Marketing

📈 In 2025, Koko Global Hospitality partnered with D-EDGE for a data-driven digital marketing campaign to enhance online visibility and streamline bookings. The strategy leveraged Metasearch Marketing on Google Hotel Ads and Trivago, Display Advertising with banner ads, and Search Engine Marketing for prominent property search results. The D-EDGE booking engine provided a mobile-optimized experience, converting traffic into direct revenue and improving the customer journey.

🌍 OTAs are surpassing general search as a travel resource. Year-over-year, generative AI usage has doubled. More travelers are booking through indirect channels to compare options for the best prices. Traditional payment methods, such as credit cards, remain popular for bookings and in-destination packages. Social media plays a growing role in travel planning, with Instagram as the top influencer across key markets and YouTube leading in content consumption.

💬 Jun 11, 2025: Hospitality marketing is evolving with "dark social," which includes private shares through WhatsApp, email, and DMs, labeled as "Direct" traffic in analytics. A Refine Labs study reveals a 90% attribution gap between analytics and actual influence. Private recommendations drive faster bookings with higher trust. Ignoring dark social risks misattributing conversions and missing referrals. Hotels can respond by creating shareable content, using social listening, and training staff to capture word-of-mouth insights.

🏨 Earlier this year, visits to Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui's website rose by 596%, with availability checks up 767%, driven by the third season of "The White Lotus" filmed at the resort. Similar trends were observed in Maui and Taormina, locations for previous seasons. A survey revealed 88% of Millennials viewing "The White Lotus" have a positive outlook on Four Seasons, with 71% eager to visit. Millennials and Gen Z make up 57% of the Four Seasons guest base.

📅 Hotel Royal Hoi An in Vietnam partnered with STAAH to address a digital infrastructure gap, improving direct bookings. Within weeks, STAAH’s booking engine contributed 25% of weekly bookings, while their Get Google feature attracted nearly 30% of direct bookings. The onboarding process took two weeks. The hotel now thrives with enhanced visibility and control, offering seamless guest experiences. The integration significantly improved the hotel's digital distribution strategy.

📊 Boutique hotel GMs face challenges juggling 12 roles, including guest experience and revenue management, without corporate or digital agency support. A poor digital presence, such as a subpar website and Google Business Profile, impacts guest perception and visibility. Despite the lack of resources, optimizing these digital assets can boost direct bookings. A well-structured website and optimized profile are crucial for trust and rankings, offering a potential solution for overstretched GMs seeking better online visibility.

📰 Marketers face a dilemma due to digital content demands. Brands need thousands of creative pieces across platforms like Meta, Google, and TikTok, which demands high-volume production. Meta reports a 60% conversion drop after four exposures, while diverse creative can cut CPA by 32%. AI tools help meet this demand, like Mars’ creation of 87 ad variants in one day. Ultimately, balancing creative consistency and platform-specific execution is crucial for brand success.

📈 Hoteliers, are you losing direct bookings? Common mistakes like slow-loading sites, non-mobile-friendly designs, and complicated booking processes are driving guests away. Ensure your website loads in seconds, is mobile-first, and has clear “Book Now” buttons. Transparency in pricing and availability is key, as is offering direct booking perks like free breakfast. Use STAAH’s tools for a seamless three-step booking process, real-time syncing, and detailed analytics. Small changes can significantly boost your bookings and revenue.

📈 Jun 3, 2025, independent hotel launch tips: Global travel bookings to hit $1.5 trillion by 2023. Use tools like Agency360® for market analysis and competitor review. Build SEO-optimized websites; showcase virtual tours. Ensure presence on TripAdvisor, Kayak, Trivago. Optimize OTAs and GDSs; monitor bids on metasearch. Partner with local businesses and DMOs. Implement data-driven pricing, forecast demand for revenue strategies. Access Amadeus Hospitality's guide for full insight.