How to Host Weddings at Your Property
It’s the season for bluebells and wedding bells. While you can’t give a couple a happily ever after, you can make their wedding a happily memorable experience. (Unless a guest decides to wear white, then there’s nothing you can do other than a red wine spill.) Independent hotels have an advantage for snagging private events; […]
Sizzling Summer Marketing Ideas for Hotels
With the promise of long, warm days and lazing outdoors, hotels are kicking off their summer marketing campaigns. While occupancy tends to be higher during the summer, the market is competitive as travelers put their time and effort into planning these much-awaited getaways. Whether you’ve noticed peak occupancy slipping or simply want your property to […]
Mobile Marketing Tips for Independent Hoteliers
Mobile is here to stay. It’s quick, convenient, and travelers want to use it to research, book, and share their trips. As of 2021, almost 50 percent of online travel sales happened via mobile, but it isn’t only the booking that occurs there. Many travelers research destinations and lodgings on their phone before opening their […]
8 Ways to Improve Guest Satisfaction and Your Online Reputation
With endless travel booking options, enticing social media posts, and countless online reviews, guests have the pick of the litter and, therefore, increasingly high expectations of lodging providers. Focusing on offering next-level service and boosting your property’s online reputation is your key to standing out from your competitors and maintaining customer loyalty. 1. Gather and […]
How to Make Your Hotel’s Social Media Giveaway a Success
Social media is a critical part of the marketing mix for independent properties and drives internet word of mouth. Succeeding on social media enables you to raise brand awareness and move potential guests along the marketing funnel. One of the ways hotels—and other businesses—increase awareness on social media is through giveaways. Everyone loves free stuff, […]
Boost Revenue with Mother’s Day Packages
With Mother’s Day coming up, many properties are enticing moms to stay and play (and brunch!) with special offerings. Like other popular holidays such as Easter, Black Friday, Christmas, and of course Father’s Day, it’s a great opportunity to generate attention and occupancy through value-added packages and activities. Packages Value-added packages are about more than […]
Free Digital Marketing Tools for Independent Hoteliers
From OTA fees to online ads, digital marketing can eat up a chunk of the budget for independent hoteliers. But hey, good news—there’s a bunch of nifty free digital marketing tools out there for hotel marketers! These tools aren’t just budget-friendly (obviously), they also spice up your marketing game without costing a dime—just your time. […]
The CLV Golden Ticket: Identify, Attract & Retain Your Most Valuable Guests
Digital ads, social media, website, email campaigns…hoteliers do (and spend) a lot to attract guests. Add in OTA commissions, transaction fees, and even your marketing personnel and your Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) could go through the roof. The importance of enticing guests to return cannot be overstated, given that customer retention costs less than acquisition—in […]
Hotel Merchandise Ideas to Boost Revenue and Brand Presence
Creating, promoting, and stocking hotel merchandise is a significant undertaking for busy hoteliers. However, the potential payoff can be worth it. Travelers are always looking to take a piece of their destination home with them or for their loved ones. While selling souvenirs in your gift shop isn’t new, hoteliers are taking this concept to […]
How Hotels Can Harness Popular Culture to Make Money
Have you heard of Taylor Swift? Of course. But have you heard of the Swift Effect? CNN recently reported on the phenomenon of the effect Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is having on the travel industry. As airlines increase seats to locations to coincide with concert dates (bringing enormous wave after wave of Swifties to the […]
How Small Hotels Can Win Bookings
Being a small, independent hotel competing with big chains can feel like a David and Goliath scenario. While brand giants possess resources you don’t, there are plenty of ways to wield your slingshot and compete for bookings. Chains may have more muscle—and money—behind them, but independent hotels are often nimbler and more creative. Here’s how […]
Hospitality By The Numbers: 40+ Stats You Should Know
You can better manage what you measure. Knowing your numbers lends valuable insight for hoteliers as they plan and strategize for the year ahead. Collected here are various statistics and forecasts to inform you of important global and local trends, revenue drivers, cancellation rates, market insights, and guest/consumer preferences. As you plan your 2024 strategies, […]
A Hotelier’s Guide to Responding to Online Reviews
Consumers rely heavily on reviews to make purchasing decisions. The quantity and quality of online reviews help them decide what to buy or where to book, which makes reviews critical to a business’s success. As of 2021, 99.9 percent of US consumers look at them when they shop, at least some of the time. But […]
9 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Hotel Website
Your hotel website is your carefully designed lobby on the internet, and like your lobby, it needs people to make it work. With strong traffic, a website is a powerful asset. It increases brand awareness, adds to the guest experience, and, most importantly, brings in commission-free bookings. It’s the one online space that is entirely […]
Marketing Priorities for Independent Hoteliers This Year
Hotel website, automated emails, reviews, OTAs, digital ads, social media, Google. There’s no shortage of ways to market your hotel. But for busy hoteliers with mounting priorities and limited resources, how do you get to them all? With so many marketing channels and blogs with bright ideas, it can get confusing about which shiny new […]
Harness 2024 Travel Trends to Boost Bookings
“New year, new you” … and a new hospitality industry. From pop culture and special vibes to sustainable practices and wellness retreats, travelers are inspired by many facets of the modern world when it comes to the destinations, experiences, and accommodations they seek. They’re not just checking off bucket lists anymore. Both Expedia and Booking.com […]
Five Habits of a Successful Hotelier
Whether you’ve been running a hotel for decades or are brand new to the game, reflecting on your practices as a hotelier is always a valuable exercise. Nobody’s perfect, but taking the time to consider your methods and improve where you can points you in that direction. Curious if you’re doing everything in your power […]
Data Power! How to Use Your PMS to Drive Bookings
Marketing efforts are usually front of mind when it comes to boosting bookings, but what’s behind a good marketing strategy? In more ways than one, your property management system (PMS) is at the heart of driving reservations—not just managing them. We’re not only talking about decreasing rates when occupancy is low; the secret to generating […]
Why & How to Grow Hotel Partnerships
The hospitality industry is overflowing with countless booking options, guest experiences, and special deals and discounts—each better than the last! Now more than ever, hoteliers must pull out all the stops to stand out. There’s only so much they can do on their own, but partnering with other companies allows properties to diversify their services […]
A Hotelier’s Guide to Collecting and Using First-party Data
In the ever-evolving landscape of the hospitality industry, independent hoteliers are facing a shift. Third-party data—such as data purchased from marketing companies or collected through cookies—was once a cornerstone for understanding guest preferences and market trends but is gradually disappearing due to privacy concerns and changing regulations. While third-party data provides convenience, a move away […]
An Independent Hotelier’s Guide to CAC
Customer acquisition costs (CAC) are more or less what they sound like—how much money it costs to bring in a new guest. OTA commissions, transaction fees, loyalty programs, advertising campaigns, and sales and marketing personnel all contribute to the cost of acquiring new customers. But why is knowing this important, and how do you measure […]
6 Impactful Ways to Adapt Your Hotel to Climate Change
Climate change isn’t coming anymore. It’s here. This year, we’ve seen record-breaking temperatures, devastating wildfires, unusually aggressive storms, and unprecedented flooding around the globe. None of this is particularly good for travel. While you can and should make your hotel as sustainable as possible, you need to find ways to weather climate change as well […]
Social Media Dos and Don’ts: A Hoteliers’ Guide
It’s doubtful any hotel owner in this day and age needs to be convinced of the importance of social media marketing (it isn’t 2004 anymore or even 2014). But acknowledging the need to be on social media platforms isn’t enough. You need to make sure you’re doing it right. Here are the most important social […]
How to Create a Niche Luxury Hotel Experience
Even with post-pandemic uncertainty, plenty of people look to experience the high life when they travel…and they’re willing to pay for it. The luxury travel market is expected to more than double from $638.2 billion in 2021 to $1650.5 billion in 2031. From Rodin-inspired pastries to 24-karat gold facial masks, here’s how to attract these […]