Brand Marketing for Hotels: How should we define it?

Brand marketing in hotels is a slippery concept. Performance marketing? That’s clear—Google Ads, metasearch campaigns, retargeting, cost-per-click strategies. It’s a numbers game, a direct response approach where you invest a dollar and expect ten back. But brand marketing? That’s a whole different beast.

Introduction

Arguments

• IP Layer 3 Subscriber Access System
• Plug and play Internet access from guest rooms and meeting rooms
  • Private Internet access
  • Property management system billing interface
• Scaleable to large number of properties
• System management from a single access point
• Compatible with Tut's entire Expresso MDU Internet access product line

Brand marketing in hospitality

So, what counts as brand marketing in hospitality? Managing online reviews? Probably. After all, a strong reputation helps grow impressions. What about visibility on OTAs? Actually, yes. While OTAs are often viewed as necessary evils, they do contribute to brand awareness—at no upfront cost. Social media? Definitely, but a lot more complicated to target.

What truly stands out to me when working with Hyatt is how seamlessly its properties across the Asia Pacific region collaborate to deliver creative solutions that prioritize the client's needs. The Hyatt sales teams, particularly within the Asia Pacific Meetings and Events Alliance, have deep knowledge of each property and maintain strong relationships, ensuring a smooth process for internal referrals and providing clients like me with a variety of exceptional options and benefits.Trina Butler, Senior Director, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe

The real question is, what else? How do hotels establish a brand beyond transactional visibility? Luxury brands thrive on identity—think of Aman or The Standard. But for the vast majority of hotels, brand-building takes a backseat to immediate conversions. That works—until the downward pressure of price competition starts.

Performance marketing

City hotels mostly rely on performance marketing to capture demand already flowing into their destination. Their opportunity to “inspire” travelers to come to Paris or New York—is little to none. The battle is for the booking. But what happens when everyone plays the same game? Prices drop, customer acquisition costs rise, and differentiation disappears.

1. IP Layer 3 Subscriber Access System
2. Plug and play Internet access from guest rooms and meeting rooms
   1. Private Internet access
   2. Property management system billing interface
3. Scaleable to large number of properties
4. System management from a single access point
5. Compatible with Tut's entire Expresso MDU Internet access product line

Resort hotels, on the other hand, have a stronger case for brand investment. They need to create desire, to convince travelers that their destination—not just their hotel—is worth the trip. Brand marketing becomes a necessity.

Waldorf Astoria New York Waldorf Astoria New York Lobby Bar (source: Noë & Associates Courtesy The Boundary)

So why is brand marketing so rare in hotel marketing agencies? Simple. It’s hard to measure in the short term, and performance marketing is addictive. It’s easy to justify a campaign when you can see a clear cost-per-booking metric. But hotels that ignore brand marketing risk being trapped in a race to the bottom—a game where only OTAs and Google win.

We are grateful to the generosity of our sponsors who have allowed us to offer complimentary admission, said Martin Kennedy. It takes a lot of time to design, promote, and deliver these events, and so we would normally charge at least $99 registration per person, but this series is now completely free to all.

The challenge is to find efficient ways to build brand presence without blowing the budget. Amazon’s video ad platform? Interesting. Social marketing? Essential. But the key is committing to the long-term view—investing in visibility, reputation, and trust now, so that performance marketing has a richer audience to convert later.

So, what counts as brand marketing in hospitality? Managing online reviews? Probably. After all, a strong reputation helps grow impressions. What about visibility on OTAs? Actually, yes. While OTAs are often viewed as necessary evils, they do contribute to brand awareness—at no upfront cost. Social media? Definitely, but a lot more complicated to target.

What truly stands out to me when working with Hyatt is how seamlessly its properties across the Asia Pacific region collaborate to deliver creative solutions that prioritize the client's needs. The Hyatt sales teams, particularly within the Asia Pacific Meetings and Events Alliance, have deep knowledge of each property and maintain strong relationships, ensuring a smooth process for internal referrals and providing clients like me with a variety of exceptional options and benefits.Trina Butler, Senior Director, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe

The real question is, what else? How do hotels establish a brand beyond transactional visibility? Luxury brands thrive on identity—think of Aman or The Standard. But for the vast majority of hotels, brand-building takes a backseat to immediate conversions. That works—until the downward pressure of price competition starts.

Performance marketing

City hotels mostly rely on performance marketing to capture demand already flowing into their destination. Their opportunity to “inspire” travelers to come to Paris or New York—is little to none. The battle is for the booking. But what happens when everyone plays the same game? Prices drop, customer acquisition costs rise, and differentiation disappears.

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SoTL - Using research to improve pedagogical processes

But before discussing our conferences, we need some context. For the EHL host, the SoTL story began in Zurich eight years ago. From that first experience, the host was enthralled by two days of teachers and researchers from all domains and higher education institutions (HEIs) finding common ground in the overarching goal of using research to improve teaching and learning.

At first glance, the host was overwhelmed when looking at the list of presenters; there were actual rocket scientists on the program! What would a participant from EHL have in common with science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) experts? Yet, from the first session of SoTL, they immediately saw how the topic that was being presented could be applied to their course. In fact, as the sessions continued, so did the enthusiasm toward this approach to an academic conference.

So how is SoTL different? How has it inspired us at EHL to host this conference? The difference is in the format itself. Instead of the tedious paper presentation where researchers present their results and participants watch endless PowerPoint slides that do not necessarily inspire them, SoTL sessions are vastly different. They are based on application and action. Each session is, indeed, led by an ‘expert’ who imparts a message that speaks to all and one or more activities where the participants immediately apply this idea.

Thus, the year after that SoTL experience in Zurich, the first SoTL conference at EHL was organized

Preparing a New Generation of Lifelong Learners

Our first international SoTL conference, in 2019, focused on a reflection of teaching and learning and was entitled Reflecting-in and Reflecting-on Teaching and Learning through Research. We used this first conference to inform our participants of the purpose of SoTL, i.e., to understand, improve, and share teaching and learning practices across disciplines and schools to prepare a new generation of lifelong learners. Then, we introduced the specificity of a SoTL conference, that is, the interactivity of each session.

Waldorf Astoria New York Park Avenue Junior Suite Bed — Photo by Waldorf Astoria New York

At the end of the conference, participants commented that ‘SoTL is a mindset and a ‘break’ to reflect and ask questions’; ‘it is necessary to reflect on our practices to become better teachers’; ‘SoTL is more than teaching and research, it is a way of being’. Most importantly, a SoTL seed was planted. The spirit of the SoTL was successfully transferred to EHL. The host was convinced that a second edition should blossom the following year.

More Holistic Attitudes to Evaluation

In the second edition (2020), the focus shifted to assessment, one of the most important and challenging topics in education. The overarching idea was to shift from pass/fail mentalities to holistic education, involving more effective evaluation. This second session included new presenters who discussed topics like the re-evaluation of traditional assessment methods to make them more flexible and adaptive.

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A shift from the traditional binary pass or fail grading systems to more nuanced and comprehensive evaluation techniques, and new techniques for continuous, more dynamic and playful testing methods such as spontaneous recalls, informal quizzes, mini mocks, or simply holding off on noting everything down.

Throughout the conference, the benefits (increased student engagement, capturing the multifaceted nature of student learning, providing more meaningful feedback, more reflective and diverse skills development), and the drawbacks (consistency, fairness, practicality) of more holistic assessments were addressed.

Cultivating Cognitive Skills

The third edition in 2021 evoked the rise of critical thinking and analysis in education. It began with a session that differentiated critical thinking from critical reflection. Participants agreed that both are essential for preparing learners to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. We brainstormed how to encourage students to use various cognitive skills to think critically and, more specifically, how to cultivate those skills.

Some suggestions included implementing structured reflection exercises throughout courses, designing assignments that required students to justify their sources and methodologies, encouraging students to consider multiple perspectives on complex issues, and integrating self-assessment components into coursework.

One of the most pertinent innovations came from the suggestion for a shift in the role of educators. Instead of being seen primarily as a source of information, teachers are increasingly viewed as facilitators of learning who guide students through the process of developing their analytical and reflective capabilities. What a great closing thought.

Tech and New Learning Models

In the fourth edition, SoTL went digital by embracing technology in education. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for rapid change in higher education, and this SoTL conference in 2022 played a crucial role in helping educators navigate this unprecedented situation. There was a sudden shift to online and hybrid learning models.

We discovered that learning can be done in a different way: online courses, with assessments monitored remotely. The conference discussed the challenges (new assessment methods, efficacity of learning through asynchronous studies, low attendance) and opportunities (autonomy, flexibility, self-efficacy) of learning ‘online’.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Casper Overbeek, Chief Product Officer at citizenM, joins Revinate CMO Karen Stephens, detailing a seemingly obvious approach to guest loyalty for hotels looking to capitalize on brand affinity — a subscription model. Successful subscription models exist outside of the hospitality industry and drive revenue for brands that customers are willing to pay to use, and Casper explains why this works for hotels too, especially at citizenM.

Transcript

Casper Overbeek – 00:00:00: That’s what we call the European personalization. Because if you talk about Europeans, very often when you talk about personalization — we can just do some study there. They want to be recognized. The American side is more about customized personalization. It’s about how can I make it mine?

Karen Stephens – 00:00:51: Hello, and welcome to the Hotel Moment podcast. I am your host, Karen Stephens, the Chief Marketing Officer of Revinate. And today we are thrilled to have Casper Overbeek, Chief Product Officer at citizenM joining us. Casper is at the forefront of blending innovation with the guest experience, leading citizenM’s digital transformation, and driving the development of products that truly enhance the guest journey. Having worked for over a decade in customer experience and digital strategy, Casper’s insights into how technology can elevate hospitality are invaluable.

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Karen Stephens

Karen Stephens has been a leader in hospitality tech and distribution for over 20 years. She joined Revinate in 2013 as Senior Director of Sales and progressed through various roles in both sales, customer success, and Chief Revenue Officer. Now, as Chief Marketing Officer at Revinate, Karen drives the company’s brand strategy, marketing initiatives, and demand generation efforts, ensuring a cohesive and impactful market presence. Karen has lived and worked abroad in the UK and France. She now calls San Francisco home and enjoys spending her free time in Lake Tahoe with her rescue dog, Shaggy.

About Revinate

Revinate is a direct booking platform that leads the hospitality industry in driving direct revenue and increased profitability.

Our products and our people combine to give hoteliers the superpowers they need to crush their goals. With Revinate, hoteliers shift share away from OTAs and drive tangible results across an individual property or a portfolio. Our industry-leading, AI-powered, customer data platform collects, unifies and, synthesizes data giving hoteliers a foundational advantage.

Hoteliers gain critical intelligence – guest lifetime spend, stay preferences, ancillary revenue, and more. With our Rich Guest Profiles database, hoteliers don't need to guess who their most profitable guests are, or how to drive conversions across email, voice, messaging, and digital channels.