breakfast/dinner offer for those who are staying for events.

You can also partner with local tourism suppliers during the season your hotel is most popular, ensuring that a boutique hotel offers something local and different to larger chains.

You’ll have lists of your best weekend customers, so use that knowledge to up the amount of people staying with you midweek. Reward them for their loyalty with exclusive offers and promotions that paint midweek as the ideal time to be around—fewer crowds around local shops and attractions, for example.

You can also entice them with an extra offer that includes a friend, and all that they have to do is forward that friend the email. Your hotel website booking engine will jump for joy!

Tactic #3: Inaugurate one-day conference events at your hotel

You can help local artists and poets out by opening up your hotel to them for special one-day conference events, featuring on poetry, art, or famous people local to your region. This is a slower tactic, as it won’t immediately up your room occupancy rate but is a way to put the hotel in your conference guests’ minds.

More and more people are working to the rules of the gig economy, so this means that more and more people have weekdays free. If your hotel is empty of something like a conference, try offering midweek wedding deals instead and see how many take you up on the offer.

People love a competition, and what better way to grow your likes and shares at the same time? Social media is a great leveller when it comes to winning things—just put the rules clearly up and see how many share the news of your business in the hopes of winning a few days away.