How to choose an agency to increase direct hotel bookings
A hotel marketing proposal should connect demand, the booking engine and profitability. Before comparing fees, agree what counts as a valid booking and which costs the analysis includes.
For commercial, marketing and revenue leaders at hotels and hotel groups developing their direct channel.
Start with the economics of each hotel
Define source markets, seasons, occupancy, availability and contribution per booking type. An aggregate revenue goal can hide properties or dates where additional investment does not make economic sense.
The agency should coordinate with revenue management and the teams responsible for the website and booking engine. Ask for a decision calendar: what is reviewed, who approves changes and which data guides budget allocation.
Measure costs against reconcilable bookings
Media CPA is advertising spend divided by the bookings attributed to that spend. State the attribution model and window. To assess the full channel cost, separately add agreed agency, technology and other costs.
Distinguish bookings created, cancellations and completed stays. Compare equivalent periods and cohorts; recent campaigns may accumulate cancellations later. Reconcile platform reporting with the booking engine and hotel management system.
Ask for a scope that covers the whole journey
A diagnostic should review destination demand, organic and AI visibility, campaigns, property pages and the journey to confirmation. Prioritise obstacles to booking before adding channels.
Separate brand search from new-guest acquisition. An ad-attributed booking does not by itself prove incremental demand. If that effect needs estimating, agree a test design that accounts for seasonality, availability and promotions.
Questions for comparing proposals
| Question | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| What counts as a conversion? | Booking definition, cancellation handling, source and reconciliation date. |
| How is investment prioritised? | Criteria by hotel, market, season, occupancy and margin. |
| Who controls accounts and data? | Hotel ownership, role-based access and documented handover. |
| How is experience demonstrated? | An identifiable case with scope, result, period and comparison limits. |
An example to interpret the metric
Hypothetical example, not a client result: €4,000 in media spend and 100 attributed bookings produce a €40 media CPA. If 20 are cancelled and nothing else changes, the cost per retained booking is €50. Agency fees and other costs are still excluded. The selected metric changes the decision.
What to prepare for a diagnostic
- Properties, markets, seasons and commercial objective.
- Aggregated booking-engine and cancellation data, without guest personal information.
- Spend by channel and the costs included in the analysis.
- Required access, decision owners and implementation constraints.
Let’s define what your project needs
Tell us about your context, objectives and resources. We will review the fit and agree the diagnostic scope: starting point, priorities and a work proposal with responsibilities and measurement.
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