Attract & convert: from discovery to direct booking

Share with:

Driving traffic is no longer enough. To increase direct bookings, hotels must rethink the entire digital guest journey—from the first moment of inspiration to the confirmation click.

Guest expectations have shifted fundamentally. Travellers book increasingly on mobile, demand fast and intuitive journeys, and expect relevant offers rather than generic messaging. According to recent studies, 70% of hotel online traffic now takes place on mobile devices (Statista, 2025), and driving 42% of all online bookings worldwide (H2C, 2024).

In this context, the guest experience is no longer simply a satisfaction metric, it is a growth driver with a direct impact on revenue. It shapes direct booking conversion, average daily rate (ADR) and upsell value, online reputation, and guest loyalty.

Key takeaway: Each stage of the journey shapes the next. A single point of friction during the discovery phase can be enough to lose a direct booking to an OTA.

42%

of online revenue are generated via mobile (H2C, 2023)

1 in 3

direct bookings are generated by digital advertising (D-EDGE)

+15%

additional bookings with Performance Max + Search

Prefer to watch instead of read?

Watch our webinar and learn more about digital strategy, GEO, Performance Max, booking engine best practices, and real-world success stories.

Watch the replay

Being visible no longer guarantees performance. Travellers filter out irrelevant messages very quickly. The key is to align guest intent, channel, and message at the right moment in the journey.

The role of AI in hotel discovery

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how travellers discover accommodation. Already 40% of travellers use AI to plan their trip, and 60% of travel industry players are testing AI within their strategy.

For hoteliers, this means adopting a Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) approach—the equivalent of SEO for AI-powered search engines. Four pillars underpin this strategy:

Rich, structured content: comprehensive property descriptions, Schema.org data, and detailed FAQ sections. AI engines favour well-organised, informative content.
Conversational keywords: write the way your guests speak. Use natural phrasing such as “romantic hotel near the Eiffel Tower” to match voice and AI queries.
Reviews and reputation: large language models draw heavily on guest reviews when generating responses. Encouraging positive feedback and responding to all comments is essential.
Continuous updates: keep rates, services, photos, and local events current. AI engines prioritise recent, reliable sources.In this context, the guest experience is no longer simply a satisfaction metric—it is a growth driver with a direct impact on revenue. It shapes direct booking conversion, average daily rate (ADR) and upsell value, online reputation, and guest loyalty.

GEO is not a revolution—it is an evolution of SEO. Hotels that invest now in structured content, a strong reputation, and a conversational presence will be the first to benefit from AI-generated traffic.

Matching the message to each stage of the journey

A traveller’s path to booking passes through four distinct phases, each requiring a different marketing approach:

01. Awareness

Build visibility via Display & Social

Marketing KPIs: impressions, reach

02. Consideration

Capture interest via Search

Marketing KPIs: clicks, CTR

03. Comparison

Build confidence via Metasearch

Marketing KPIs: conversion rate, ROI

04. Booking

Drive direct bookings

Marketing KPIs: revenue, ROAS

Metasearch and Google Performance Max

Metasearch has become an unavoidable touchpoint: travellers compare hotels and OTAs in real time. Absent from this channel, a hotel loses control over the booking decision.

Google Performance Max, now enhanced with travel-specific objectives, enables hotels to reach high-value travellers across the full Google inventory—Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Discover—using AI to serve the most relevant ads at the right moment.

Conversion is the most fragile moment in the guest journey. Most drop-offs happen at the point of booking: too many steps, too much information, and the slightest friction sends the traveller back to an OTA.

The challenge: Within five seconds, a traveller decides whether the experience feels clear, simple, and trustworthy. They subconsciously compare it against e-commerce standards set by platforms such as Amazon and Airbnb.

01. Simplicity

Fewer steps, smooth navigation, and instant availability display.

02. Transparency

Clear pricing and visible booking conditions from the outset, with no surprises.

03. Reassurance

Guest reviews, payment security, and consistent messaging across all channels.

Mobile-first, or mobile-fail

Most booking journeys begin on a mobile device. A slow or poorly optimised booking engine undermines all upstream marketing efforts. Mobile must be designed as the primary channel, not a scaled-down version of the desktop site.

Personalisation and the pre-stay experience

Conversion does not end at the click. Tailoring the experience to the traveller’s context—device-specific offers, useful and unobtrusive upsell, contextualised messaging—maximises both booking value and guest satisfaction.

The pre-stay phase extends this momentum: reassuring post-booking communications, timely and relevant upsell, and consistency between the marketing promise and the on-property experience.

By partnering with D-EDGE to address a limited leisure market presence and modernise its technology, Hôtel Moderniste successfully overhauled its direct sales strategy.

By implementing a suite of solutions—including the D-EDGE CRS, Channel Manager, Booking Engine, and MediaGenius—the hotel significantly enhanced its booking journey and reached entirely new customer segments.

These digital and metasearch campaigns yielded an outstanding 16× ROI, dramatically boosting visibility among leisure travellers. Furthermore, the newly optimised booking engine achieved a remarkable 5.3% conversion rate, representing a major milestone for a property that historically relied on corporate clientele.

↳ Read Hotel Moderniste full story

Watch the full webinar

Prefer to watch instead of read? Watch the full session on YouTube and learn about digital strategy, GEO, Performance Max, booking engine best practices, and real-world success stories.

Watch the replay

D-EDGE offers an integrated approach covering the entire digital guest journey: Digital Media, website, booking engine, and CRM. One partner to align attraction and conversion, with no gaps between tools.

Three questions can help identify your priority areas for improvement:

→ Where are you losing guests today in your digital journey?
→ Are your media investments aligned with the quality of the experience you offer?
→ Is your booking engine converting at its full potential?

Looking to broaden your mix, optimise your direct channel, and elevate your hotel’s digital journey?