The Hotel Marketing 5.15 | Weekly Brief: August 11, 2025
With Virtuoso Travel Week underway, the Hotel Data Conference just wrapped, and 2026 trend reports on the horizon, valuable insights from the brightest minds in travel are emerging daily.
I’ve also added a new section for hospitality agency news, spotlighting recent AOR announcements, partnerships, and launches. Partly because I’m curious (nosey) and want to keep track, but also because I’m constantly reading about them and decided to put that knowledge to good use.
Thanks for reading.
If this newsletter was useful, consider forwarding it to a hotel friend or team member.
― Marketing Briefs ―
News To Act On
⚡️ CoStar releases a revised growth forecast for 2025 - 2026 // STR
Lots of news coming out of the annual Hotel Data Conference last week, and at the link above, including a revised and downgraded projection of the 2025 - 2026 U.S. Hotel Forecast. For more recaps of the conference, here are a few LinkedIn Voices with summaries:
Hotel Marketing Takeaways:
➟ As budget season approaches and many of us are already submitting first takes to ownership groups, this new data can help guide where to focus your likely flat or reduced marketing budget. With everyone competing for the same audiences, including OTA ads and loyalty emails that are already booked out, now is the time to review your Revenue by Channel and Source. Identify the channels you most want to prioritize next year and allocate enough budget to stay competitive.
⚡️ From search to answer engines: How to optimize for the next era of discovery // Search Engine Land
A timely look into how you can begin to optimize your website for AI searches. Considering that SEO is now over 35 years old and has gone through major shifts regularly, AI search guidance is just getting started and will continue to evolve…daily.
Hotel Marketing Takeaways:
➟ Build out that FAQ that has been on your to-do list forever. Content used to be king, now TL;DR/FAQs are king.
➟ Audit, audit, audit. There is a timely link below for AI Visibility Tools that you can start with, to see if, and where, your content shows up. Start there, followed by optimizing your site SEO structure (headers, alt tags, schema markup), identifying content gaps and unanswered follow-up questions, and ensuring third party sites are also accurate (GMB, TripAdvisor, Expedia, etc).
⚡️ TrendHawk Summer 2025 Report by FINN Partners // FINN Partners
FINN Partners’ TrendHawk Summer 2025 report offers a global view of travel marketing trends by tapping into frontline insights from across regions, focusing on experiential travel, wellness tourism, innovative hotel design, and emerging cultural and dining trends.
Hotel Marketing Takeaways:
➟ Champion Experiential Travel. Promote immersive experiences such as wellness retreats, culinary workshops, or nature-driven activations to appeal to today’s experience‑hungry travelers.
➟ Culture-Forward Storytelling. Spotlight how your property supports local culture through culinary artisans, thoughtful design collaborations, or place-based experiences.
➟ Sustainability as Story and Strategy. Eco-conscious travel is a booking motivator. Share your sustainable practices and regenerative initiatives to resonate with mindful travelers and enhance brand authenticity.
Of Note
Trending news, marketing news, reports:
▶️ Trend // Private Aviation Access Is the Latest Must-Have Amenity in Ultra-Luxe Developments // Robb Report
▶️ Trend // Is $4,000 a Night for a Hotel Room the New Normal? // Business of Fashion
▶️ Trend // Is Dubai Chocolate the Next Pumpkin Spice? // Wall Street Journal
▶️ Resource // Travel App Revenue and Usage Statistics (2025) // Business of Apps
▶️ Resource // 30+ AI Visibility Tools That Track Your Brand in ChatGPT and LLMs // Web FX
― Job Postings & Career News ―
Job Postings
🌎 America’s Marketing Manager | TravelPort | Remote
🌎 Senior Manager, Brand Sales & Marketing, New Hotels | Sonesta Hotels | Remote
🌎 Senior Content Strategist | Lotus Marketing | Remote
🌎 Director, Social & Digital Marketing | Remote | Aman at Sea
Career News
― Agency News ―
Tracking the agencies shaping hospitality’s biggest moments while building an ever-growing resource list for hotel marketers.
✅ P-22 Agency named PR and Social Agency of Record for The Sun Rose West Hollywood
✅ J/PR and its affiliate agency, 20Two Studio, expand to San Francisco offices.
✅ Rachel Harrison Communications selected Public Relations Agency of Record for Omni Hotels & Resorts
✅ LDPR named PR Agency of Record for Waldorf Astoria Chicago
Digital
✅ Assembly selected Media Agency of Record by World of Hyatt (announced in April)
✅ OK Cool selected as Agency of Record by Mandarin Oriental
✅ Koddi selected as Digital Advertising Agency of Record for Kohl’s, replacing PromoteIQ. Notable due to Koddi being heavy on hospitality-related accounts, but now looking to expand to other categories.
✅ Journey Further (offices in NY / London / Manchester) selected as Paid & Performance Media Agency of Record for UK-based Warner Hotels
✅ Tambourine selected as Digital Marketing Agency of Record for Pier Sixty-Six.
✅ Redpoint selected as Digital Marketing Agency of Record for The Oceaneer Hotel.
Websites
✅ Tenderling won Web Excellence and GDUSA Digital Design Awards for launches of Oil Nut Bay and Signia by Hilton Atlanta websites
― Hotel Marketer’s Calendar ―
Awards
HSMAI Adrian Awards - open to entries through September 9th, 2025
Conferences
Marketing Brew Summit | Sept 10 | NYC, NY
Digital Travel Summit | Sept 15 - 16 | Orlando, FL
IMEX America | Oct 7 - 9 | Las Vegas, NV
Here’s a quick link to IMEX logos and banners to start you out.
ahrefs Evolve | Oct 14 - 15 | San Diego, CA
ILTM Cannes | Dec 1 - 4 | Cannes, France
Holidays and Activations
Black Friday/Travel Tuesday | November 28, December 2
― Hotel Marketer Tactics ―
Working With Flat Budgets
When budgets stay flat but expectations rise, the key is to spend time where it counts. It is easy to get bogged down in endless meetings, back-and-forth email chains, and small day-to-day tasks. Meanwhile, revenue goals get higher, budgets get tighter, and teams get leaner. The solution is to focus on impact per hour, freeing yourself from tasks that others can do just as well, so you can focus on the initiatives that truly move the needle.
Outsource where possible.
➟ Reputation Reviews & Response. One of my first recommendations for new hotel openings or lean teams is to use a Review Response Agency like Travel Media Group or The Social Station. Their pricing is extremely cost-effective compared to the hours your team would spend crafting individual responses. You still guide the tone and approve messaging, but instead of writing each reply, you can spend time:
Analyzing sentiment trends by source and topic
Proactively identifying operational changes to improve guest scores
Sharing patterns with leadership and department heads
➟ Project-Based Support
Some assistance can be baked into your tactics if you plan ahead. Check out the regularly updated ad-hoc hospitality freelancer worksheet for some resources.
Launching a new restaurant? Hire a copywriter for menu descriptions and PR-ready press release copy, or an interim social media freelancer to help claim, brand, and launch new accounts.
Lean team with limited marketing bandwidth? Bring in a freelancer to run TravelAds campaigns, manage website updates, or deploy monthly newsletters.
Need creative content? Tap into a photographer or video creator on a project basis to refresh brand assets before peak seasons.
➟ Leverage brand or ownership resources. When budgets are flat and expectations are high, it’s the perfect time to tap into resources you may have overlooked. Lean on brand or ownership creative teams, social media support, or centralized media buying power instead of managing or outsourcing these individually. If you have partner hotels in the area or via your ownership group, see where costs can be shared. See if your brand offers access to Yext, complimentary audits (GDS, Booking Funnels, etc), monthly calls that you haven’t utilized in the past with marketing and performance teams. This can stretch your budget while keeping campaigns consistent and on-brand.
➟ Being asked to cut agencies. Few moments hit harder for a hotel marketer. Agencies often carry institutional knowledge, creative horsepower, and bandwidth that cannot be replaced overnight. But if leadership is pushing for cuts, you can still find ways to protect critical outcomes.
Negotiate scope reduction instead of full termination. Keep the highest-ROI deliverables and pause less urgent work until budgets rebound.
Explore ad-hoc or project-based options. Some agencies will work on seasonal pushes or campaign launches on a project basis, versus a monthly retainer.
Consolidate tasks. If you have multiple partners, see if one can absorb work from another for efficiency.
Tap into their training. Ask agencies to upskill your in-house team before reducing hours, so key tactics can still be executed internally.
Review Top Channels by Revenue
With a flat budget, you cannot spread resources thin across every platform or campaign. Instead:
Pull your channel performance reports (PPC, OTA, metasearch, email, social, direct, etc.).
Rank by both total revenue contribution and cost per acquisition (if possible)
Double down on the channels with the highest ROI, and scale back those that are costly but low-performing.
Apply “test and learn” to emerging channels, allocating small budgets and only increase if results justify it. Expedia just announced it exceeded its revenue expectations, partly driven by increased ad spend from hotels, while most hotels fell short of their own forecasts. Are you getting the results you want from your spend?
― The Vibe Quotient ―
following the vibe // fresh inspiration and a closer look at experiential design, sensory branding, and the quiet details that define unforgettable spaces.
wellness // Digital-Free Sanctuary at NEMA
Set on a secluded Greek hillside, NEMA offers a digital-free sanctuary designed for slow, intentional living. With raw textures, calming architecture, and uninterrupted sea views, it invites guests to disconnect from screens and reconnect with self, nature, and rhythm.
sustainability // ESG in Hospitality
Hotels are moving beyond surface-level sustainability by embedding ESG principles into every aspect of the guest experience. From energy-efficient architecture and waste-free dining to social impact programs and community partnerships, these shifts are redefining what conscious luxury looks and feels like—thoughtful, transparent, and rooted in long-term value.
spaces // Evolution of Hybrid Hospitality in the UK
Across the UK, a new wave of hybrid hospitality brands is blurring the lines between hotel, co-working space, members club, and cultural hub. With flexible design, local integration, and experience-led programming, these concepts cater to travelers who seek more than just a place to sleep. They’re staying for the vibe, the community, and the story.
seasonal // Autumn at Four Seasons Kyoto
Framed by an 800-year-old pond garden and Kyoto’s temple-dotted hills, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto invites guests into a rich tapestry of fall rituals. From omakase dining and whiskey tastings to origami workshops, temple tours, and sushi-making with master chefs, every experience honors the season’s rhythm of presence and renewal. With a Cultural Ambassador curating personalized, crowd-free encounters including kimono dressing, tea ceremonies, and guided photography, this is an autumn retreat rooted in tradition, nature, and connection.
community // Local by Loews Hotels
This program immerses guests in each destination’s creative and culinary heartbeat through partnerships with local makers, artisans, and taste-makers. From in-room amenities crafted by neighborhood businesses to curated experiences that spotlight the city’s food, art, and culture, it transforms a hotel stay into a genuine sense of place.
― Random Links & Thoughts ―
✪ How to beat algorithmic conditioning // Content to Commas
algorithmic conditioning — when your creative decisions slowly drift toward what gets likes instead of what builds your legacy.
― What is the 5.15 ―
Based on a communication method 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. This newsletter applies the same principle to hotel marketing: concise, actionable trends and opportunities curated for industry professionals.
― ADCOTO ―
ADCOTO is a boutique hotel marketing consultancy supporting luxury hotels through interim, ad-hoc, and project-based marketing leadership. I help keep initiatives moving, agencies aligned, and stakeholders confident during times of transition, launch, or growth.
I offer three focused service tiers: Audit Accelerator, Fractional Marketing Support, or Newsletter + Content Creation.
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