Top Hotel Marketing Trend Predictions for 2023

“Hoteliers are understanding that increasing direct bookings and repeat business could happen ONLY by increasing investments in a) digital marketing and b) CRM technology.

Did anyone notice that Expedia spent nearly 50% and Booking nearly 40% of their net revenue on Sales & Marketing in 2021? Compare this to 2.5% of net room revenue that hoteliers usually spend on marketing in “normal” years like 2019. Even worse, marketing spend in U.S. hospitality during the pandemic shrank significantly compared to 2019, dropping to as low as 50% in 2020 and rebounding slightly to 54% in 2021 of the pre-pandemic level (STR).

Marketing spending in Europe and APAC is even worse than in North America.

Implementing CRM technology and program is a crucial approach to significantly increase direct bookings. In the post-pandemic era, success in bringing repeat business will make or break the property. You cannot have a meaningful repeat business (5-15 times cheaper than acquiring new guests) without a CRM technology and program in place. Only a meaningful CRM technology application – as part of your hotel tech stack – can ensure deep engagement with your past and future guests.

CRM tech not only provides automated pre-, during- and post-stay communications, guest satisfaction surveys, guest retention marketing automation and drip marketing campaigns, but takes it a step further via guest recognition program management and loyalty marketing. All of these fully automated CRM initiatives keep “the conversation going” with your upcoming and past guests, keeps them engaged and steers them in the right direction: to book your hotel when it’s time for them to visit your destination again. In addition, you can use your CRM first-party data about your best guests to launch similar audiences marketing on Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc., to target potential customers with similar characteristics as your best guests.

CRM technology has become widely available and reasonably priced via hospitality-specialized vendors like Cendyn CRM, Revinate CRM, TravelCLICK GMS, etc., yet less than 10% of independent hotels have implemented CRM programs in place.”

“My predictions:

1. Data: we need to get back to basics and make sure we have emails and postcodes so we can ensure any marketing activity is targeted.
2. Ownership: we do not own our social media followers, but we do own our email database. This needs to be our focus.
3. Social media: we will pay more for fewer results therefore we need to get creative and look at what other avenues we can use to communicate with our customers.
4. Inspiration: our customers are desperate to travel but our role as marketers is to tell them where and why.”

“Predictions are made to be proven wrong, especially in times of conflict and economic uncertainty following a global pandemic. While tourism is slowly back on its feet, the trend’s expectations, as per 2022, remain:

1. Better data- and smart mobile-technology.
2. Growing demand for new markets and segments has been put “on hold” by the global crisis, but might come back.
3. A massive volume of investments in Co-living, a growing type of accommodation with many openings in the pipeline.
4. Social and environmental sustainability.”

“Hotels are looking like they are going to have a great spring and summer this year and we are foreseeing that it will carry across 2023. CBD properties in some locations may still suffer mid-week with corporates not returning to pre covid capacity.”

“I predict:

1. A strong video focus on Marketing campaigns.
2. Influencer marketing.
3. Chatbots available for reservations.
4. Voice search to find the best hotel choice.
5. Prioritizing mobile-ready sites.”

“Travellers in 2023 still expect a lot from their hotels who have to find a way to be appealing to guests’ personalities and needs. A strong trend will be the desire of the guests to build strong relationships with the area they are visiting and live outdoor experiences. They want to feel part of it and belong to it. So better to offer programs or activities that can be tailored towards different interests.

The pandemic had a strong effect on the hospitality industry so guests will still consider hygiene protocols, cleanliness, health and well-being trends in their hotel searches, as well as more user-friendly and contactless technology.

The pandemic increased the desire for sustainable travel, and as this becomes a primary concern for travellers, they will seek out information on sustainability practices at the hotels. Guests will be willing to pay more for hotels that meet their sustainability needs and expectations, and a sustainable business culture influences customers’ booking decisions.

Another trend is the adoption of technology that makes the guest experience more seamless and convenient. Guests will want to access information quickly, and enjoy a stress-free stay.

Finally, the personalised guest experience will continue to be a popular trend and will be a key differentiator between hotels.”

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