Marketing Strategies for Boutique Hotels

Recently, Hospitality Net asked their Digital Marketing in Hospitality panel how hotels could use AI to shift bookings from OTAs to their direct channels. You might find this answer interesting: In the near term, the biggest opportunities AI provides for driving direct revenue revolve around creating richer, more personalized experiences at each stage of the guest journey. Hotel marketers can use AI to better segment potential guests based on behaviors and deliver content and offers — at scale — that match those segments’ intent. Increasingly, you can let the AI select and orchestrate campaign messages, images, and offers that align with the needs of potential guests, and drive conversion. Similarly, these tools can provide intelligent rate displays and offer attractive upsell opportunities to guests to improve the revenue you achieve during each stay. Real-time guest service during the booking process, including chat, can help improve that experience and increase conversion rate.  Of course, the guest journey doesn’t end at time of booking. Again, savvy hotel commercial teams are beginning to put AI to work to upsell and cross-sell on-property experiences during the pre-arrival and on-property stages of the guest journey to drive greater share of wallet. And, of course, intelligent, automated post-stay campaigns are beginning to produce results in driving repeat bookings from past guests.  In the longer term, we’ve not yet seen how universal access to AI assistants will shape guest behavior. These tools are likely to shift the way guests interact with information and experiences every bit as much as the internet, mobile, and social media have. We should expect to see new marketing and distribution channels that make it easy for us to reach guests directly — and new gatekeepers who seek to insert themselves into that process. Every silver lining comes wrapped in its own cloud.  Regardless, these benefits come with a cost. Hoteliers must take a serious look at their existing tech stack and team skills to ensure they’re ready to put these tools to work. Take a look at the partners you work with. Do they make it easy to connect with new sales and marketing partners? Do they have a well-articulated vision for how they’ll incorporate AI into their products? Have they begun to deliver on that vision? If so, you’re in great shape. If not, it may be time to start looking at alternatives.  And, finally, don’t ignore your people. Does your team have the skills, the resources, and the vision needed to adapt to a changing customer and technology landscape? You will want to give them the support they need to quickly adjust as guest behaviors — and those of your competitors — evolve. The hoteliers who are able to learn the fastest, and put those learnings to use, are the ones most likely to succeed at driving more direct business as AI becomes more common. And there’s nothing artificial about that. #AI #hospitalitymarketing

Why hospitality is ignoring the Pareto Principle? The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, suggests that approximately 80% of outcomes or results come from about 20% of the causes or inputs, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the vital few to achieve significant results. Translated in hospitality-speak, The Pareto Principle means that hotels get 80% of their business from a handful of feeder markets. Quite often I hear OTA proponents claiming that “The OTAs can take your hotel's name to every corner of the world.” The question is: how many hotels need their name being taken to every corner of the world? Most hotels rely for their occupancies on a handful of feeder markets, not on random travelers from the other side of the world. This is the Pareto Principle at its best! Hoteliers have a great advantage over the OTAs: They know their property’s product and services much better than the OTAs. They know their guests and their preferences much better than the OTAs. Hoteliers know their local neighborhoods and immediate destinations far better than the “far and away”-based OTAs. Using the Pareto Principle, hoteliers can focus on their feeder markets and customer segments that generate 80% of their business thus being much more efficient than the OTAs. Here is how hoteliers can take advantage of the Pareto Principle: 1. Invest all of the property’s sales and marketing efforts in the feeder markets that generate 80% of the property business and do not allow the OTAs to encroach in these markets. The remaining 20% of the markets that generate only occasional bookings? Leave them to the OTAs. 2. Launch Google Ads (GA) campaign for your branded keyword terms to capture all friends and family referrals, repeat guests, etc. The goal is to “own” 100% SOV (share of voice) i.e. if there are 1000 searches for your property’s brand name, you should budget enough your GA listing to be served 100% of the time. You will be surprised how inexpensive these search campaigns are! 3. Launch Google Ads campaigns targeting your top feeder markets. Google allows your ads to be served only in your preferred geographical locations. Focus on long tail keyword terms that best describe your hotel location and hotel product Ex. Boutique hotel near Central Park NYC, hotel with rooftop bar midtown Manhattan, 4 star hotel near Central Park Manhattan, etc. Best practices: Aim at owning at least 50% of SOV. 4. Invest in Google Display Network (GDN) campaigns in your main feeder markets. The average CPM (cost per mille, or cost per 1,000 impressions) typically ranges from $3 to $5. 5. Invest in content marketing - the cheapest marketing format of them all. 6. Establish solid social media presence with original posts and useful content. 7. Take advantage of all the freebies out there: free Google Business Profile, free booking links on Google Hotel Ads, free listings in your feeder markets: business directories, CVB and Chamber of Commerce listings, etc.

TikTok is stealing significant traffic and influence from OTA websites. Traveler behavior reflects it: 👉 42% of users booked a trip or made a travel purchase directly from platform content 👉 Travel video views grow by 5% every week 👉 #TravelDeals content is up by 34% 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗭. 👥 The average TikTok user is 30 years old. 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗼𝗼. 💸 Ad CPMs dropped by 20% in Q4 2024. But like any hotel marketing channel, TikTok needs a strategy. 🤓 It may be “new,” but the psychology behind what works stays the same. 🧠 𝗧𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: 🎥 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 Behind-the-scenes content builds trust. Sofitel and Alma Maya Resort did this well. 📣 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 Choice Hotels International and Wombat's City Hostels partnered on giveaways and trends to expand reach. 🧩 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝘼𝙙 𝙐𝙨𝙚 Smart hotels mix organic UGC with TikTok’s travel ads to reach active bookers. 𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸. Even OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia Group use TikTok to engage travelers. 🌐 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘁𝘆. 🏳️ If you’re curious about what specific tactics hotels winning on TikTok use, swipe below. 👇 #HotelTech #HotelMarketing #HospitalityTechnology _______________________________ 📍 HotelTechReport.com | The Leading Authority on Hotel Technology

Everyone says social media is for B2C. That if you’re a hotel brand, a cruise line, or a tourism board looking to land corporate accounts, group business, or MICE clients, then social media isn’t worth your time. That’s dead wrong. Social media is one of the strongest B2B weapons in hospitality right now, and companies ignoring it are leaving money on the table. Every decision maker is still a human being first. They’re scrolling LinkedIn between meetings, watching Instagram Stories in the airport lounge, and even checking TikTok at night. The lines between B2B and B2C are gone. It’s all people-to-people. If you capture attention where they already spend time and build trust through storytelling, you’re not just selling event space. You’re selling confidence, reputation, and peace of mind. Here are some facts: 1. LinkedIn has over 1.2 billion members, and less than 1% actively create content. The reach is wide open for anyone bold enough to post. 2. 75% of B2B buyers use social media to support purchasing decisions. That’s three out of four of the people you want to reach. 3. B2B buyers consume an average of 13 pieces of content before making a decision. If your brand isn’t part of that mix, you’re invisible. And here’s proof it works in hospitality: • Marriott has leaned into LinkedIn to reach corporate travel managers and promote its meetings and events division, positioning itself as a trusted global partner. • Hilton uses Instagram to showcase large-scale event setups and flawless execution, giving planners visual confidence. • Boutique brands like S Hotel in Jamaica have tapped TikTok and Instagram to highlight behind-the-scenes event prep, pulling in direct inquiries from planners who never would have found them otherwise. Now here’s the tactical part: 1. Use LinkedIn for thought leadership. Share your event capabilities, sustainability practices, and client success stories. Tag partners and vendors. It builds credibility and puts you in the feeds of decision makers. 2. Use Instagram as a visual portfolio. Show the ballroom full of energy or the rooftop bar setup at sunset. Instagram is proof of execution. 3. Use TikTok for authentic behind the scenes content. Show the setup of a 500 person gala or how your team flips a ballroom in record time. It demonstrates capability and culture in ways no brochure can. → Psychology: Attention builds trust. Trust builds authority. Authority drives decisions. When a planner feels like they already know you because they’ve watched your content repeatedly, you’ve already won half the battle. → ROI: Direct corporate bookings. Repeat group business. Long-term agency relationships. Less dependence on OTAs. The future of B2B hospitality is already here. The only question is whether you’ll step up and own the conversation, or watch your competitors take the contracts that should have been yours. --- If you like the way I look at the world of hospitality, let’s chat: scott@mrscotteddy.com

Most hotels are missing a huge revenue channel by ignoring email marketing. Here's what we've learned building email strategies for hotels 👇🏻 While I've spent the last year showing you how to leverage social media, email marketing remains criminally underutilized in hospitality. Unlike social media followers, your email list is something you actually own. Email gives you direct access to potential guests, allowing you to: ✔️ Send targeted campaigns based on location ✔️ Retarget previous guests ✔️ Personalize messages ✔️ Drive bookings without constant ad spend But for hotels, email marketing has been a black box... Most industries have countless resources for email strategy. For hospitality? Almost non-existent. Even big brands are just running basic discount campaigns and bland promotional emails. Here's what's working in our email strategy: ✅ Building Our List There are two main drivers - previous guests and website sign-ups. For website sign-ups, we skipped the typical discount pop-ups that would cheapen our brand. We focused on value-driven offers like free stay giveaways to build our list while maintaining luxury positioning. ✅ Weekly Content Strategy Weekly emails strike the perfect balance–keeping guests engaged without overwhelming them. Unlike retail where customers buy monthly, hotel guests book a few times a year. We don’t need to flood guests with emails–we're playing the long game. Mix local activities, events, and property highlights. ✅ Personalization That Converts Targeted messaging helped our email strategy standout. We created campaigns for: ✔️ Local guests seeking quick getaways ✔️ Past guests reminiscing about their stays ✔️ Engaged subscribers ready to book All without paid ad costs. ✅ Email Flows That Drive Revenue This is where email marketing became a game-changer. We created automated sequences to: ✔️ Welcome new subscribers with our story ✔️ Re-engage guests who haven't booked in 9-12 months ✔️ Keep inactive subscribers engaged Here's exactly how to get started: 1. Choose Your Platform Klaviyo is our go-to. While there are many options, we've found it works best for hospitality and is easiest to use. 2. Build Your Foundation Start by compiling past guest emails from your PMS. Then create compelling sign-up offers and popup forms for new subscribers. 3. Set Up Your Flows Top priority: a welcome flow introducing your property's unique experience & story.  Then add: - Flows targeting previous guests - Re-engagement campaigns for inactive subs 4. Plan Weekly Content Map out a calendar mixing: - Local events and activity guides - Behind-the-scenes content - Strategic promotions (but keep them minimal) 5. Design Your Template Create a consistent look: - Clean header with logo and booking links - Mobile-optimized layout - Strategic CTA placement Every property's email list is unique. Test different approaches, analyze what resonates, and find what works best for your property.

There’s no marketing tool more authentic, powerful and cost-effective than the voices of the people who live, work and love your destination. DMOs spend a lot of time crafting brand messages, but in reality, the best stories don’t come from us—they come from our residents. When residents share their experiences, it’s more credible than any ad we could run. Visitors trust real people more than they trust brands. A local artist talking about how your destination inspires their work or a restaurant owner sharing their family’s generational recipes—that’s the kind of storytelling that builds deep, emotional connections with travelers. How to Activate Residents as Storytellers 📸 Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) – Encourage locals to tag your destination in their posts and showcase their unique perspectives. 🎙️ Start a Podcast or Blog Series – Feature local voices, businesses and community leaders to highlight what makes your destination special. 🎥 Create Resident Video Spotlights – Short, authentic videos of locals sharing their favorite places, hidden gems and experiences go further than generic ads. 🏡 Host “Be a Tourist in Your Own Town” Initiatives – Give residents reasons to engage with their own destination and become natural ambassadors. When you empower residents to tell their stories, you create a destination identity that feels real. The result? More trust and credibility from potential visitors, stronger community buy-in for tourism and content that resonates and spreads organically. Tourism isn’t just about attracting visitors—it’s about building a sense of place that locals are proud to share. If we make them part of the story, they’ll help us tell it in ways we never could. How are you engaging residents in your destination’s storytelling? Let’s swap ideas in the comments!👇 #DestinationMarketing #Storytelling #DMO #Tourism #Marketing #Travel

Who you are is what you build. (If you think community is a "marketing tactic", then perhaps need to dig a little deeper.) Every brand says they're "building community." If you look more closely, most are just building customer conversion programs with "community" language. But people are smarter than that. They know real connection when they see.. and feel it. The difference between community theater and actual community: ❌ Community Theater: "Join our community!" (it's a Facebook group with 10K lurkers) Rewards program disguised as belonging Asking for engagement before delivering value Measuring success by member count Creating spaces and narratives that don't allow for connection. Internal org cultures that advances "me" individuals vs "we" individuals. ✅ Actual Community: Members help each other without prompting Value creation happens peer-to-peer Business results follow relationships, not the other way around Success measured by member retention and mutual support Business models that promote connection Physical spaces and brand narrative that creates a sense of belonging. Internal organizations that reward "in-the-trenches" leadership. The framework that actually works: 1️⃣ Start with shared struggle, not aligned demographics. Create a shared solution for the struggle. Shared experience is more important that your data set. 2️⃣ Great brands are a platform for connection between humans. Your job is to enable those connections at every touchpoint. 3️⃣ Create authentic and meaningful connections between members The best communities work when members need each other, not just you. 4️⃣ Fitness is a hospitality business. The way your team shows up at POS is more important than your marketing campaign. Invest in making people feel welcome. Bottom line: Community isn't a marketing tactic. It is who you are -- your company culture, hiring priority, business model, 4-wall strategy, social philosophy, and core value. What's the best community you've ever been part of? What made it work differently than the generic "communities" most brands create? #CommunityStrategy #CustomerRetention #BusinessStrategy #CustomerExperience #SocialWellness #CompanyCulture www.the2percent.club

TikTok’s ability to turn a 30-second video into a hotel booking has raised eyebrows across our industry 🚨 Some call it the next wave of disruption, others see it as just another OTA channel in disguise. The truth, as always, sits in the nuance — here’s what you should know. Hotels can now be booked directly on TikTok Through a new Booking.com integration, travelers in the US can book hotels without ever leaving the app. Influencers can tag properties in their content via TikTok GO, earning commission when bookings happen through their videos. Here’s why this matters: ✅ From Inspiration → Booking in Seconds Travel discovery is already happening on TikTok. Now, that spark of inspiration can convert instantly into a reservation — no browser tabs, no drop-off. ✅ Creator Trust Drives Action Gen Z and Millennials trust influencers more than traditional ads. Pairing that with instant booking is a powerful distribution shift. ✅ Proven Performance Tools Exist Even outside the in-app flow, Spark Ads, Dynamic Travel Ads, and the TikTok Pixel allow hotels to amplify creator content, retarget viewers, and measure ROAS. ⚠️ But there are trade-offs       • Bookings flow through Booking.com, meaning higher cost of sale and loss of first-party guest data.       •  FTC disclosure rules require compliance and brand-safety.       •  TikTok’s regulatory future in the U.S. still carries uncertainty. 👉 So what’s the right play? Think of this as a both/and strategy:       1.  Leverage TikTok’s in-app booking when speed and reach are the priority.       2.  Drive creator content to brand.com when loyalty capture and long-term guest relationships matter most. The bigger picture: social commerce isn’t a fad. It’s the next chapter of hotel distribution. The winners will be those who balance today’s reach and conversion with tomorrow’s guest ownership.

📈 Demand isn’t the problem this summer. ❌ Differentiation is. After walking through lobbies, chatting with GMs, and reviewing package menus across boutique properties this season, one pattern stood out: Everyone’s offering sunshine, breakfast, and a late check-out. But very few are offering identity. Guests aren’t just looking for rooms, they want narratives. Your story. Your place in the world. And the smartest properties? They’re packaging their soul into experiences. A few examples that left an impression: 🌿 “Mindful Escape” for creatives 2 nights in our light-filled corner suite, a curated art journal kit, and morning walks led by a local ceramicist. No screens. Just inspiration. 🌙 “Secret Evenings” for couples Champagne on arrival, a private table set in the olive grove, and a handwritten note revealing the next surprise. Quiet luxury, personalized. 🌳 “Rooted in Place” for solo travelers Welcome tea ceremony, reading nook with curated books and self-guided trail map with hidden spots known only to locals. Immersion, not just escape. These aren’t packages. They’re invitations into a different rhythm of life. And that’s what real differentiation looks like. Are your offers doing the same? #BoutiqueHotels #ExperienceDesign #GuestStorytelling #HotelMarketing #HospitalityLeadership Guestcentric

🔥 Hot Take: How Boutique Hotels Can Compete with Short-Term Rentals Boutique hotels aren’t losing to Airbnbs. They’re losing to their own outdated business models. I’ve spent my career in hotels, then moved into vacation rentals, and now at Recreation Stays, we’re working to bridge the gap between the two. I’ve seen firsthand how short-term rentals have forced hotels to rethink operations, but the reality is, boutique hotels still have a huge advantage—if they adapt. Many boutique hotel owners tell me they feel squeezed between rising costs, changing guest expectations, and the increasing dominance of Airbnb. Of course, not every hotel can or should adopt this model—high-touch luxury properties or experience-driven hotels may require a different approach—but for many boutique hotels, adapting elements of STR operations can be a game-changer. But here’s what I’ve learned: hotels don’t need to become Airbnbs—they just need to borrow what works. Some key takeaways: ✔ Self-Service Efficiency – Guests don’t want friction at check-in. Smart locks & mobile check-in aren’t a downgrade—they’re an upgrade. ✔ Dynamic Pricing – STR hosts adjust rates daily—hotels need to play the same game to stay competitive. ✔ Direct Bookings & Storytelling – The best Airbnb hosts create compelling brands. Boutique hotels should be just as intentional about direct bookings. ✔ Tech-Enabled Operations – STRs thrive on automation. Boutique hotels can be more profitable by optimizing staffing & using tech wisely. ✔ The Right Service Model – Some guests want high-touch service, but many prefer a seamless, unseen service model. The key is balancing efficiency with great guest experience. The question is, how do you do this? At Recreation Stays, we manage boutique hotels, innovating in the space to find the balance between traditional hospitality and modern, tech-enabled operations. The hotels that thrive are the ones that embrace change—not the ones clinging to outdated models. We're leveraging the best of STR operations while ensuring hotels retain their unique hospitality identity. 💬 The line between hotels and short-term rentals is blurring, and the hospitality landscape is shifting fast. What do you think—should boutique hotels embrace more STR-style operations? And are guests ready for it? Drop your thoughts in the comments!