It’s the most wonderful time of the year (and the busiest). For the next few months, we‘ll be in the thick of the hospitality carnival; expectant travelers are circling in, drawn by conferences, family reunions and solo expeditions.
But just like booths at a bustling fair, not every option draws a crowd. Hotels that thrive don’t simply rely on seasonal demand; they know how to catch the right eyes, speak to the right desires and stand out from the crowd, no matter the time of year.
Capturing attention and turning curiosity into bookings calls for refined, precise campaigns that reach travelers at exactly the right moment. And just as every booth at the carnival has a different draw, the best approach varies by hotel. What unites them all is the need for a well-chosen mix of channels—diverse enough to attract new guests, engaging enough to keep loyal ones coming back and strategic enough to sustain demand when the peak-season crowds thin.
Inspiring travellers
Today’s boutique adventurers are browsing their options: checking the weather, comparing offers and deciding on a whim where to go next. In fact, on average, travellers consider six brands before making a booking.
So, what makes for a standout listing that turns interest into a booking?
A great way for independent properties to capture the imagination of prospective travelers is to partner with destination management organizations (DMOs) and local tourism boards. This type of partnership links your hotel to local gems, events and traditions, appealing to travellers who want an immersive trip.
Importantly, some of the best ways to drive demand are low-resource and can be managed in-house. Ensuring your website has accurate information, timely promotions and high-quality imagery are all effective demand drivers. Similarly, offering a simple, direct booking option empowers travelers to move seamlessly from inspired to booked. To tap into their sense of adventure and bolster direct bookings, consider fun incentives, like digital prize wheels, that add some excitement to the experience.
Independent hotels can also work with effective retailers such as specialised travel agencies (online/offline) who secure access to a dedicated customer segment and bring the offering in the way those customers expect.
Loyalty lovers, on board and booked
During the peak season, some travelers already know what they want. These guests are filtering by brands they know, trust and love. For them, leveraging hard-earned loyalty rewards during busy periods feels like a meaningful return—and keeps them coming back for more.
What’s most important for hotels to convey is how well they understand their guests. To return to our carnival metaphor, imagine taking a view from the top of the Ferris wheel: can you spot patterns across demographics, loyalty tiers or geographies? These insights help build a meaningful guest profile, allowing you to highlight what they love most about your brand.
These travelers are already looking in the right direction. Ensure your visibility is maximized by refreshing and standardizing SEO across hotel listings with updated page titles, meta descriptions and landing page copy to capture high-volume travel searches. This digital hygiene will also bolster visibility in generative AI models, including GEO search summaries. To support properties across the brand, run A/B testing and marketing pilots to uncover what works best and share this with different properties.
As for all travelers, the trip begins at booking, so it’s best to make that experience seamless. A centralized booking engine with simplified, unified branding helps them match hotels to destinations with ease, which is a great way to stand out from the crowd and keep them coming back for more.
From broad appeal to targeted success
At the franchisee level, finding the right balance between brand consistency and local character is key.
From group bookings to independent curators and loyal repeat visitors, you’re catering to a wider group of prospective guests. To reach this diverse mix of business and leisure travelers, leveraging branded tools, local distribution teams and tailored GDS campaigns ensures broad visibility across OTAs and GDS platforms. Meanwhile, negotiated corporate and group contracts help secure larger, more consistent bookings throughout the year.
Within these campaigns, it’s essential to champion the unique perks available at your specific hotel and highlight them on your direct channels. Not only does this make your offering more distinctive, but attribute-based selling can also unlock new revenue streams.
Making every channel count
A sophisticated channel mix strategy drives profitable demand year-round, and the peak season is the perfect window to refine it.
This period offers valuable opportunities to test, learn and adjust. Amid the hustle of the business, hoteliers can reach new audiences and create a more diverse pool of demand, strengthening long-term resilience by reducing reliance on any single market.
The foundation of an effective channel mix lies in deeply understanding your customers —who they are, what motivates them and where they can be reached most efficiently. Because every property operates within its own unique context, no two channel strategies should look the same.
But perhaps, most importantly, put yourself in your guests’ shoes. Think about how delight and relaxation compound when they’re met in their preferred channels with options that don’t just suit them but excite them. As they seamlessly glide from inspiration to booking and, finally, their stay, the days of frustrating, clunky research and discovery become a distant memory.
By leveraging data-driven channel management, hoteliers can stand out from the crowd, delivering seamless, memorable guest experiences that drive conversions and loyalty long before arrival.
Story contributed by Mirja Sickel, EVP Distribution, Amadeus Hospitality