Digital solutions to manage hotel marketing like a pro in 2025

Not a day goes by without you being contacted by a salesperson praising the merits of a new one. hotel marketing tool ? As independent hotel manager, you don't have the means to invest everywhere in software. However, some of them can save you considerable time and help you boost your turnover. Let's review the digital solutions recommended for hoteliers in 2025. Then, it's up to you to add them to your basket according to your strategy and resources. 🛒

Customer relationship management modules

As you know, offering a quality and personalized experience is essential to retain your hosts. To achieve this, the most effective way is to collect as much data as possible on them (profile, references, habits...) in a customer relationship management (GRC) software. You can thus set up effective marketing actions.

Email and SMS automation

With a CRM tool (CCustomer Relationship Management), you free your reception team from repetitive tasks, including sending pre-stay and post-stay emails and texts. CRM software allows you to set up pre-programmed messages such as reservation confirmations, stay reminders, feedback incentives, or bill payments. You thus streamline your communication with the customer and give more time to your Staff to respond to requests with higher added value. 👩 ‍ 💼👨 ‍ 💼

▶️ Discover 4 others tasks to automate to relieve the hotel reception team

The creation of targeted marketing campaigns

Thanks to CRM segmentation features, you can target your customers and send tailor-made offers based on their profile: loyalty discount for regulars, special Valentine's Day promotion for couples, free upgrade, advantage for a Early Booking... Personalized newsletters have a better open rate because they maximize the chances of capturing readers' attention. 🎯

Contactless check-in

No longer queuing up for entry formalities: this is an argument that is attracting more and more hotel customers. CRM solutions simplify the check-in process and improve security by making contactless check-in possible. They integrate electronic signature and identity document download functionalities, allowing travelers to check in from their smartphone. 📱

Chatbots augmented with AI

Do you offer 24/7 customer service? Know that installing a chatbot on your website or your Guest app can save you valuable time. These artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants can answer frequently asked questions, validate bookings, and even personalize the customer experience based on individual preferences. 🤖

Managing customer reviews

Les customer reviews in the hotel industry play a crucial role in your online reputation. To optimize the processing of this feedback, it is essential to use specialized tools. They centralize testimonials from various platforms such as TripAdvisor, Google, Booking, and social networks, allowing you to quickly monitor and respond to each review. In addition, they often contain advanced analysis features to understand the trends, strengths, and areas for improvement in your establishment. Finally, they facilitate the collection of ratings and reviews. ⭐

Online booking solutions

The debate about the benefits of offering online reservations is over. It is now a mandatory step to market hotel rooms. In this ever-changing digital environment, understanding the various options is critical to choosing the right tool that will ensure your success. 📈

Booking engines for the hotel industry

Long ignored by independent hoteliers for fear of technical complications, booking engines are now easier to set up and manage. The only solution to maintain control of your reservations and avoid commissions paid to OTAs, it must be chosen carefully, taking care in particular to the following points:

Is the customer journey facilitated, does the interface adapt to mobile devices, does it promote conversion (reservation in 3 clicks, easy navigation, accessible and identifiable call to action buttons)?

Can it be integrated into your website or as a white label (in your image, but on the site of a third party company)?

Is it compatible with your other management software (PMS, CRM...) and distribution channels? If your hotel is listed on several platforms — in order to increase your chances of being visible — you will not be able to avoid the use of a Channel Manager. It allows you to manage the distribution of your rooms on different channels by synchronizing schedules, rates and information relating to your establishment.

What marketing options does it offer: adding additional services, publishing special offers, dynamic pricing, customer reviews, etc.?

Online travel agencies

OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) bring unparalleled visibility to your establishment. By registering on sites such as Booking, Expedia or Airbnb, you reach a large audience and increase your bookings. Certainly, but the disadvantage is to live with their rules of the game, which are sometimes considered inequitable. Betting everything on these platforms and donating between 10 and 30% of your turnover represents a significant risk for the sustainability of your business. The objective is therefore to succeed in capturing the traffic generated by these hotel distribution giants to transform it into direct bookings. 💰

The metasearch

More commonly known as price comparators, meta engines aggregate information from different sources allowing travelers to compare rates and availability on the same interface. In the tourism ecosystem, the best known are Google Hotel Ads, TripAdvisor, Kayak and Trivago.

Even if they are not strictly speaking reservation systems, some of them — including Google Hotel Ads — still include a link to the hotel's reservation engine. Moreover, the CPA (cost per acquisition) is, in general, lower than that of OTAs. 👍

Global distribution systems

Contrary to popular belief, GDS (Global Distribution Systems) are not reserved for airlines or major hotel chains. This channel, which is often undervalued in the independent hotel industry, allows you to be referenced with major networks of travel agencies. Especially as the volume of bookings has continued to increase in recent years. Certainly, they will not bring in as much business as OTAs, but the commission paid is generally less.

SEO tools at the service of hotel marketing

Not worrying about its visibility on search engines is like not putting a sign on your building. Most travelers will pass by without realizing you exist. 🚶 ‍ ♀️ How do you fix it? Here are the main tools to increase your online presence.

A professional and optimized website

Your website is the cornerstone of your online presence. It's your window, so it's imperative to dust it off as often as possible. 🧹 And now you don't have to be an experienced web developer. Turnkey solutions or Wordpress-type CMS are intuitive and easy to configure software.

It is also important to apply the rules of natural referencing and to position yourself on the right keywords. Check it out by looking for your hotel with the name of your city on Google in “private browsing” mode! 🔍 Where is it on the results page?

💡 Remember to fill in your Google Business Profile correctly, so that travelers identify you on Google Maps, Google Hotel...

Paid advertising for hotels

Ads on Google, Instagram, YouTube and more are effective ways to target travelers looking for accommodations in your area. By using relevant keywords and creating engaging ads, you can increase the visibility of your hotel and generate qualified traffic to your website. 📈

Social media

The SEO of your establishment on the internet is not only based on an optimized site and paid advertising. Your ecosystem matters. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok can be your best allies. 🤝 Indeed, by effectively integrating social media into your digital marketing strategy, you strengthen your brand image, you gain notoriety, you create a community that stimulates the growth of your business.

▶️ Follow our tips for increase the visibility of your hotel through social networks

AI-assisted content creation

Writing tools supported by artificial intelligence can help you produce engaging texts. From service descriptions to blog posts, ChatGPT or other conversational assistants, can save you time while improving the quality of your writing. 🤖 To be consumed in moderation of course, because search engines and Internet users will always favor authentic, original and verified content!

Upsell and cross-sell applications

For independent hoteliers, generating additional sales is essential to increase revenues and increase the profitability of the establishment. By offering complementary products and services, you improve the customer experience, promote loyalty and boost your sales performance. Here's how boost your turnoverUpselling And of Cross-selling. 💪

While some of the solutions mentioned above require a significant investment, this is not the case with Room directory. An alternative to the traditional paper welcome booklet, it makes it possible to provide a multitude of information that customers can consult at any time and from anywhere. This is not the only advantage, it also makes it possible to:

• reducing the costs associated with printing, distributing and updating;
• the reduction of your ecological impact;
• the integration of multimedia content;
• updating information in real time;
• customer data collection.

But that's not all, imagine being able to put all the services of your hotel in the hands of your hosts. 🤳 With a Guest app, you have much more functionalities than with a paper welcome booklet. You can add the command for Food & Beverage, the reservation of meals or activities, instant messaging, concierge services, access to the online press, the distribution of special offers...

In conclusion

There is a wide range of digital solutions — with functionalities that are sometimes transversal. But don't let the first proposal seduce you. First, do a thorough analysis of your needs based on your hotel marketing strategy. Then compare the tools and make sure that the chosen company is available to support you in setting up and using the software.

▶️ More than 300 hoteliers trust GetWelcom for their CRM and Guest app. Based in France, our team stands out for listening to customers in order to offer services adapted to your expectations. Do you want to join our user network? Request a free appointment with one of our advisors.

Sources of the figures cited in the article:

• Source: SiteMinder Survey Report — July 2023