Brand marketing in hotels is a slippery concept. Performance marketing? That’s clear—Google Ads, metasearch campaigns, retargeting, cost-per-click strategies. It’s a numbers game, a direct response approach where you invest a dollar and expect ten back. But brand marketing? That’s a whole different beast.

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There’s been a growing argument that brand and performance marketing shouldn’t be seen as separate efforts but as a multiplier effect: brand x performance = long-term success. And while this theory makes perfect sense for many industries, it becomes far more complex when applied to hotels. Why? Because few hotels truly engage in what most people traditionally define as brand marketing.

So, what counts as brand marketing in hospitality? Managing online reviews? Probably. After all, a strong reputation helps grow impressions. What about visibility on OTAs? Actually, yes. While OTAs are often viewed as necessary evils, they do contribute to brand awareness—at no upfront cost. Social media? Definitely, but a lot more complicated to target.

The real question is, what else? How do hotels establish a brand beyond transactional visibility? Luxury brands thrive on identity—think of Aman or The Standard. But for the vast majority of hotels, brand-building takes a backseat to immediate conversions. That works—until the downward pressure of price competition starts.

City hotels mostly rely on performance marketing to capture demand already flowing into their destination. Their opportunity to “inspire” travelers to come to Paris or New York—is little to none. The battle is for the booking. But what happens when everyone plays the same game? Prices drop, customer acquisition costs rise, and differentiation disappears.

Resort hotels, on the other hand, have a stronger case for brand investment. They need to create desire, to convince travelers that their destination—not just their hotel—is worth the trip. Brand marketing becomes a necessity.

So why is brand marketing so rare in hotel marketing agencies? Simple. It’s hard to measure in the short term, and performance marketing is addictive. It’s easy to justify a campaign when you can see a clear cost-per-booking metric. But hotels that ignore brand marketing risk being trapped in a race to the bottom—a game where only OTAs and Google win.

The challenge is to find efficient ways to build brand presence without blowing the budget. Amazon’s video ad platform? Interesting. Social marketing? Essential. But the key is committing to the long-term view—investing in visibility, reputation, and trust now, so that performance marketing has a richer audience to convert later.

Food for thought.

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About me: I’m a fractional CMO for large travel technology companies helping turn them into industry leaders. I’m also the co-founder of 10minutes.news a hotel news media that is unsensational, factual and keeps hoteliers updated on the industry.

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