What belongs to a hotel's online marketing?
Online marketing covers all the digital activities a hotel uses to reach guests and lead them to a booking. This includes search on Google, social media, your own website, email and how you handle reviews. Each channel takes on a different job on the path from the first idea to the booking.
The common thread is the direct booking. In the end, every channel should help ensure that a guest books directly with you and not through a portal that keeps part of the room price as commission.
Visibility on Google
It all begins with being found. Two paths lead to the top. The organic route through search engine optimization brings visitors long-term without paying per click. The paid route through ads and hotel search brings visibility immediately. We explain both in detail in the articles on hotel SEO and on Google Ads for hotels.
The Google Business Profile is important. For many guests it is the first contact with your property, even before the website.
Social media and content
For hotels, Instagram and Facebook sell the feeling of being on site, from the rooms to the spa to the surroundings. They rarely trigger a spontaneous booking, but they build trust and recognition. Short videos work better here than glossy photos because they convey atmosphere.
Content also means helpful material on your own site, such as tips about the region. Content like this also pays into your visibility on Google at the same time.
The website as the central hub
In the end, all channels lead to your own website. It is the only booking channel that belongs entirely to you. What matters are load time, mobile usability and a booking engine without detours. You can read how a booking-strong site is built in the article on building a hotel website.
Email and guest retention
Of all the channels, email has the highest return, because you reach your own contacts without any middleman. A simple flow of booking confirmation, anticipation before arrival, and a thank-you afterward with a direct booking benefit turns first-time guests into regulars.
Daniel Lösch