3 Critical Digital Marketing Mistakes Your Hotel Can't Afford to Make This High Season (And How to Avoid Them)

The tourism high season is just around the corner! Whether it's Europe's vital summer, the Caribbean's winter peak, or the festive travel surge, it brings a massive wave of opportunities. But it also brings an ever-evolving landscape. Competition is fierce, travelers are more demanding, and digital marketing, more than ever, is your greatest ally... or your worst enemy if not handled well. We've identified three common mistakes many hotels make that, if not corrected in time, can cost you thousands in bookings and reputation. Are you sure your hotel isn't falling into these traps just when you need to shine the most?

Mistake 1: Obsession with 'Direct Booking' Without a Solid Brand Strategy (And Why It's Costing You More)

Many hotels focus only on direct sales through their website, neglecting to build a strong, differentiated brand that justifies that direct booking. They rely too heavily on promotions and discounts, which reduces their margins and leads to you being perceived as a commodity. You lose the opportunity to build long-term loyalty, as travelers don't know why to choose you over an OTA if you don't have a clear value proposition. In fact, hotels lose up to 20% of potential revenue by not balancing their brand strategy with direct sales.

The key is to invest in a powerful brand narrative and an impeccable user experience on your website, using content marketing, email marketing, and social media to tell your unique story. Do you need expert leadership to develop and execute this strategic vision? Discover how our Fractional CMO Services can transform your marketing.

Mistake 2: Ignoring the Power of User-Generated Content (UGC) and Reviews (And Why It Makes You Invisible)

Actively failing to prioritize the collection, management, and promotion of guest reviews and photos/videos is a costly mistake. Thinking that "if they look for us, they'll find us" is enough, but in a world where trust is built on social proof, a lack of UGC makes you less credible. Professional photos are necessary, but real user content is what sells. Plus, you lose local SEO positioning and visibility on review platforms. It's estimated that over 90% of travelers trust UGC more than traditional advertising.

It's crucial to have an active strategy to incentivize and manage reviews (Google My Business, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, etc.) and republish UGC across your channels, in addition to responding promptly to reviews (both positive and negative). To understand how to integrate this into a cohesive plan, we invite you to explore Our Process, How We Work.

Mistake 3: Underestimating Personalization and the Post-Stay Customer Journey and Why You Lose Repeat Guests

Viewing the customer relationship as something that ends when they check out is a big mistake. If there's no follow-up, no personalized offers, and no incentives to return, you're missing out. The cost of acquiring a new customer is much higher than retaining an existing one. If there's no well-thought-out customer journey after their stay, you're leaving money on the table and losing a valuable database. In fact, increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%.

Implement segmented email marketing strategies post-stay, offer loyalty programs, and use guest data to personalize future offers. To discuss how to implement these and other tailored strategies for your hotel, don't hesitate to Contact Us.

Avoiding these mistakes isn't just about following trends; it's about ensuring the sustainability and growth of your hotel in an increasingly complex market. At Marian Gomez Consulting, we understand these challenges because we are immersed in the hospitality, tourism, and wellness sectors.

If you identify with any of these points, or simply want to ensure your digital marketing strategy is ready for the high season, I invite you to a free Quick Scan session. This is a 30 to 60-minute call where we'll analyze your current situation and give you a clear perspective on how we can help you avoid these mistakes and boost your brand. Have questions about what to expect from this call? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Quick Scan.

How to Work with Mr and Ms AI: Your Smart Assistant to Boost Your Productivity

AI has become a handy helper for businesses and professionals alike. However, there’s a lot of confusion about what AI can do, what it shouldn’t, and how to really partner with it in your daily routine.

Think of AI as your trusty sidekick, not a replacement

First off, dear lovers of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI, it’s crucial to see AI as a smart assistant, not a boss, coach, or your free employee. Picture it as a virtual secretary that can help you organize ideas, write rough drafts, and handle repetitive tasks. It can make your work faster and help generate ideas or content. But it’s not a replacement for your judgment or oversight.

The real limits of AI’s knowledge

AI has a limited understanding of your world. Even if you give it an ultra-detailed briefing, it will still miss plenty:

• Casual conversations or unspoken nuances that only humans catch.

• The inner workings and relationships within your team.

• Events shaping your industry, both big and small.

• The specific history or context of your company and clients, which isn’t in the data it was trained on.

That’s why AI is an assistant, not an executive. It needs a human to keep an eye on things, review, and correct and basically, to make sure it’s doing what you want and that it’s right.

What can Mr and Ms AI actually do for you?

• Brainstorming and structuring ideas: Helping you organize your thoughts, outline projects, or draft initial text.

• Writing and editing content: Generating emails, reports, organizing ideas, among others. But here’s the catch: if you just hand it over and step back, you’ll notice many outputs start sounding very familiar—“Where X meets X,” “In these days,” or overusing the dash “-” to fill space. That’s your cue to review, tweak, and add your personal touch. Also, don’t rely on AI to solve personal or emotional issues; that’s a shortcut to trouble. There are memes and jokes about this, and Meta even launched AI personas like “Mom,” “Astrologer,” or “Psychologist.” But beware: those third-party AI tools are not part of Meta, and what they offer or advise can sometimes be risky or misleading.

• Data analysis and summaries: Processing tons of info and giving you quick insights or reports.

• Automating routine tasks: Managing FAQs or standard responses so you don’t have to do it manually.

What AI just can’t do

• Fully understand or interpret the nuances of your environment.

• Know internal details that aren't documented or in its training data.

• Make strategic decisions or handle relationships with emotional intelligence.

• Create creative and on-brand social media posts. Don't cry when your copy meets the exact copy from other brands (note the irony).

• And overall, repeat as a mantra: never ask for something that you don't know how to evaluate. You will never know if you are making a silly (expensive and embarrassing) decision.

The secret sauce: human supervision

The magic happens when you review, verify, and adjust what AI produces. Without your oversight, it can spit out incorrect or incomplete info, which can be a costly mistake. Think of AI as your collaborative tool, not your autonomous boss. For example, if you give it a briefing, you need to review and tweak its output to make sure it’s aligned with your reality and goals.

AI doesn’t act on its own—only on your commands

It’s not proactive. AI only works when you tell it what to do. Someone needs to be there to check that its results are accurate and useful. If you step away on vacation and leave the AI running, it will keep waiting but won’t manage anything by itself or adapt to unexpected changes. It’s an assistant (a very lazy one), not a manager.

To wrap it up

Mr and Ms AI can be your powerful helpers, making you more productive. But remember: they have a limited awareness of your actual world. They need your supervision to get things right. The best success comes when humans and AI work side by side, your judgment, creativity, and emotional intelligence in control, while AI speeds up routines and scales your efforts.

Looking for strategic insights to grow your business in tourism, hospitality, and wellness?

Connect with us on LinkedIn and discover how we can help you transform your brand and accelerate your growth.

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Marian Gómez

CMO & Strategic Consultant for Hospitality, Tourism & Wellness

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Interested in luxury hospitality and tourism solutions? Follow us at Company LinkedIn

www.mariangomez.com