Marketing & Guest Experience: Winning the Booking, Earning the Return

In today’s digital world, visibility wins the booking – but great service wins the return. That’s why smart hoteliers see Marketing and Guest Experience (GX) as two sides of the same coin.

1. Marketing that drives direct bookings

Most travellers start their search online. In South Africa, SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends showed hotel websites were a top-two revenue channel in 2024. December was the busiest month for arrivals.

Direct bookings matter. They cut out OTA commission fees (10–25% locally, often about 15%) and bring in more value. SiteMinder reports that direct bookings brought in around 60% more revenue per booking than OTAs in 2024 (US$519 vs US$320). Since 2021, direct bookings have more than doubled (+114%), showing that travellers will book direct when the value is clear.

Effective marketing focuses on three key areas:

• SEO – rank for the right keywords on Google.

• Paid media – PPC ads targeting high-intent searches and retargeting dropped shoppers.

• Social storytelling – visuals and videos that highlight experiences, not just prices.

Together, these pull qualified traffic to a website with a smooth booking engine. The result: more direct sales, fewer commissions lost.

 

2. Guest experience – personalisation as the baseline

Getting the booking is only the start. Today’s guests expect personal touches at every stage of their stay. HospitalityNet calls personalisation “table stakes” in 2025.

Examples include:

• Pre-arrival e-mails suggesting add-ons based on the trip purpose.

• In-app chat that remembers pillow preference.

• AI chatbots that answer FAQs instantly.

• CRM systems that track preferences for welcome-back perks.

• Automated feedback loops that send review requests or service recovery follow-ups.

These tools make guests feel recognised, not just processed. The returns are clear. A 5% increase in guest retention can lift profit by 25–95% through repeat bookings and referrals. Faster response times via chat and messaging also raise satisfaction scores, which boost rankings on OTAs and meta-search sites. That visibility then brings in more guests.

3. Closing the loop – marketing meets memory

The best marketing is delivering what you promise. When on-site service matches your online story, trust grows.

Ways to strengthen the loop:

• Share authentic guest content – photos, testimonials and reviews often outperform polished ads because they feel real.

• Segment your e-mail list – send offers tailored to guest type (business, family, couples) instead of blasting generic deals.

This approach makes every message relevant, helping guests remember the experience and return.

Take-away

Digital discovery and on-site delight go hand in hand. Invest in smart marketing to win direct bookings. Invest in personalisation to turn first-timers into loyal advocates. Together, they form a growth cycle that fills rooms, earns glowing reviews, and boosts revenue.

RevGrowth helps hotels set this up – from audits to quick-start sprints. If you’d like to explore, we’re ready to help.