In the ever-evolving — and highly competitive — world of hotel marketing, staying on top of the latest marketing trends and tactics is often essential to beating out the competition. After all, every time a traveler makes a booking via a channel, platform or method that your hotel hasn’t yet harnessed, it creates the potential for an empty room and lost revenues … and it’s likely to keep happening over and over again until you catch up.
Here at Brandon, we also know how busy hoteliers’ daily schedules tend to be. And especially in a landscape driven by continually shifting consumer preferences, rapidly advancing technological tools and unpredictable global events, this can make staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies all the more challenging.
So to help your hotel brand stay in the know about the latest booking-boosting tactics, we strive to keep our finger on the pulse for you. Read on to learn more about six powerful marketing trends and tactics that we see having an outsized impact on hotel brands’ success attracting travelers in 2024:
1. Personalization and customer data utilization
For modern hotel marketers, personalization and the astute utilization of customer data are not just important — they can be cornerstones of success. Especially in an industry where consumers seek unique and tailored experiences, leveraging customer data to understand their preferences, behaviors and demographics allows hotels to create highly targeted marketing campaigns and communications.
Effective personalization efforts go beyond simply addressing customers by their first names. They involve offering customized recommendations, room options and special promotions that cater to individual preferences and needs. Harnessing data also empowers hotels to anticipate guest requirements, streamline the check-in and check-out processes, and provide personalized on-site services. This level of personalization fosters stronger connections with guests, enhances their satisfaction and can ultimately lead to more repeat bookings, higher brand loyalty and elevated advocacy.
2. Content marketing and storytelling
Content marketing and storytelling can play a pivotal role in capturing the hearts and minds of modern travel consumers. With plentiful options to choose from, today’s travelers are not just looking for a place to stay — they seek experiences and a connection with the destination. Engaging, authentic storytelling allows hotels to convey their unique character, history and the local culture, helping to create an emotional connection with potential guests.
Through compelling content such as blogs, social media posts and videos, hotels can share the essence of their property, from the luxurious amenities to the personalized services offered. Effective storytelling also enables hotels to create a sense of anticipation and desire in the minds of travelers, igniting their wanderlust. Moreover, content marketing can help establish hotels as authorities on the destination, providing travelers with valuable information and insider tips — which, in turn, can boost trust and engagement.
By weaving captivating narratives and sharing valuable insights, hotels can attract and retain guests and also inspire them to become brand advocates, ultimately driving added success in their marketing efforts.
3. Sustainable and eco-friendly practices
Today’s travelers — and younger travelers in particular — are increasingly conscious of their environmental impact, and many of them actively seek out accommodations that align with their values. Hotels that embrace sustainable initiatives, from energy-efficient practices and waste reduction to responsible sourcing and eco-friendly design, not only reduce their ecological footprint, but they also resonate with a growing segment of today’s eco-conscious travelers.
By incorporating these practices into their marketing efforts, hotels can differentiate themselves in a crowded market, appeal to environmentally aware travelers and build a reputation as responsible industry leaders. Such initiatives not only benefit the environment, but they can also enhance the overall guest experience and boost a hotel’s bottom line.
4. Influencer marketing
Across a wide array of industries, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful and cost-effective tool for reaching and engaging with a broader and more diverse audience — and the world of hotel marketing is certainly no exception. Today’s travelers often turn to social media influencers and bloggers for inspiration and recommendations when planning their trips. Collaborating with the right influencers can allow hotels to tap into their extensive follower base, leveraging their credibility and reach to showcase their property and its unique offerings.
Influencers can also bring authenticity and a personal touch to a hotel’s narrative, helping to humanize the brand and make it more relatable to consumers. So by partnering with influencers who align with their values and target demographic, hotels can create content that feels genuine and resonates with potential guests. These collaborations not only boost brand awareness but also drive higher engagement and conversion rates, making influencer marketing an even more attractive tactic for hotel brands.
5. AR/VR
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have become powerful assets in hotel marketing, revolutionizing the way potential guests explore and experience a property’s offerings. These immersive technologies allow hotels to transport customers into their spaces before they even arrive, offering virtual tours of rooms, amenities and the surrounding area. Such experiences enable travelers to make more informed decisions, enhancing their confidence in their choice of accommodation. Furthermore, AR and VR can be used to create interactive and engaging marketing campaigns, enabling guests to virtually experience the hotel’s services, restaurants and activities, even from half a world away. By embracing these technologies, hotels can set themselves apart in a competitive market, delivering unforgettable pre-stay experiences and capturing the imaginations of prospective guests.
6. AI
Enabling personalized, data-driven strategies that can significantly enhance the guest experience and drive added revenues, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer in hotel marketing. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants, for example, can provide quick and efficient customer service, answering queries and assisting with bookings around the clock. Moreover, AI-driven data analytics and machine learning can mine vast amounts of customer data to identify trends, preferences and booking patterns. This invaluable insight can enable hotels to tailor their marketing efforts, from personalized offers and room recommendations to targeted email campaigns. AI can also play a critical role in pricing optimization, helping hotels adjust rates in real time based on demand and market conditions. By harnessing the power of AI, hotels can not only streamline operations, but they can also create more meaningful and efficient interactions with guests, resulting in improved customer satisfaction and loyalty while maximizing revenues.
For more helpful tips and data on increasing the effectiveness of your hotel-marketing efforts, check out the blog of Brandon sister agency TravelBoom, which is loaded with resources and insights for the industry.
Brandon: Travel/tourism-marketing experts, here to help your hotel
Here at Brandon, we’ve been helping destinations, resorts and hotels increase visitation and grow their bottom line for more than 60 years. And our sister agency TravelBoom specializes specifically in travel marketing and helping hospitality-industry clients grow using better data, customized insights, and powerful digital and strategic hospitality-marketing tips and expertise. Whichever you choose, we’re ready to add your travel/tourism/hospitality-focused brand to the long list of hospitality-industry clients who have met and exceeded their marketing and revenue goals with our guidance.
Visit our website to learn how tapping into our travel/tourism expertise can boost your business. And to get started with help ranging from a simple website analysis to a comprehensive strategy tailored to boost the performance of all your marketing campaigns, contact us today.
Christie DeAntonio
Director of Client Services
Christie is the Director of Client Services at Brandon and currently leads the Travel Marketing Specialty Team focused on driving results in an ever-changing, digitally centric world. She delivers strategic planning and execution that leads the target market through the customer purchase path to booking or visitation. Her digital strategy, implementation and optimization, research and marketing programs drive increased awareness, preference and conversion across all channels, owned, earned and paid. When not working, she can be found spending time with her husband and two young kids at the beach, cooking, enjoying good wine, and traveling.