La Pensione Hotel, a 75-room boutique hotel located in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood, faced a common challenge in the hospitality industry: overreliance on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com and Expedia. While these platforms helped maintain occupancy, they also charged high commission fees, costing the hotel nearly $200K annually in lost revenue.
Despite its prime location and a loyal customer base, La Pensione Hotel had no direct booking funnel and had never invested in paid advertising. The lack of a targeted digital marketing strategy meant that the hotel had little control over guest acquisition, brand positioning, or repeat customer engagement.
The hotel’s management set a clear goal: increase direct bookings, reduce OTA dependency, and build a sustainable, high-ROI digital marketing strategy.
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Google & Meta Ads Strategy for Direct Bookings
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Retargeting Campaigns to Convert Website Visitors
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Conversion-Optimized Direct Booking Website
To shift La Pensione Hotel away from OTAs and toward high-ROI direct bookings, we implemented a comprehensive paid advertising and conversion strategy.
1. Google & Meta Ads Strategy for Direct Bookings
We launched a full-funnel paid advertising strategy that targeted high-intent travelers looking for boutique stays in San Diego.
✔ Google Search Ads – Targeted travelers searching for “best boutique hotels in San Diego”, “hotels in Little Italy San Diego”, and similar high-intent keywords.
✔ Google Display Ads – Reached potential guests actively planning vacations by placing visually compelling ads on travel-related websites.
✔ Facebook & Instagram Ads – Designed engaging video and carousel ads showcasing the hotel’s rooms, local attractions, and guest experience.
✔ AI-Optimized Bidding Strategy – Ensured the lowest cost-per-acquisition (CPA) while maximizing visibility among ideal travelers.
2. Retargeting Campaigns to Convert Website Visitors
To capture potential guests who visited La Pensione Hotel’s website but didn’t complete a booking, we launched an advanced retargeting campaign across Facebook, Instagram, and Google Display.
✔ Dynamic Retargeting Ads – Showed personalized ads featuring room types and availability based on past searches.
✔ Abandoned Cart Recovery Ads – Targeted guests who had started but not completed the booking process, offering incentives like complimentary breakfast or room upgrades.
✔ Lookalike Audience Targeting – Expanded the campaign to reach travelers with similar booking behaviors to past hotel guests.
3. Conversion-Optimized Direct Booking Website
Since the hotel’s previous website was not built for direct bookings, we designed and launched a high-converting, mobile-friendly booking platform with:
✔ Fast-Loading Pages – Improved load time from 4.5 seconds to 1.8 seconds to enhance user experience and Google rankings.
✔ SEO-Optimized Content – Integrated high-value keywords to drive organic search traffic.
✔ Integrated Booking Engine – Allowed commission-free reservations, eliminating OTA fees.
✔ Trust-Building Elements – Featured guest testimonials, high-quality imagery, and a “Best Rate Guarantee” badge.
✔ A/B Tested CTAs – Optimized “Book Now” buttons for maximum conversions across mobile and desktop.
"Before implementing this strategy, we were almost entirely reliant on OTAs, losing valuable revenue to high commission fees. Since launching our direct booking campaign, we’ve seen a dramatic shift. Not only are we keeping more of our revenue, but we’re also building stronger relationships with our guests. Our brand now has a real presence beyond third-party platforms"
Hotel Manager, Lisa Rodriguez
Within 12 months of launching this strategy, La Pensione Hotel saw remarkable results:
✅ $1M+ in direct revenue, eliminating dependence on OTAs.
✅ 400% ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – Every $1 spent on ads returned $4 in direct bookings.
✅ 50% reduction in OTA commissions, saving the hotel nearly $100K in fees annually.
✅ 30% increase in repeat guests, thanks to better data collection and direct communication.
✅ 3X higher conversion rates on the new website compared to their previous platform.
This case study highlights the power of a data-driven paid advertising strategy combined with a high-converting direct booking website. By shifting focus away from OTAs and toward Google & Meta Ads, strategic retargeting, and website optimization, La Pensione Hotel was able to scale past $1M in direct revenue while dramatically reducing reliance on third-party platforms.
With these proven systems in place, the hotel is now looking to expand its direct marketing efforts, further reduce OTA commissions, and improve guest loyalty through long-term engagement strategies.
Book a free strategy call today to get started!
