Hotel Bookings Boost

Recently on LinkedIn, I saw a post that shared a message from Marriott’s Aloft Miami Brickell.They were offering guests 3,000 Bonvoy points for completing a survey with a perfect 9 or 10 score. The text even explained how it works: “If you enjoyed your stay, we kindly ask you to select the top score.” I stared at the post, blinking my way through various thoughts. I was puzzled that a brand of this size would play this "Let's Make a Deal" style game. Even if the guest gives the 10 and takes...

Have you ever poured water into a bucket only to have it leak out? Last year, a hotelier from Grand Cayman reached out - frustrated. She’d been trying to fix her website conversion rates for months.Then she asked her high-priced marketing agency to take over.After eight months with the agency, nothing had changed. Traffic was high.As for bookings?Still low. The classic conversion rate issue. Have you ever checked your analytics and thought, “Why aren’t bookings coming through?”You know how...

We’re coming into budget and planning season. Are you pumped? Every year, hotel teams everywhere gather around boardroom tables to ask two questions: How do we increase revenue? How can we increase efficiency or even decrease costs? Those two questions add up to one thing: profitability. And yet, every year, a big slice of profitability slips away. My goal with today's Bookings Boost isn't to diss the OTAs. It's an invitation to think differently about your hotel business.You make significant...

Your Starting Point for AI-Ready Marketing Last week, a hotel GM told me, “Christine, AI is everywhere in my feed. But honestly, what do they mean when they say AI. Is it just chatbots? Automations? What the heck am I supposed to do with it?” I’m with you; AI is a huge topic. When I say AI-ready, I’m not talking about guest service robots or PMS automation. I am talking about getting your hotel featured in AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. The term is:...

It was blunt. It was unapologetic.Former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi didn’t mince words. To hoteliers everywhere, he said, “If they come back to us again, shame on you.” – Dara Khosrowshahi, former CEO of Expedia Group When I first heard it, I thought, 'That sounds fair.'Hotels should do a great job.Capture the guest’s heart and their email, and they’ll never need Expedia again.But it doesn't align with how the OTAs operate.That one statement tells you everything about the OTA game. The...

I'm sure you've experienced this at some point in your career; If not, you've heard about it. Your marketing team rolls out a stunning direct-booking campaign.The campaign is well planned. It includes a targeted email, a landing page, even an influencer visit, and a special offer.This offer is available on all your direct channels and can only be booked on your website. Two days later?Your revenue manager launches an OTA flash sale at a lower rate. Now, the guest sees both.Guess which one...

Your rooms are full.Your team is maxed out.And let’s be honest, you may be thinking you can take your foot off the gas. It’s peak season, and everything is in motion. That’s when the voice creeps in: “Let’s just get through the summer first.” “We’ll deal with fall offers later.” “Christmas campaigns can wait.” “We’ve worked hard to get booked. Let’s ease up a bit.” But here’s the problem:Momentum doesn’t maintain itself.And full rooms don’t always mean full profit. The Temptation to Coast...

Remember the OTA days of old? When Expedia and Booking.com flooded the market with ads: “Best price guarantee” “Compare hundreds of hotels instantly” “One-stop shop for your perfect stay” And they trained customers around the world to believe they had the best deals and the best hotels. For a long time, that worked. But the game has changed. Fewer travelers are starting their search on Google or OTA apps. They’re using AI tools like ChatGPT to ask questions such as: “What’s the best ski-in...

You’re texting a friend:“Hey, where should I stay in Chicago?” They send a few suggestions.You smile politely… but then you open ChatGPT or Google AI and ask the same question. The AI answer feels smarter.More complete.More… trustworthy. Is this true for you?You’re not alone. The Stat That Stopped Me Cold 43% of travelers who use AI book the hotel that their AI tool suggests without doing any more research. Let that sink in. Nearly half of travelers using AI for planning choose the first...

Picture this. It’s date night.Instead of making a reservation, you're taking a spontaneous summer evening stroll down Main Street looking for a dinner spot. You stand in front of two restaurants. One has a bright chalkboard on the sidewalk featuring tonight's specials, a classic cocktail, and a local band starting at 8 pm.There’s music drifting out the door and a server welcoming diners. The other?A dusty window. A faded menu taped to the glass.No updates. No personality. No sign that...