What actually is hotel marketing?

Hospitality is all about connection – to people, a place, a culture – and the approach to marketing should be no different. 

We have an innate bias towards stories; we think in narratives, not in facts and stats, and we’re far more likely to connect with a brand if it engages our emotions. Marketing a hotel online is about using storytelling to set a journey in motion. With a combination of evocative language, visual appeal and social proof, you can begin shaping the experience of a trip long before a customer decides to book a room.

Stories inspire our travels

“I was spurred on by an uncertain longing to be transported from a boring daily life into a marvellous world.” – Alexander von Humboldt, 19th century explorer

The motives for travelling are less to do with necessity than a heady mix of push and pull factors. There are basic desires (better weather, closeness to nature, a room with a view), and more introspective drivers (the search for happiness, or the allure of a fantasy lifestyle). To travel is to get a glimpse of what life could be like if it was free of any constraints. Given this, it seems unlikely that a thorough list of room amenities (though important) and transparent pricing will alone tip anyone over the booking line. When we first start to think about getting away from it all, we look for stories that resonate and provide escapism.

Stories are more memorable than facts

Research by Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker showed that stories are up to 22 times more memorable than mere facts. It’s not about beginnings, middles and ends; storytelling means giving consideration to how you want your audience to feel. Using language that evokes the senses has the effect of transporting your audience, which in turn triggers positive memories. Atmospheres, scents and sensations can capture the essence of a place in a way that's almost more enjoyable than being there in reality, when there's more to distract us or sour the mood (thanks, jet lag). In the first stages of the consumer journey, content that appeals to the imagination is what will cut through, inspire your audience and ultimately, convert.

Finding resonant stories

Travel writers often say that people and characters drive a narrative most compellingly. Hotels are filled with stories; making them personal will give the brand increased relatability. Depending on the hotel, the focus might be on the history of the address; insider details about the neighbourhood; or the people on the ground and meaningful connections to the local community. Storytelling is an opportunity to position your hotel as being key to experiencing a destination through a certain lens.

The power of visual storytelling

The impact of a beautiful image is instant. Not only do our brains process imagery several times faster than words, but visual storytelling has global appeal – transcending language barriers to reach a much broader audience. Video can be particularly effective at bringing a guest experience or destination to life and will also bolster SEO efforts when used on landing pages. 

For storytelling to be truly credible, it helps to bring in other perspectives. On social media, the use of UGC and local influencers has peer-to-peer appeal that can rarely be matched by a brand’s own creative. Stand-out social media imagery has the potential to capture interest before someone has even decided where, or if, to go on a break, as well as creating a ripple of brand advocacy as the same consumers go on to experience and share their own stories. We only have to look at TripAdvisor’s long reign to see that citizen journalism is some of the most influential marketing of all.