Happy Q4! How is the end of the year shaping up for you? I’ve recently added three new task force clients, which will run through October and November, and then kick off an exciting new assignment in December. In December, I’ll also be heading back to Hawaii for a property photoshoot with Ken Hayden, celebrating my oldest son’s 10th birthday, and releasing two reports I’ve been gathering data for, which you’ll see here first.

In this week’s version of Hotel Marketers You Should Know:

Angela Treimer. I caught up with Angela last week, whom I first met during her time with BCV Social, the social agency for Grand Wailea at the time, where she quickly became our go-to photographer. After both venturing out on our own post-COVID, it’s been inspiring to follow each other’s paths in hospitality. These days, Angela is constantly on the move, recently shooting for Waldorf Astoria Atlanta and Ko‘a Kea Resort, with more stunning projects ahead. She also has some amazing packages for content refreshes, drone, and lifestyle shoots.

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn or at her website.

★ Want to be featured in a future Hotel Marketers You Should Know highlight, or are you searching for a job and want a shout-out? I’m always open to meeting new people and would love to feature you next (it’s 100% complimentary). While the past few connections have occurred through actual chats, I’m not popular enough to maintain a weekly feature pace organically.

And in anticipation of Amazon Prime Week this week, my favorite desktop and creator items:

Thanks for reading.

☞ Help keep this newsletter running by forwarding it to your favorite hotel marketer.

⚡️ RateGain to acquire Sojern for $250M // PhocusWire

RateGain will acquire Sojern for $250 million, combining Sojern’s digital advertising and traveler data platform with RateGain’s AI-driven distribution tools to create a unified marketing and distribution powerhouse in travel tech. For hotel marketers, this signals a move toward integrated, AI-powered guest acquisition platforms and the growing importance of first-party data in targeting and conversion.

⚡️ Drive more bookings with TikTok Travel Ads // TikTok

TikTok has launched Travel Ads (powered by its Smart+ platform), a catalog-based ad format that uses travel intent modeling and dynamic creatives to guide users from discovery to booking.

Trending news, marketing news, and reports:

▶️ Top Branded Gifts for Press Trips (and Sales Trips) // PitchCraft

▶️ Influencer Marketing 101: A Complete Guide for Brands // Finn Partners

▶️ Instagram Adds Shareable Performance Data for Creators // Social Media Today

▶️ Perplexity’s Comet browser is now available to everyone for free // The Verge

▶️ DoorDash rolls out creator program for short-form videos, adds AI features and dine-in rewards // TechCrunch

▶️ Threads is getting a 'communities' feature for better conversations // Engadget

▶️ The Most Exciting Hotel Openings of Fall 2025 // Condé Nast Traveler

▶️ H2 2025 Global Hotel Outlook // CBRE

Tracking the agencies shaping the hospitality industry’s biggest moments while building an ever-growing resource list for hotel marketers.

Did your agency land a new client, or are you working with a new hospitality-focused agency at your hotel that you want to highlight? Tag me on LinkedIn in your announcements, add me to your press release distribution list, or reply directly to this newsletter.

✅ The Kimpton Sawyer Hotel names The Brandman Agency its PR Agency of Record

✅ The Dana Agency wins Flagler Award for Creativity in Public Relations for its work with client, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

✅ I love a good newsletter, and Minor Hotels is doing an amazing job at being present on multiple channels and catering to different segmentations. Their LinkedIn Newsletter is a great example of how brands can effectively showcase themselves on LinkedIn. Yes, they may also have all this information in their media room, too, but considering I found them via LinkedIn, I’d say their strategy is working.

Up Next:

A weekly round-up of fresh inspiration and a closer look at experiential design, sensory branding, and the quiet details that define unforgettable spaces.

wellness // The Rise of Cold-Water Therapy
Once rooted in ancient ritual, cold-water immersion has become the new benchmark of modern wellness luxury. From alpine plunge pools to oceanfront ice baths, hotels are reframing shock therapy as mindful restoration. Beyond physical resilience, these experiences offer mental clarity, a nervous system reset, and a renewed sense of vitality.

wellness // Alpine Wellness at Hôtel Royal Évian
Overlooking Lake Geneva, Hôtel Royal Évian reimagines alpine wellness with a legacy rooted in purity and restoration. Surrounded by century-old parkland, the palace blends Belle Époque grandeur with contemporary calm. It’s Evian Source Spa channels the mineral-rich waters that made the destination famous, offering hydrotherapy rituals, hammam journeys, and serene lake-view pools. With Michelin-starred dining and artfully restored interiors, Hôtel Royal balances heritage and holistic luxury in one of France’s most tranquil settings.

I’m Rachel Watroba, founder of ADCOTO Hospitality Marketing and publisher of The Hotel Marketing 5.15.

Based on a communication method developed by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, the 5.15 is a weekly format designed to synthesize key insights in 15 minutes or less and be read in five minutes. This newsletter applies the same principle to hotel marketing: concise, actionable trends and opportunities curated for industry professionals.