Marketing for hotels
and vacation rentals

How guests choose where to stay

Marketing for hotels and vacation rentals has a different shape from most local businesses. Guests plan weeks ahead, compare across several sites and often look at the same property three times before booking. They search a destination plus a feature ("cabin with hot tub near Gatlinburg", "pet-friendly inn Cape Cod", "boutique hotel walking distance to downtown"), then check reviews, photos and the total price.

Your own website will rarely win the first search. It can win the last one: the moment a guest who found you on a platform types your name to see if booking direct is better. If that visit finds a slow page or a hidden price, they go back and book through the platform.

Show the total price

The FTC's rule on unfair or deceptive fees took effect in May 2025 and covers short-term lodging along with live-event tickets. In short, when you advertise a price for a stay, the mandatory fees, such as resort, amenity or cleaning fees, should be part of the total shown. Some states, California among them, add their own rules. I explain the details in honest pricing and junk fees; confirm your setup with your attorney.

A booking site that earns its keep

I build business websites for hotels and rentals on a custom CMS, with one page per room type or unit, real photos and clear policies. The booking engine plugs in at the point of choosing dates. Area pages ("things to do in winter", "wedding guests staying nearby") bring search traffic months before a trip. Tracking follows each visitor through to the confirmed booking, so ad decisions rest on revenue.

Seasons, storms and shoulder months

US travel has strong rhythms: summer road trips, spring break, fall foliage in New England and the Smokies, ski season in the Rockies, holiday weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Coastal properties from Texas to the Carolinas also live with hurricane season from June through November, so a clear cancellation policy and quick updates on your site and Google listing matter. Winter storms do the same for inland roads. I plan campaigns for the soft dates, not the weekends that sell themselves.

Guests who come back

The cheapest booking is a repeat guest. A short email after checkout, a note before the anniversary of their stay and an off-season offer for past guests often outperform ads. Emails follow CAN-SPAM rules; texts need written consent. See my email marketing work for how I set this up.

I work remotely with properties across the US, from mountain towns near Denver to beach rentals around Tampa. Calls are on Zoom in your morning.

Mistakes that cost bookings

The usual ones: a booking button that opens a new tab on a phone and loses the guest, photos that hide the actual room, a rate shown without the cleaning fee, and no answer to the questions every guest asks (parking, pets, check-in time, quiet hours). Each one sends a guest back to the platform where the answers are laid out. I fix those before spending a dollar on ads.