Attention Hoteliers: Before you book another influencer with a drone
Back when I was a GM, I had a ritual. Every morning - before the team briefing, before the revenue call, with my first coffee - I would open my email. And find at least one collaboration request.
Not just the ones that landed in our Instagram inbox. The ambitious ones. The creators who tracked down our actual email address through Instagram, typed it out and sent a full proposal there too. Those were the ones who really wanted it.
At first, I read every single one. The format was always the same. A beautifully designed PDF. Usually a grid of flawless photography. A follower count that sounded impressive. And somewhere near the bottom, the ask: a complimentary stay - usually in the best room, naturally - in exchange for content.
Eventually I had a template reply, because the answer was almost always the same. But what surprised me was how often hotel owners - people with real business instincts - would call me afterward and ask: "But should we do it? Their photos are really beautiful."
Beautiful. That word does a lot of heavy lifting in this industry. And not always in the right direction.
Here is the part that should make you put down the media kit.
According to SiteMinder's 2025 booking data, direct bookings through hotel websites generated an average of $516 per booking (compared to $312 through OTAs). Same guest. Same room. More money, because they came to you directly. And according to Skift Research, by 2030, direct digital channels are projected to surpass OTAs as the primary booking source globally. The shift is already happening.
“Social media plays a role in that journey, yes. 75% of travellers now say social media influences where they choose to go. But influence and conversion are not the same thing. A guest can fall in love with your property on Instagram and book it on Booking.com fifteen minutes later - after you've paid 20% commission for the privilege. The content worked. The strategy didn't.”
Independent hotels gave away 63% of their bookings to OTAs in 2025, at commission rates between 18–30% per stay. Direct bookings cost 5–12% to acquire. The math is not subtle.
A drone reel with 8,000 views and zero tracked conversions is not a marketing win. It is a donation to the algorithm.
I don't think influencer partnerships are inherently wrong. I think most hotels use them without a strategy, which makes them expensive in ways that don't show up on any invoice.
The cost of a collaboration isn't just the room and the dinner. It's the staff hours, the prep, the opportunity cost of that room on a weekend night — and the foregone chance to invest the same energy into something that actually builds your direct booking channel.
Now, when hotel owners ask me (and they still do, regularly) my answer has become simpler over time.
Social media can absolutely drive bookings. But it requires someone who understands both the hospitality business and the content game. Not separately. At the same time. Someone who knows what your shoulder season looks like and can build a content calendar around filling it. Someone who knows that a guest searching for a spa weekend in January needs to see that content in November. Someone who can look at your booking data and ask: which guest are we not talking to?
Not beautiful for the sake of beautiful. Beautiful and useful.
Next time a collaboration request lands in your inbox (and it will) before you open the PDF, before you check the follower count, ask yourself one question:
"Does this person reach the guest I actually need, in a way I can measure?"
If the answer is yes: great. A well-briefed micro-influencer with 6,000 followers in your exact feeder market can outperform a 200,000-follower account aimed at everyone. Give them a specific brief. Attach a booking code. Build a landing page. Track it like any other marketing spend.
If the answer is "their aesthetic is really on-brand" - close the PDF.
Before you say yes to the next collaboration, do this first:
Check your last three influencer partnerships. How many room nights can you directly attribute to each one? If the answer is "we didn't track it" — that's your starting point, not the next media kit.
Build a one-page content brief before any collaboration. Who is the target guest, what do you want them to do, and how will you measure it? If you can't fill it in, the collaboration isn't ready.
Look at where your bookings actually came from last month. OTA, direct, referral. That number tells you where your content energy should go — usually into your own website and direct channel, not someone else's feed.
Find one micro-influencer in your primary feeder market — someone with a small, loyal, local audience — and run one properly tracked campaign. Compare the results to your last big collaboration. You might be surprised.
Your rooms don't need to look more beautiful online. They need to be easier to find, easier to trust, and easier to book.
READ MORE:
"Direct bookings generated $516 per booking vs $312 through OTAs" SiteMinder Hotel Booking Trends 2025 https://www.siteminder.com/hotel-booking-trends/
"By 2030, direct digital channels will surpass OTAs as primary booking source" Skift Research — Hotel Distribution Outlook 2024, cited in multiple industry sources https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4127264.html
"75% of travellers say social media influences where they choose to go" Hotelagio, via travel booking statistics roundup https://www.perk.com/blog/online-travel-booking-statistics/
"Independent hotels gave away 63% of bookings to OTAs in 2025, at 18–30% commission" Cloudbeds State of Independent Hotels Report 2025, cited here: https://www.prostay.com/blog/hotel-social-media-marketing-strategy-ultimate-2025-guide/
