10 Hospitality Marketing Strategies That Drive Bookings and Keep Guests Coming Back

Whether you run a hotel, tour company, a restaurant, or any other experience-driven business, you probably rely on a mix of booking partners to keep demand steady and your calendar full. They bring you visibility and volume, but they also take a meaningful bite out of your margins.

Hospitality brands that win back more direct demand today aren’t doing it with luck, last-minute promos, or bigger ad budgets. They use thoughtful, tactical strategies that shift share back to their own channels, and create opportunities for higher-margin bookings from those using third-party sites.

In this guide, we’ll explore hospitality marketing strategies that do just that. You’ll also see how to bring each tactic to life using ActiveCampaign, so you can convert more curious explorers into loyal regulars who keep coming back.

For most hospitality brands, rate parity is both a necessity and a headache. You want to encourage guests to book directly, but you can’t undercut your partners. The workaround? Add value, not discounts.

Direct-booking perks are one of the cleanest ways to shift share without breaking any agreements. They help guests feel like insiders, and they give you more control over the relationship from the very first click.

Some parity-safe perks that help to tempt direct-bookers include:

• Late checkout (a fan favorite because it feels luxurious and costs you almost nothing)
• Welcome drinks or small arrival gifts
• Free or discounted parking
• Book-direct bundles like breakfast, spa credits, or local activity passes
• Room selection privileges when available
• Flexible cancellation policies for members

The key is to make these perks impossible to miss. Guests should see them:

• On your website: Add a simple comparison box or a “Direct Booking Benefits” module near the date picker.
• In email: Highlight perks in confirmation emails and nurture flows—particularly for new subscribers or loyalty signups.
• On metasearch: Use structured snippets or feed descriptions to surface parity-safe extras whenever your rates appear alongside partners.

Booking partners do still bring valuable first-time guests, so of course, you won’t abandon them entirely. But you don’t want your customers to stay in that lane forever. After their first visit, you should aim to gently nudge them into your direct ecosystem so their next trip comes straight to you.

Autonomous marketing tools like ActiveCampaign make the strategy seamless. By connecting your PMS or booking engine, you can automatically identify guests who booked through a partner and:

• Send a “thanks for staying” email with an invite to your member perks.
• Highlight the value they’ll get through direct booking next time (late checkout, free parking, breakfast credits, etc.)
• Add them to a segment for future campaigns, or special occasion rebookings.

These quick interactions feel like a concierge-style follow-up rather than a hard sell, and set the foundation for a long-term relationship on your turf.

None of your optimizations will matter if guests can’t find you. Local SEO ensures your property appears at the right time and place.

Start with your Google Business Profile. Keep listings complete and accurate, and make sure to check off all of these requirements to boost visibility in local searches and map packs:

• Ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) consistency.
• Add high-quality photos.
• Respond to reviews (good and bad).
• Post updates or offers.
• Link to social media.

Complement this with destination-focused content that helps potential guests imagine their stay. Think of content that can link naturally to your booking engine, such as:

• 48-hour city or neighborhood guides.
• Local event calendars and seasonal activities.
• Family-friendly or business-focused itineraries.
• Insider tips for dining, nightlife, and attractions.

Geo-segmented emails are a perfect way to promote event-led packages or local experiences to travelers in the right region.

AI-powered search is increasingly shaping how travelers discover hospitality options. Optimizing for “AI Overviews” helps your property appear in concise, fact-rich answers that showcase what makes you unique.

Here are some tips to get started with AEO (AI Engine Optimization):

• Structure your data well: Implement schema for your property, rooms, offers, reviews, and FAQs. Keep rates and availability current so AI sources reliable info.
• Include on-page FAQs: Address common booking questions with clear, easy-to-scan answers. For example:
  • Check-in/check-out times.
  • Cancellation or refund policies.
  • Amenities and room types.
  • Loyalty perks and special packages.
• Leverage guest insights: Pull real questions from your CRM. Which inquiries pop up most? Use these to shape FAQs and content that speak directly to traveler needs.

AI visibility is an emerging and fast-evolving concern. Keep up-to-date with industry recommendations so that you remain visible in AI search.

Metasearch platforms like Google Hotel Ads, Tripadvisor, and Kayak are key channels for reaching travelers comparing options across multiple properties. These platforms drive visibility, but only if you optimize your campaigns to maximize bookings and protect margins.

To get the most from metasearch:

• Optimize your feeds: Ensure rates, availability, and content are accurate and up to date.
• Maintain parity and pricing strategies: Suppress low-margin dates or packages, and adjust bids based on performance.
• Refine landing pages: Align page content with the search intent of metasearch visitors.
• Test budgets by market and season: Shift spend toward high-performing dates, locations, or segments.

Complement these efforts by retargeting metasearch clickers with tailored emails or SMS messages.

Even the most compelling perks won’t matter if your booking flow frustrates guests. Every extra click, confusing date picker, or hidden fee is a chance for a potential guest to abandon the process.

Over 50% of hotel guests now book on mobile, 67% of restaurant diners prefer to secure a booking via their smartphone, and more than 70% of global travelers plan, book, and manage tours and trips via mobile apps.

Focus on these frictionless, mobile-first tactics that make it easy to say “yes”:

• Prioritize speed and simplicity: Make it easy to select dates, preferences, and payment options with minimal steps.
• Build trust signals: Show recent reviews, property ratings, security badges, and recognitions to help guests commit with confidence.
• Reduce drop-offs: Conversion can drop significantly at each additional step in the checkout process. Hidden fees, unclear cancellation policies, or extra clicks create churn.
• Modernize payment options: Booking abandonment often happens at the payment stage, where guests encounter unexpected fees, limited payment options, complex forms, or security concerns. Consider offering flexible, modern payment options like buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) to reduce friction and boost conversions, particularly for longer stays, high-value bookings, or premium experiences.

Monitor behavior to identify friction points and prioritize fixes that have the biggest impact. Integrate your booking engine and create forms or surveys with ActiveCampaign to collect guest data and track engagement in real time.

Whether a potential guest gets distracted, falls down a wormhole comparing prices, or hesitates over fees, near-bookings can represent high-intent opportunities that shouldn’t be wasted.

Automated abandonment and retargeting campaigns help recover these potential guests.

To capture more of these near-bookings:

• Integrate your booking engine with ActiveCampaign: Trigger abandonment automations whenever a guest leaves the booking process.
• Use dynamic offers: Personalized incentives like a small upgrade, freebie, or limited-time discount can entice hesitant guests to complete their booking.

By combining timely follow-ups, personalized incentives, and behavioral insights from ActiveCampaign, you can convert more lookers into confirmed guests while keeping the process seamless and compliant.

Guests increasingly look for complete experiences, not just a single service. Co-promotions with local partners can make each package more appealing and provide added value for guests.

Start by building a network of partners who complement your offerings. Think outside of the box and make sure to look into:

• Accommodation
• Dining experiences
• Guided tours
• Activities
• Transportation options
• Tickets to local events

Consider taking advantage of content swaps and co-branded communications. Share event highlights, seasonal packages, or special offers through partner email lists, social channels, or website features to extend reach.

ActiveCampaign can help you track and attribute partner-driven bookings using tags and custom fields. This ensures you know which collaborations drive results, allowing you to optimize partnerships and personalize follow-ups.

Every guest is unique, and the more your offers reflect their needs and preferences, the more likely they are to convert and return. Segmenting your audience and leveraging guest data will help deliver relevant packages, perks, and experiences that feel personal.

You can start by segmenting guests based on key characteristics, such as:

• Booking type: Business, leisure, family, VIP, or groups.
• Timing or occasion: Families during school breaks, couples on anniversaries, corporate clients, or events.
• Preferences and behavior: Room type, dining choices, or past activity bookings.

From there, craft personalized offers that match each segment.

Hotels might offer weekend family packages with breakfast included and discounts on kids’ activities.

Restaurants could suggest special tasting menus for returning diners celebrating milestones.

Event venues could provide add-on experiences for large corporate groups or conference attendees.

Turning a first-time guest into a repeat booker requires more than a great in-person experience. By mapping touchpoints before, during, and after a stay, you can create meaningful interactions that build loyalty and encourage direct bookings.

ActiveCampaign makes it easy to automate these guest journeys. Integrate with your PMS to trigger messages by booking, check-in, checkout, or anniversaries. Segment by booking channel, room type, length of stay, trip purpose, or spend, and use predictive sending to reach guests when they’re most likely to engage. Pre-built recipes and templates make it easy to scale journeys without losing personalization.

Guests appreciate communication that is helpful, timely, and proactive—especially when it saves them effort. A message-based digital concierge via SMS or WhatsApp can deliver information and offers without requiring them to ask or search.

This type of communication stands out because it can:

• Deliver useful information at the right moment, such as arrival instructions or directions.
• Highlight amenities or services guests might otherwise miss, like spa bookings, menu specials, or activity recommendations.

Present relevant add-ons or upgrades in context, increasing value without feeling pushy.

To maintain a positive experience, set quiet hours and provide clear paths to staff support. Done thoughtfully, this approach provides the opportunity to drive incremental revenue without disturbing customers.

Positive reviews and testimonials are some of the most influential factors in a guest’s booking decision. Build a system for collecting and responding to feedback to amplify satisfaction with your brand.

Start by automating post-stay review requests using an email sequence triggered by visit completion. Guests who receive a timely, personalized prompt to share their experience are more likely to respond.

Equally important is closing the loop on issues quickly. Fast, empathetic responses to negative or neutral feedback can prevent dissatisfaction from spreading and demonstrate your commitment to service. Using ActiveCampaign, you can branch flows based on the rating provided:

• High ratings trigger thank-you messages and social sharing prompts.
• Mid- or low ratings trigger a follow-up from staff to resolve concerns.

This should not only increase the volume of positive reviews but will also ensure guests feel heard and valued when they leave less-than-perfect feedback, reinforcing your brand’s credibility and commitment to great customer service.

Bringing these hospitality marketing strategies together is easier when you have a central system to unify data, orchestrate campaigns, and automate personalization. Follow this playbook to see how ActiveCampaign can power the best experiences for travel and hospitality:

1. Know every guest: Pull together profiles from booking engines, PMS, payment systems, and websites using ActiveCampaign’s CRM with custom fields and 1000+ integrations. Every touchpoint can then be personalized without manual effort.
2. Engage across channels: Build email, SMS, WhatsApp, and web campaigns from a single platform, using deep segmentation to ensure each guest receives relevant messaging at the right time.
3. Work smarter with AI: Let Active Intelligence plan, execute, and optimize campaigns automatically for you. Even small teams can run sophisticated, multi-channel journeys.
4. Scale without losing local touch: Push master automations for your brand campaigns to multiple properties. Localize content seamlessly with HQ Pushdown Automations and Message Variables, while protecting brand consistency.

I've used all the other major marketing platforms out there over the years however, this one has been the best in my opinion. It really is a great platform and helps our hospitality business daily! - Dan M., G2

From tables to tours, rooms to retreats, automate personalized experiences that make guests come back for more. Sign up for a free trial and see what you can do with ActiveCampaign.

The 5 P’s of hospitality marketing are Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People. These cover offerings, pricing strategy, distribution channels, marketing communications, and guest experience. Together, they guide a holistic approach to attracting and retaining guests.

Offer value-added perks like welcome drinks, late checkout, or bundled packages that enhance direct bookings without lowering rates, and use targeted campaigns to nudge repeat guests toward your direct channels.

Complete and accurate information, including NAP (Name, Address, Phone), high-quality photos, up-to-date amenities, pricing, reviews, and regular posts or offers to improve visibility and trust.

Yes, ActiveCampaign connects with most PMS and booking systems to capture guest data, trigger automations, and create personalized cross-channel campaigns.

HQ Pushdown Automations and Message Variables let you deploy campaigns across multiple properties while automatically localizing content, maintaining brand consistency, and personalizing messaging for each location.