10 Best Hospitality Marketing Agencies in 2021

How find a top hospitality marketing agency for your business

Why do hotels need a specialized hotel marketing agency?

The OTAs are taking guests away from you and charging 15%+ commission on each booking. What digital marketing agencies do is make sure that your property is interacting with your guests throughout the entire booking journey and that these prospective guests are ultimately booking directly through your website. The channels and strategies involved in any agency's approach and are highly customized to each property. Using a blended approach to media distribution and channel distribution in addition to behavioral and personalization techniques both on and off website, a digital marketing agency should drive incremental direct bookings for your hotel.  A specialized  marketing agency in the hotel industry provides expertise in platforms like Google Hotel Ads and metasearch platforms like TripAdvisor where generic agencies are unlikely to specialize.  A strong hotel marketing strategy must address travelers from the moment they query a search engine until the moment they convert on a hotel website and become a future guest.  In the hospitality industry, acquisition costs are rising which makes it critical to run efficient marketing campaigns.  Trusted and proven partners in the space will understand how to pull all necessarily levers that drive potential guests into and through your funnel from email marketing to influencer management.  Online marketing is more complex than ever and great agencies will come to the table with marketing ideas that truly mold to your target hotel guests whether that's business travelers or leisure travelling millennials who might otherwise opt for AirBnB.  Your agency doesn't need to be an expert at revenue management or loyalty programs but knowledge in those fields is what yields much better RoaS for hotels that work with specialized hotel marketing agencies.

Download the The 2020 Hotelier's Guide to Digital Marketing Agencies

How can a digital marketing agency with specialized hotel marketers help my hotel?

Digital marketing agencies that specialize in hotels understand the great benefits of channel distribution, namely the diversification of budget and brand control that such a strategy gives. However, their goal is always direct bookings and limiting the number of large commissions being paid from clients to the OTAs. 

What are the most important things to look for when selecting a new digital marketing agency for your hotels?

1. Relationship: A digital marketing agency that can act as an extension of your in-house team (both in level of knowledge, and responsiveness).
2. Practicing Knowledge: A team that won’t just take orders. Properties need an agency team that can play devil’s advocate, provide alternative solutions, and act as a sounding board. They must be knowledgeable not only in marketing trends, hotel booking data, the digital space but hospitality and the travel industry as well.
3. Forward Thinking: If your goal is to continue seeing ROI and your agency hasn’t brought any new ideas to the table in the last quarter - you need to be looking elsewhere.
4. Status Within The Agency’s Portfolio: Will you be a top priority for your agency, or will be just another number? Not all properties need the full-service treatment, but if you do - make sure they have the account management resources to truly deliver. 
5. Proprietary Technology: Has the agency created their own proprietary marketing tool (i.e. booking engine or CRM) or technology? If so, could it be a solution to a current issue or problem you are experiencing? Does it add value to the user experience for your audience? Will it assist in driving direct bookings? Make sure your tech investments match your long-term needs and that your agency truly created their tech based off industry or client specific needs.

What is the typical pricing when engaging a hotel marketing agency?

Generally speaking, hotels should expect to pay between $4,000 - $18,000 for a new website that usually should be revamped every 18-24 months.  Hotels should also expect to pay a retainer in the range of $1,000 - $10,000 per month for services such as SEO, SEM (paid advertising) and social media.  These ranges are so wide because each scope put together for a property will be fully customized to their specific needs, and pricing models are able to adapt depending on those needs. Agencies usually discuss and discover the needs a property has then develop a custom proposal based on those objectives.  Connect directly with agencies on Hotel Tech Report to get fully customized price quotes for your property.Even below this range, there are digital marketing companies that will charge a few hundred dollars a month, and they’ll “set and forget” activity. Properties will see a return, but ROI will unlikely increase. This level of engagement is fine for hotels that don’t concentrate much on leisure room night business or hotels that have corporate marketing teams handling most of their digital marketing efforts.

How long does it usually take to bring on a new hotel digital marketing agency?

For a property looking to utilize a robust suite of services and technology - four weeks is a reasonable expectation. This gives time for proper discovery and for all campaigns to launch in the strongest manner possible. For those with lesser scopes, we can typically launch inside a few weeks.

How do I know when it’s time for my hotel to move onto a new digital agency? Independent hotels represent nearly 30% of the U.S. hotel room inventory and more than 85% of global hotel rooms. The segment has many unique challenges and opportunities. Failed engagements don’t drive improved KPIs and often neglect to deliver top-notch customer support.  Agencies should be true partners offering coaching and learning for your marketing team - if you aren’t becoming a better marketer by working with your current agency - it may be time to consider what another agency can offer.

Download The 2021 Hotelier's Guide to Digital Marketing Agencies

FAQ

What does a hotel marketing specialist do?

A hotel marketing specialist is responsible for connecting the hotel with its target audience of potential and past guests. With a goal of increasing profitability, a hotel marketing specialist manages promotional campaigns and advertising in order to reach more potential guests while measuring and analyzing engagement and conversion rates.

How much do marketing agencies charge per month?

On average, marketing agencies charge around $4000 per month - just for agency fees. Any actual marketing spend, like money spent on pay-per-click ads, is additional. Agency fees pay for marketing experts to manage this spend. Businesses can expect to allocate funds to advertising on Google Ads, social media ads, content marketing, and more.

What is hospitality digital marketing?

Hospitality digital marketing involves advertising, managing promotions, building an online reputation, and maintaining a presence for a hotel on digital channels, such as the hotel’s website, social media profiles, and search engines. The goal of a digital marketer is to connect the hotel with its target audience online.

How much does a marketing agent cost?

Fees for marketing agents vary widely based on experience, location, and responsibility. In New York City, top-tier, full-service marketing agencies can cost over $600 per hour, while agencies in smaller markets charge closer to $300 per hour. It’s also possible to find less expensive freelancers online, though their areas of expertise might be limited to only social media ads or Google AdWords.

Do I need a marketing agency?

If your hotel wants to grow its audience and reach more potential guests, then it may be worthwhile to work with a marketing agency, especially if your hotel cannot hire a full-time, in-house marketing manager. Agencies are experts in their field, so they offer a lot of value for businesses in need of their services.

How do I hire a marketing agency?

Before actually hiring a marketing agency, it’s important to determine your needs and shop around for the right partner. While evaluating potential contenders, ask them about their experience, key performance indicators (KPIs), and their areas of specialty. Then, you can determine whether to hire the marketing agency on a part-time or contract basis.