The Betsy Hotel, a distinguished 130-room boutique hotel in Miami, faced a growing challenge: an overreliance on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com and Expedia. Despite having a strong brand identity and a loyal customer base, 75% of their bookings came from third-party platforms. While OTAs provided consistent occupancy, they also charged high commission fees—averaging 15-20% per booking—which significantly impacted the hotel’s profitability.
In addition to high commission costs, The Betsy Hotel struggled with limited guest retention. Because most guests booked through OTAs, the hotel had little control over guest data, making it difficult to encourage repeat stays. Their direct booking website was outdated, had a slow-loading user experience, and was not optimized for conversions. Furthermore, it lacked effective SEO strategies, making it nearly invisible in Google search results, limiting organic traffic.
The hotel’s management team approached us with a clear goal: reduce reliance on OTAs, increase direct bookings, and improve overall profitability without compromising occupancy rates.
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High-Converting Direct Booking Website
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SEO & Content Strategy for Organic Growth
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Google Ads & Retargeting for Direct Bookings
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Automated Email Sequences for Guest Retention
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AI-Driven Pricing & Performance Monitoring
To address The Betsy Hotel’s challenges, we implemented a comprehensive direct booking strategy focused on improving their digital presence, increasing website conversions, and leveraging targeted marketing campaigns.
1. Custom Direct Booking Website
We designed and developed a high-converting, SEO-optimized website tailored specifically to The Betsy Hotel’s brand. The new site included:
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Mobile-first design: Optimized for travelers booking on smartphones and tablets.
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Fast-loading pages: Improved page speed from 4.8 seconds to 1.9 seconds, enhancing user experience and SEO ranking.
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Integrated booking engine: Allowed for seamless direct reservations, eliminating third-party fees.
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User-friendly navigation: Simplified booking process to reduce friction and increase conversions.
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Trust-building elements: Featured guest reviews, high-quality imagery, and a best-price guarantee.
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Performance tracking dashboard: Enabled real-time monitoring of booking trends and conversion rates.
2. SEO & Content Strategy
A well-structured content strategy was crucial to improve search rankings and drive organic traffic. We implemented:
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Keyword research & optimization: Identified high-intent search terms such as “best boutique hotels in Miami” and “luxury beachfront hotel Miami.”
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SEO-enhanced blog content: Created articles and guides on Miami travel tips, local attractions, and seasonal events.
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On-page SEO improvements: Optimized meta titles, descriptions, and internal linking structures.
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Google My Business (GMB) optimization: Ensured accurate NAP (name, address, phone number) details, improved local SEO visibility, and encouraged guest reviews.
3. Google Ads for Direct Bookings
To accelerate direct bookings, we launched a multi-channel paid advertising campaign focusing on:
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Google Search Ads: Targeted travelers searching for boutique hotels in Miami.
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Google Display Ads: Engaged potential guests browsing travel-related content.
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Retargeting Campaigns: Re-engaged website visitors who did not complete their booking.
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Dynamic Pricing Integration: Synced real-time rates to ensure competitive pricing.
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A/B Testing on Ad Creatives: Optimized performance by testing different headlines, images, and CTAs.
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Budget Allocation Strategy: Shifted ad spend dynamically based on seasonal demand and booking trends.
4. Automated Email Sequences & Guest Experience Enhancement
To enhance guest retention and maximize repeat bookings, we implemented an email marketing automation strategy:
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Pre-arrival emails: Sent to guests with local recommendations and upsell opportunities.
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Post-stay follow-ups: Encouraged guests to leave reviews and rebook future stays.
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Loyalty offers: Provided discounts and perks for returning customers.
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Abandoned cart recovery: Sent automated emails to visitors who started but did not complete their booking.
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Personalized Guest Communication: Implemented AI-driven messaging to provide customized recommendations based on guest preferences.
“Before working with Wavebnb, we felt stuck relying on OTAs, watching commissions eat into our revenue. Since implementing the new direct booking strategy, our occupancy rates have remained strong, but now we’re keeping more of our revenue. The impact has been incredible—not just on our bottom line but also on guest relationships.”
Jeff Lehman, Managing Director, The Betsy Hotel
Data lies at the heart of neural networks, and our services start with understanding your unique data landscape. We work closely with you to identify and collect relevant data sources, ensuring that your neural network models are built on a solid foundation. Our data scientists employ cutting-edge techniques to preprocess and clean the data, making it ready for training the neural network models.
Within four months of implementing the new direct booking strategy, The Betsy Hotel achieved remarkable results:
✅ 65% increase in direct bookings across all room categories – The optimized website, SEO strategy, and Google Ads campaigns significantly boosted direct reservations, reducing reliance on OTAs.
✅ $720,000+ saved in OTA commissions annually – By shifting a significant portion of bookings away from OTAs, The Betsy Hotel improved profitability while maintaining occupancy levels.
✅ 30% increase in repeat guests – The email automation sequences nurtured past guests, leading to more rebookings and stronger guest loyalty.
✅ 140% increase in organic traffic – SEO-driven content marketing efforts helped the website rank higher for relevant searches, increasing visibility and bookings.
✅ 7X ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – Google Ads campaigns generated a substantial return, making paid acquisition a sustainable revenue channel.
✅ Website conversion rate improved by 180%, leading to significantly higher direct bookings – Faster load times, streamlined navigation, and enhanced CTAs resulted in significantly higher booking completions.
The Betsy Hotel’s transformation highlights the power of a well-executed direct booking strategy. By implementing a high-converting website, leveraging SEO and content marketing, optimizing Google Ads, and automating guest engagement, we successfully reduced the hotel’s dependence on OTAs while increasing profitability.
With a 65% surge in direct bookings, over $720,000 saved in OTA commissions annually, and a 30% increase in repeat guests, The Betsy Hotel now enjoys higher revenue retention, improved guest relationships, and sustainable growth.
Looking ahead, the hotel’s management plans to expand these strategies, further enhancing their digital presence and guest retention efforts. This case study underscores the importance of a holistic marketing approach, proving that boutique hotels can compete effectively and thrive by taking control of their direct booking channels.
Book a free strategy call today and let’s craft a direct booking strategy tailored to your hotel’s success!
