Hotel digital marketing is an umbrella term for all activities using online and digital platforms to promote a hotel and attract guests. It can include advertising, search engine marketing, reputation management, and more. Digital marketing is important for hotels because it can increase brand recognition and create more demand for bookings. Guests use the internet to find and research hotels and effective marketing can influence their perceptions.

In this article, you will find a breakdown of the main digital marketing strategies used by hotels. You will also explore why marketing is so valuable and how to implement some of these strategies effectively.

Table of Contents:

Understanding Hotel Digital Marketing

Hotel digital marketing is the practice of promoting a hotel online, across a variety of digital channels. The primary aims of most hotel marketing strategies are to increase brand awareness and generate more bookings.

Digital marketing for hotels can take many forms, including online advertising, content marketing, search engine optimization and social media marketing. It can also include reputation management and email marketing.

Hotel digital marketing strategies can increase overall online presence and visibility. Your hotel website, social media channels and hotel app can all be used for this, as can third-party platforms like online travel agencies.

Why Hotel Digital Marketing Matters

Hotel digital marketing is important because many guests now look for and book hotels entirely online. This makes it essential to establish a strong online presence and draw attention to your brand.

Your hotel marketing plan can help you to increase the number of visitors you attract to your hotel website, with the aim of generating conversions. You can also use social media platforms to expand your reach further.

A significant part of marketing involves optimizing your reputation and conveying your brand values. You can also reduce reliance on third-party platforms, which can help you to boost financial outcomes.

Hotel Digital Marketing Strategies: A Complete Overview

Online marketing for hotels takes many forms. In these sections, you can read about some of the main tactics and strategies, why they matter and how they can help a hotel to achieve marketing objectives.

Designing a High-Quality Hotel Website

A high-quality hotel website will be easy to use and navigate, clearly express your brand values and facilitate direct bookings. It should be professional, attractive and optimized for desktop and mobile devices.

This is an important part of hotel digital marketing because your hotel website will provide many users with their first impressions of your hotel. It also serves as a kind of digital storefront for hotel bookings.

Place a strong emphasis on your user interface and make sure your hotel clearly conveys your brand values. Use high-quality images and videos to showcase hotel features and ensure the booking process is easy to understand.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization involves various tactics for improving visibility on search engine results pages. This can include strategic use of keywords in marketing content, image tags and meta descriptions.

By using SEO tactics in your hotel digital marketing, you can improve your ranking on search engine results pages for relevant searches. As a result, users will be more likely to see your hotel and explore it as an option.

SEO is one of the most essential hotel internet marketing approaches, helping to elevate your hotel’s online presence. You should also optimize local search features and continually analyze and adjust your strategy.

Online Reputation Management

Online reputation management is a practice where you encourage, monitor and respond to online reviews and feedback. You can also influence this feedback through the services you offer and the ways you respond to feedback.

This is important for hotel digital marketing because many potential guests will actively check your reputation before making a booking. If they see too many negative reviews, they are likely to look for rival hotels instead.

Monitor feedback across review platforms, social media and your own internal feedback systems. Identify trends, take action to change issues attracting negative feedback, optimize your service and encourage more reviews.

Content Marketing for Hotels

Content marketing is a huge part of modern hotel digital marketing, providing engaging and meaningful content for users to interact with. This can attract visitors to your website and builds brand awareness and trust.

Aside from feeding into your SEO strategy, content marketing allows you to position your brand and even yourself as a thought leader. You can also leverage content marketing to generate more direct bookings.

Content marketing works best when you regularly add new content of different types, all managed using a content calendar. This content might include blog posts, long form articles, social media posts and more.

Online Review Responses

In addition to having a broader online reputation management strategy, a key part of hotel digital marketing involves responding directly to reviews. This needs to be done sensitively, using the right tone.

When customers leave reviews, they expect acknowledgement of any issues. This can also look better when other potential customers read the review in future, because they get to see your side of the story.

Try to adopt a professional tone and acknowledge genuine criticism, while explaining what you will do to rectify this. Acknowledge positive reviews too because these responses may help future guests to make a booking decision.

Google Hotel Ads Management

Google Hotel Ads is a platform offering digital advertising for hotels, built into the wiser Google offering. Ads are displayed for users based on their search terms, meaning you can target people showing clear search intent.

This platform is important because a large number of people looking for a hotel will search on Google first. Making effective use of Google Hotel Ads for hotel digital marketing can significantly increase your visibility.

It is important to optimize Google Hotel Ads campaigns, bidding for keywords strategically. It is also essential to keep availability and pricing information up-to-date at all times.

Video: How to use Google Hotel ads to increase your direct bookings

Influencer Marketing Strategy

Influencer marketing within hotel digital marketing involves working with people who have a strong social media presence to promote your hotel. This often takes the form of sponsored posts or photographs.

This form of marketing has grown rapidly as social media sites have become ubiquitous. Your hotel can benefit from the established audience the influencer has and the level of trust they have built with that audience.

To achieve success with this form of marketing, you need to choose your partners carefully. Work with people who have an audience that coincides with your target market and who fit with your brand values.

Hotel Video Marketing

Video marketing describes the use of engaging video content to promote your hotel. It can take many forms, from short-form video content, through to long-form hotel tours, or behind-the-scenes content.

Compared to other forms of marketing content, video is easy to digest. It is also multi sensory, potentially including audio and visual elements, which can help to make the content more engaging.

Video content has emerged as one of the most important elements of hotel digital marketing. It can be used on your hotel website, as ad content on video platforms like YouTube, or on your social media channels.

Identifying Your Target Audience

Identifying your target audience is a key part of an effective hotel digital marketing strategy. It allows you to create targeted marketing content, which is more likely to resonate with the people who may book a room.

Segmenting the market and determining your targets allows you to allocate resources where they are most needed. It can reduce your marketing waste and ensure your budget is used in the best possible way.

Identifying precise targets can require an in-depth analysis of your customer base, including booking patterns and demographic data. You can also create buyer personas, which can help you to consider the needs of your audience.

Performance Tracking and Analytics

Hotel digital marketing performance tracking and analytics means collecting relevant data and analyzing it. You can use these insights to understand current performance and to make adjustments.

Continually tracking your campaigns is important for avoiding waste and maximizing efficiency. You can divert marketing funds away from campaigns that are not working and expand investment in ones that are.

Analytics can also provide valuable insights into what your audience likes and dislikes. This information can then be used to inform future marketing efforts and to make broader changes in hotel internet marketing approaches.

Coordination of Digital Marketing

Your hotel digital marketing strategy needs to be fully coordinated and integrated. This means using a number of different channels and ensuring your messaging is consistent and tailored to suit the channel in question.

By coordinating your efforts effectively, you can achieve maximum reach, meeting your target audience where they are. This also enables you to achieve brand consistency, while still tailoring content to specific market segments.

It is important to continually measure the performance of email marketing, social media marketing and digital advertising for hotels. Doing so allows you to optimize your efforts, focusing on the channels that are really paying off.

Hotel Email Marketing

Email marketing involves the use of email communications to target current customers who have made bookings, past customers and potential future customers. It can include elements of attracting and retaining guests.

Email remains an important marketing approach, as most people have an active email address that they check regularly. It also allows you to create highly targeted emails for maximum relevancy.

Of all of the hotel digital marketing strategies, email marketing requires a lot of attention. You need to segment your email contacts and target them with relevant content, while complying with regulations and avoiding spam.

Video: A to Z of Hotel Email Marketing | How Can Emails Grow Your Business?

Mobile Optimization

Within hotel digital marketing, mobile optimization means ensuring your website and other digital content is accessible on mobile devices. Your website should be easy to navigate using a touch screen and all content should be legible.

More than half of all Google searches now originate from mobile devices and a significant number of hotel bookings are also made this way. It is essential that you capture this audience of mobile-first users.

Take the time to optimize everything from the size of fonts, to the size of image files. Your website should load quickly and look professional on a smaller screen, as this will ensure your conversion rates remain high.

Google Business Profile Optimization

Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is a Google offering that allows you to create a business listing on the platform. This information is then used across the various Google services.

Creating and maintaining your Google Business Profile is especially valuable for local search and for Google Maps integration. It can make your hotel easier to find, especially when people are in the nearby area.

The platform also includes reviews, images and other elements, which you will need to manage over time. Make sure the information on your hotel business listing is consistent with the information on your hotel website.

Brand Ambassadors and Word of Mouth

You can potentially turn satisfied customers into a hotel digital marketing asset. This can either be achieved through organic word of mouth marketing, or by making some of your high-profile guests official brand ambassadors.

Online marketing for hotels can appear more genuine if it does not come directly from your brand. People will often trust the word of their peers or other ordinary guests more than they will trust a business.

The best way to generate organic word of mouth marketing is by delivering excellent service standards. You may also be able to offer rewards for referrals. Ambassadors, meanwhile, should be influential people who share your values.

Social Media Strategy

Your hotel digital marketing strategy should also include a dedicated strategy for social media. This will include establishing a presence on the most important platforms and scheduling and coordinating social media posts.

Social media now serves as one of the major ways people discover hotels and it also allows you to engage with past customers and generate repeat visits. It is important to use the right channels to target the right types of guests.

For most hotels, it is best to focus on the major platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. Consider each of these platforms’ core demographics and adjust content to suit the platform and audience.

Data Security and Privacy

Keeping customer data safe and secure and respecting the privacy of your target audience is a vital component of a hotel digital marketing strategy. It is important to comply with regulations and take precautions.

Building a strong reputation for data security and privacy can increase trust and avoid data leak incidents, which can harm your reputation. Taking the necessary steps in this area can also help to avoid penalties for non-compliance.

Stay up-to-date with the latest legislation and make sure you are using advanced security protocols. Provide regular cyber security awareness training for staff and provide opt-out options for email marketing.

Online Travel Agents (OTAs)

An online travel agent, or OTA, sells hotel rooms and other travel services on their website or app, on behalf of other businesses. A hotel can use these platforms to advertise vacancies and attract bookings.

OTAs can play an important role in modern hotel digital marketing strategies, making it easier for guests to find your hotel. These platforms serve as an online marketplace and listing your hotel rooms will expand your reach.

Many people booking a hotel may immediately go to an OTA website, rather than searching for a specific property. By using prominent OTAs, like Expedia and Booking.com, you can reach customers who may be unaware of your hotel. Use high-quality images, videos and a compelling hotel description to make your listing more appealing.

Global Distribution Systems (GDS)

A global distribution system is a central network, which allows offline and online travel agencies to access hotel inventory information. Some of the biggest GDS platforms include Amadeus, Travelport and Sabre.

Connecting with these GDS platforms can enhance hotel digital marketing strategies, facilitating wider distribution. By partnering with a GDS, you can make your rooms available to a huge number of travel companies.

You will need to create a pricing plan for GDS distribution, taking into consideration the commission fees you will pay out. You should also be clear about the types of guests you are targeting via this approach. Working with GDS partners can ensure your hotel features prominently when travel agents look for accommodation.

Metasearch Engines for Hotels

Metasearch engines for hotels are platforms that aggregate hotel rates and display them in one place. Some of the most popular examples include Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, Tripadvisor and Kayak.

For customers, metasearch engines enable quick and easy price and service comparisons. For hotel digital marketing strategies, metasearch engines allow you to reach customers who are ready to make a booking.

Some metasearch engines charge listing fees, while others charge a commission for bookings generated through the platform. You may also be able to bid for ads, increasing visibility on these platforms. Your pricing strategy needs to factor in listing, commission or bidding costs to ensure you still make a profit.

 

Hotel Digital Marketing Strategies_ A Complete Overview - visual selection

Key Digital Marketing Tips for Hotels

Below, you can find a breakdown of important hotel digital marketing tips:

  • Website Design: Prioritize fast loading times and mobile optimization. Ensure your website is easy to navigate, features high-quality images and facilitates quick and easy direct bookings.
  • Content Marketing: Create a consistent content schedule and publish regular, engaging content, which features SEO elements. Highlight hotel facilities, nearby attractions and other topics of interest to your audience.
  • Data Analytics: Continually track and analyze the performance of your hotel digital marketing strategies. Make sensible adjustments, in order to minimize waste and achieve your marketing objectives.
  • Customer Journey: Try to create a consistent and seamless experience for customers using your online channels. Maintain the same brand voice throughout discovery, booking and post-booking phases.
  • Visual Identity: Create a robust branding strategy, with a consistent visual identity across all hotel digital marketing channels. Try to use the same logos, color schemes and fonts to build brand recognition.
  • Marketing Integration: Use hotel internet marketing approaches that can integrate and create a cohesive platform for attracting guests. Use data from each campaign to inform the other campaigns in your strategy.

Guidelines for Strategic Implementation

Here, you can read an overview of guidelines for strategic hotel digital marketing implementation:

  • Market Research: Segment the market and identify target audiences. Use questionnaires, surveys and guest feedback to establish guest preferences and tailor your hotel digital marketing approach.
  • Channel Selection: Choose the hotel digital marketing platforms that align with your strategy and audience.
  • Budgeting: Establish a clear marketing budget and allocate financial resources to the channels and marketing strategies that are most likely to be effective. Continually monitor and adjust spending based on performance.
  • Performance Monitoring: Identify key performance metrics and use reliable tracking systems. Measure the performance of the different elements of your hotel digital marketing strategy.
  • Technology Integration: Invest in high-quality technology and ensure these tools and platforms work together. Share data between platforms and use this information to optimize your strategy.
  • Staff Training: Provide robust training for hotel digital marketing staff, ensuring they use best practices, know how to use the latest technology and stay up-to-date with rules and regulations.

Essential Hotel Marketing Strategies

In addition to the numerous hotel digital marketing approaches mentioned, you should try to implement strategies like customer loyalty programs and product differentiation. You may also want to consider using online travel agency platforms to expand your reach, or investing in virtual reality tours and personalization marketing.

In the “Essential Hotel Marketing Strategies” article, you can find more details on hotel marketing and learn about some of the best online and offline strategies for attracting more bookings.

The Latest Hotel Marketing Trends

The hotel industry is constantly evolving and your hotel digital marketing must move with the times too. Keep up with the latest developments and make sure you are using the most up-to-date methods to retain your competitive edge. Examples include sustainability marketing, the use of AI and promoting flexible cancellations.

In the “Hotel Marketing; The Latest Trends in the Hotel Industry” article, you can learn more about the emerging developments in hotel marketing and explore why these approaches are valuable.

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Hotel digital marketing involves the use of online channels to promote your hotel. By using a combination of tools and platforms, you can maximize reach, track performance and optimize your use of resources.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.