Introduction
The hospitality world is always shifting, molded by travelers’ desires, new tools, and economic ups and downs. To stay ahead, hotels must embrace hospitality marketing trends that pull in guests and keep them coming back. At Emersion Wellness, we get the challenges hoteliers face in this bustling market. With 15 years in the game, I’ve seen how clever marketing can fill rooms, spark excitement, and boost a hotel’s bottom line.
This article lays out 10 hospitality marketing trends to take your hotel to new heights. By weaving these ideas into your strategy, you can draw fresh crowds, build a loyal fanbase, and grow your revenue in a packed field.
Key Takeaways
- Dig into guest data to craft personal experiences and sharpen your marketing, a vital part of hospitality marketing trends.
- Use social media to share stories that hit travelers right in the feels.
- Start a loyalty program to keep guests returning and spending more.
- Create one-of-a-kind experiences to make your hotel unforgettable.
- Link up with local businesses to reach more people.
- Share guest stories and photos to show what your hotel’s really like.
- Get found online with search engine tricks that work.
- Team up with influencers to tell your hotel’s story far and wide.
- Go green to win over travelers who care about the planet.
- Keep trying new things to stay sharp in hospitality marketing trends.
Craft Personal Guest Experiences
Getting to Know Your Guests
Information is like gold in today’s world. By diving into what guests like, how they act, and what they spend on, hotels can create stays that feel made-to-order. This focus on personalization is a big piece of hospitality marketing trends, making guests feel truly seen.
Shaping Your Website and Emails
Look at what you know about guests—their age, hobbies, or past visits. Use that to tweak your website or emails. For instance, show off a play area for families or a massage deal for someone who’s been to your spa. An email suggesting a local music spot for a live-show fan can seal the deal.
Pointing Guests to Their Favorites
Suggest activities, eateries, or sights based on what guests love. Maybe it’s a note in their welcome email about a nearby farmers’ market or a tip on your app about a quiet park for a reader. These little nudges show you care, tying right into hospitality marketing trends.
Treating Loyal Guests Right
Use data to spot your regulars and surprise them with something extra, like a free coffee or a room with a view. These touches make them feel special and keep them booking, a tried-and-true move in hospitality marketing trends.
Organizing with a CRM
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system gathers all your guest info in one spot. It lets you track their likes and habits, so you can make their whole trip—from booking to goodbye—feel personal. This setup is a must for nailing hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Win
Picture a hotel that remembers a guest’s love for herbal tea and has it waiting in their room, or sets out a yoga mat for their morning stretch. That kind of care sticks with people, showing why personalization drives hospitality marketing trends.
Share Stories on Social Media
Building Emotional Bonds
Social media is your stage to connect with travelers on a deeper level. With lively photos, videos, and tales, you can show what makes your hotel special, share your story, and spark excitement, a core part of hospitality marketing trends.
Making Stunning Content
Spend on great photos or clips that capture your hotel’s vibe—think a glowing pool at dusk or a chef plating a colorful dish. A short video of guests laughing at your outdoor movie night can make folks want to join in.
Spotlighting Guest Moments
Get guests to share their stay with a hashtag like #OurHotelVibes. Reposting their snapshot of a sunset from your balcony feels real and builds trust, a big win in hospitality marketing trends.
Stirring Up Fun Online
Host a contest, like asking guests to share their favorite hotel memory for a chance at a free brunch. It gets people talking and pulls in new followers, amplifying your reach in hospitality marketing trends.
Partnering with Influencers
Find social media stars whose fans are your kind of travelers. Their post about sipping coffee in your garden can bring your hotel to new eyes, a hot tactic in hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Spark
A small inn might post a guest’s photo of its flower-filled courtyard, paired with a story about a quiet morning there. That kind of post pulls travelers in, showing the magic of hospitality marketing trends.
Grow Loyalty with Rewards
Turning Guests into Regulars
A loyalty program keeps guests coming back, building bonds that last. By offering rewards, you make travelers feel valued and boost their spending, a key driver in hospitality marketing trends.
Handing Out Perks
Give members deals like cheaper rooms, a free upgrade, or late checkout. These extras make them feel like VIPs and encourage more bookings.
Setting Up Reward Tiers
Create levels where guests earn better perks the more they stay, like exclusive wine tastings for top members. It pushes them to pick your hotel every time, a smart play in hospitality marketing trends.
Making Rewards Personal
Look at guest data to offer rewards they’ll love, like a free dessert for a sweet-tooth or a gym pass for a fitness fan. This shows you get them, strengthening ties in hospitality marketing trends.
Simplifying with Tech
Use an app so guests can check their points, snag rewards, or get custom offers on their phone. A smooth system makes loyalty fun, a big part of hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Hit
Some hotels let guests earn points for every night, swapping them for a free stay or a spa day. Tossing in a personal touch, like a free coffee for a caffeine lover, keeps them hooked, a perfect nod to hospitality marketing trends.
Create Standout Experiences
Making Memories That Last
Comfy rooms alone won’t cut it anymore. Hotels need experiences that leave guests buzzing, setting them apart in a crowded market and fueling hospitality marketing trends.
Teaming Up Locally
Work with nearby guides, restaurants, or artists for special packages, like a kayak tour or a bread-making class. These add a local flavor guests crave, a cornerstone of hospitality marketing trends.
Throwing Fun Events
Host live music, a craft market, or a holiday party to make your hotel a hot spot. A summer barbecue with a local band creates a vibe guests won’t forget, tied to hospitality marketing trends.
Offering Cool Amenities
Add surprises like a rooftop herb garden where guests can pick basil or a cozy fireplace lounge. These make your hotel a story worth sharing, driving hospitality marketing trends.
Going Green for Good
Use eco-friendly practices, like reusable cups or local produce, to attract travelers who care about the earth. It shows your heart, a growing piece of hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Gem
A lakeside hotel might offer a guided stargazing night with a local astronomer. Guests talk about it for years, proving how experiences power hospitality marketing trends.
Tap into Guest Stories
Showing the Real Deal
Guest photos, videos, or reviews are like word-of-mouth online. They let travelers see what your hotel’s really about, a trust-building tool in hospitality marketing trends.
Getting Guests to Share
Ask guests to post about their stay with a hashtag like #HotelGlow. A guest’s pic of your pancake breakfast feels more honest than a pro shot, boosting hospitality marketing trends.
Showing Off Guest Posts
Put guest reviews or snapshots on your website or social pages. A photo of a couple toasting at your bar can nudge others to book, a tactic rooted in hospitality marketing trends.
Chatting Back on Reviews
Check review sites and respond to feedback, whether it’s a rave or a gripe. A kind reply to a complaint shows you’re all about great stays, key in hospitality marketing trends.
Hosting Story Contests
Run a contest where guests share their favorite hotel moment for a chance at a free night. It gets folks excited and gives you fresh content, a win for hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Boost
A downtown hotel might share a guest’s tweet about its rooftop yoga, thanking them publicly. It feels genuine and sparks more posts, a classic move in hospitality marketing trends.
Get Found with Search Engine Smarts
Popping Up Online
Being easy to spot online is everything today. Search engine optimization (SEO) puts your hotel in front of travelers searching for their next trip, a foundation of hospitality marketing trends.
Sprucing Up Your Website
Add words like “cozy hotels in [city]” or “weekend retreats” to your site’s pages, headers, and photo tags. It helps Google match you with travelers, a big deal in hospitality marketing trends.
Writing Helpful Posts
Create blogs or guides, like “5 Local Festivals to Catch” or “Why Our Town’s a Foodie Haven,” stuffed with tips and search terms. These pull in curious visitors, supporting hospitality marketing trends.
Grabbing Good Links
Get links from trusted sites, like a local visitor’s bureau or a travel magazine. They lift your search rank, making you easier to find in hospitality marketing trends.
Keeping an Eye on Results
Use tools like Google Analytics to check what’s working. If a post about nearby beaches brings clicks, write more like it, sharpening your hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Success
A seaside inn might optimize for “beach hotels in [town]” and post a guide to coastal trails. It draws in hikers searching online, showing the strength of hospitality marketing trends.
Partner with Influencers
Telling Your Story Wide
Influencers can share your hotel with their crowd, putting your name out there. This is a rising star in hospitality marketing trends, perfect for sparking interest.
Picking the Right Voices
Find influencers whose followers are your target guests, like a wellness blogger for a spa hotel. Their posts feel natural, aligning with hospitality marketing trends.
Making Real Moments
Invite influencers to live your hotel’s story, like joining a local art walk or chilling by your firepit. Their honest take connects better, a key in hospitality marketing trends.
Checking the Impact
Look at likes, shares, or website hits from influencer posts. If a post drives bookings, you know it’s working, helping you tweak hospitality marketing trends.
Betting on Smaller Stars
Try micro-influencers with tight-knit fans. They’re often cheaper and feel more real, making them a smart pick in hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Reach
A mountain lodge might invite a hiking vlogger to film its trails. Their post could reach thousands, boosting visits through hospitality marketing trends.
Make Paid Ads Count
Hitting the Right Travelers
Paid ads on Google or social media let you zero in on your ideal guests. Used well, they’re a sharp tool in hospitality marketing trends, filling rooms fast.
Aiming at the Right Crowd
Target ads to folks searching “romantic escapes” or those into eco-travel. This gets your message to people ready to book, a core hospitality marketing trend.
Designing Grabby Ads
Use vivid photos, like your patio at twilight, and clear invites, like “Save 15% This Weekend.” Bold visuals catch eyes, essential in hospitality marketing trends.
Trying and Tuning
Test ad versions—one pushing your bar, another your pool—and see which pulls more clicks. This tinkering lifts results, a savvy move in hospitality marketing trends.
Watching the Numbers
Track how many bookings come from ads. If a family deal ad rocks it, pour more into it, stretching your budget in hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Payoff
A city hotel might run an Instagram ad for its live music nights, targeting young locals. High bookings show it’s clicking, proving hospitality marketing trends work.
Go Green with Purpose
Winning Eco-Minded Guests
Sustainable practices do more than help the earth—they draw travelers who value green living. This is a growing slice of hospitality marketing trends, making your hotel stand out.
Cutting Energy and Water
Switch to low-energy lights or low-flow faucets to save resources. Timers on hallway lights show you mean business, a key hospitality marketing trend.
Trimming Waste
Add recycling bins or turn food scraps into compost. Giving guests reusable mugs cuts plastic, syncing with hospitality marketing trends.
Lifting Local Communities
Buy jam from nearby makers or book local musicians for events. It helps the area and charms guests, a win in hospitality marketing trends.
Telling Your Eco-Story
Share your green efforts online, like a post about your rooftop garden. It connects with travelers who care, boosting hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Green Glow
A forest hotel might use recycled wood furniture and post about its local honey supplier. Guests love the eco-vibe, a model for hospitality marketing trends.
Stay Curious and Keep Trying
Keeping Your Edge
Hospitality never slows down, so hotels have to keep experimenting to stay fresh. Staying curious is the heart of hospitality marketing trends, ensuring you’re always a step ahead.
Spotting New Ideas
Keep an eye on what’s coming, like voice-activated searches or virtual hotel tours. Adding “hotels in [city]” to voice search terms grabs early birds, a forward hospitality marketing trend.
Testing New Paths
Try a chatbot for guest questions or a virtual reality sneak peek of your rooms. Guest reactions help you polish these, keeping you sharp in hospitality marketing trends.
Hearing Guest Thoughts
Ask travelers what they think via comment cards or quick talks. If they rave about your new cocktail class, lean into it, a strategy baked into hospitality marketing trends.
Sparking Team Creativity
Get your staff tossing out ideas, like a guest scavenger hunt. A team that’s free to dream keeps your hotel lively, critical for hospitality marketing trends.
A Real-Life Leap
A beach hotel might test a virtual surf lesson preview, with guests loving the techy twist. This bold move captures the spirit of hospitality marketing trends.
Emersion Wellness and Hospitality Marketing Trends
Championing Wellness
At Emersion Wellness, we help hotels ride the wellness wave, a major player in hospitality marketing trends. Our weight loss programs draw health-savvy travelers, spiking bookings, spa visits, and dining sales.
Boosting Profits with Wellness
Our programs create stories guests share, like a life-changing meditation retreat. This word-of-mouth fuels loyalty and revenue, perfectly tied to hospitality marketing trends.
Teaming Up for Wins
We partner with hotels to build wellness experiences that match their style, from city gems to coastal retreats. Our know-how makes hotels the go-to spot, thriving in hospitality marketing trends.
Conclusion
These 10 hospitality marketing trends—personal touches, social media stories, loyalty rewards, unique moments, guest posts, search smarts, influencer buzz, paid ad precision, green living, and constant curiosity—give hotels a clear path to success. Emersion Wellness is here to help you shine with strategies that pack rooms and spark joy. Reach out at emersionwellness.com/contact-us to lift your hotel’s game through hospitality marketing trends.
FAQs
How can hotels collect guest info to nail hospitality marketing?
Ask guests to fill out quick surveys, check booking patterns online, track loyalty program habits, watch social media chatter, and use in-room tablets for feedback. It’s like piecing together a puzzle of what they love.
What makes social media posts pop for hospitality marketing?
Use bright photos of your hotel’s charm, share tales about what makes you unique, sprinkle in hashtags to get seen, run contests for guest pics, and chat back to followers with warmth.
Why are loyalty programs a big deal for hospitality marketing?
They pull guests back, get them spending more, build tighter bonds, make them feel special, and give your hotel a leg up on the competition.
How can hotels work with locals to boost hospitality marketing trends?
Bundle stays with local tours or meals, team up with shops for discounts, join town festivals, or bring in nearby chefs for guest cooking nights.
How can hotels get better at SEO for hospitality marketing trends?
Weave search terms into your site, write blogs with travel tips, snag links from travel sites, and make sure your site’s quick and phone-friendly.
How do hotels pick influencers for hospitality marketing?
Find ones whose fans are your target crowd, look for lively follower chats, make sure they’re pumped about your hotel, and track how their posts drive visits.
How can hotels check if paid ads are working for hospitality marketing?
Watch clicks and bookings, track ad-driven reservations, try different ad styles, and tweak based on what brings in guests.
How can hotels go greener for marketing trends?
Save power with smart lights, cut water with efficient showers, recycle and compost, use eco-safe cleaners, and buy from local farmers.
What new hospitality marketing trends should hotels keep an eye on?
Watch for voice search tweaks, AI helpers for guest questions, one-of-a-kind travel adventures, selling on social media, and virtual reality hotel previews.
How can hotels stay ahead in marketing trends?
Read up on industry news, try fresh marketing tricks, listen to guest thoughts, lean on data for choices, and get your team dreaming up new ideas.member, offering tailored rewards and benefits based on their individual preferences.
I'm Nathan Baws, a nutrition nerd, exercise and weight loss expert, and an unwavering advocate for good health. As the founder of Emersion Wellness, I'm passionate about crafting Seamless Weight Loss Programs to supercharge hotel revenue and transform lives. We've pioneered the World's First Plug & Play Weight Loss Programs for top hotels and resorts, sparking a wellness revolution. Beyond my professional journey, you'll often find me hiking, swimming, and riding the waves, embracing every moment in nature. Join me on this exhilarating journey towards diet, health and wellness.