The hotel digital marketing trends of 2018 are essential for the future of your business. AI will change the way you approach guests, video seems to be the future of content marketing, mobile-first is mandatory, chatbots keep on trending, social proof is a must, and the list goes on.

1. Hotel Digital Marketing Trends 2018
Carmelon Digital Marketing | May 2018

2. Introduction
In IT companies around the world, engineers are busy creating technologies that
change the way we conduct business from year to year. While traditional golden
rules still stand, the future of commerce is bold, immersed in these new
technologies that influence the lives of millions, who adopt them purportedly
overnight.
The digital landscape adapts to new too. In fact, it is hard to envision technology
without a digital connection. As of December 2018, there were 4,156,932,140
internet users in the world – that’s over half the population of Earth.
For hoteliers and the travel sector, the Internet drives over half of their bookings
according to Statistic Brain. eMarketer surveys revealed that digital travel
reached $189.6 billion in 2017 in the US alone with over $218 billion expected in
2021: $110.94 for desktops and $108.75 for smartphones.
Plus: around two-third of worldwide travelers, regardless of generations, book
accommodation via online channels (Springer: “Information and Communication
Technologies in Tourism 2017” ). Are you familiar with the internet usage
statistics in the world? These will help you tailor your marketing message and
advertising campaigns.
Sources Internet World Stats
eMarketer
Population %
Non-users Internet Users

3. World Internet Usage and Population Statistics (December 2017)
World Regions Population
Bn (2018)
Internet Users
Bn (2017)
Rate (% Pop.)
Africa 1287 453 35.2%
Asia 4027 2023 48.1%
Europe 827 704 85.2%
Latin America /
Caribbean
652 437 67.0%
Middle East 254 164 64.5%
North America 363 345 95.0%
Oceania /
Australia
41 28 68.9%
WORLD TOTAL 7634 4156 54.4%

4. According to data from the Internet World
Stats, North America (95%) and Europe
(85.2%) are the world’s most connected
regions, followed by Oceania/Australia
(68.9%), Latin America (67%), Middle East
(64.5%), Asia (42.8%), and Africa (35.2%).
These statistics are very relevant for any
digital business. They reveal the largest
markets and the most connected
audiences.
The numbers are highly relevant,
suggesting that most businesses need
digital marketing to thrive. For hotels, the
need is imperative, because the Internet
drives more than half of the bookings each
year (57%).
(Source: Statistic Brain)
Travel
bookings on
the internet per
year
148.3 million
Percent of all
travel
reservations
made on the
internet
57 %
Same day
hotel
reservations
by smartphone
65 %

5. Top Performing Hotel Booking Channels
Knowing which are the booking channels that perform best is essential before planning the digital
marketing strategy for any hotel. SiteMinder studied 72 million hotel reservations that passed through
its channel management solution in 2017 and found that Booking.com and Expedia surpassed hotel
websites in numbers of bookings. Other channels varied from region to region.
For instance, Ctrip made the top 15 only in Australia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Rakuten only in the
USA and Indonesia. Agoda was popular in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, USA, United Kingdom,
Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, and the Middle East. Priceline.com only in the USA.
The takeaway from this study is that hotel websites are still relevant and that Booking.com and
Expedia have the largest impact on bookings worldwide.

6. According to SiteMinder, Booking.com ranked as the
top channel for hotel bookings worldwide, while other
channels varied from region to region.
Expedia ranked as the second most important booking
channel in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, USA &
Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy,
Greece, Middle East, and South Africa.
Hotel websites usually ranked as the third most
important booking channel, except for Thailand (4th),
Germany (6th), Greece (5th), and Middle East (6th).
Other channels like Agoda, GTA, Global Distribution
Systems, HRS, Priceline, Ctrip, Mr & Mrs Smith, had
significant impact on bookings from region to region.
(Source: SiteMinder)

7. Share of Hotel Bookings by Device
Technology changes at a rapid pace and, with its
advances, so do users’ behaviors. More than half of the
population of the world uses the Internet, and the
number of people accessing the web from a mobile
device is on the rise. Smartphones and tablets
accounted for 40% of the bookings in Q4 2017
according to the Criteo Travel Flash Report Winter
2018. According to the same report, Online Travel
Agencies (OTAs) make the most of mobile bookings:
45%. It is also important to note that mobile accounts
for nearly 80% of time spent on social media networks
(Pew Research Center).
33%
6%
61%
Smartphone Tablet Desktop

8. Hotel websites lag behind OTAs, with only 16%
bookings from mobile devices: 10% from
smartphones, and 6% from tablets.
This means that for hotel websites the desktop
remains the main booking device, with a share of
84%.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Smartphone Tablet Desktop
Share of Bookings by Device (Q4
2017)
OTA Hotel Site

9. Mobile-first IS Mandatory
February 26,
2015: Google
announces
intention to
display more
mobile-friendly
search results
April 21, 2015:
Mobilegeddon.
Google rolls out
the mobile-
friendly update
November 04,
2016: Google
announces
mobile-first
Indexing
January 31,
2017: Google
introduces
Mobile-Friendly
Test API
December 18,
2017: Google
reminds
webmasters to
get ready for
mobile-first
indexing
January 17,
2018: Google
announces that
page speed will
be a ranking
factor for mobile
searches starting
July 2018
March 26,
2018: Google
rolls out
mobile-first
indexing
globally.

10. The fact that hotels only see 16% of their bookings from mobile devices doesn’t mean that
they should not prepare their websites for mobile users. Mobile-first is an imperative –
perhaps the most important hotel digital marketing trend of 2018. As shown in the previous
infographic, it is a mandatory Google requirement. According to Google data:
Over 40% of people say they prefer to complete their entire shopping journey on
mobile—from research to purchase.
70% of travelers with smartphones have done travel research on their
smartphone.
In 2017, after researching on their smartphone, 79% of mobile travelers completed
a booking, which is significantly higher than the 70% who did so in 2016.

11. Priorities for Mobile-first Websites
o Adhere to Google’s best practices for mobile-first indexing.
o Mobile SEO is a thing. See mobile SEO configurations from Google
here.
o From July 2018, page speed will be used to rank sites in mobile
search rankings: 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take
longer than 3 seconds to load. Check your site with Google’s
PageSpeed Insights.
o Have a website that is optimized for mobile, not just mobile-ready.
Do you pass the Google mobile-friendly test?
o Check your Search Console – Google will notify you when “Mobile-
first” verification is available for your site. Verify your site.
o Beware of interstitials: popups, standalone interstitials, etc. There is
a Google intrusive mobile interstitial penalty in effect since January
11, 2017. In 2017, Google penalized hotels (and not only) on the
SERPS for using popups! Use action bars instead.

12. Video Marketing Is Huge
Video marketing is one of the most effective tools to improve visibility for your brand and to drive more visitors directly to your
website. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual and the human brain processes images and video 60,000 times
faster than text. The case for video marketing is supported by powerful statistics too. According to WorldHotels Collection:
In 2017, 74%
of internet
traffic was
video
content.
Online video
viewing is
increasing by
118% every
year.
Bookings are
67% more
likely when a
video tour is
included on a
website.
65% of
business
travelers visit
a hotel’s
website after
watching its
video.
76% of social
media users
would share
a video if it
were
entertaining.
52% of
marketing
professionals
value videos
as the format
with the best
ROI.

13. In Q3 2017, HubSpot surveyed 3010 consumers in the US, Germany, Colombia, and Mexico, and found
that more than half of them (54%) preferred to watch video when asked what type of content they wanted
to see from a brand/ business. Besides video, consumers also enjoy emails and newsletters (46%), social
images (41%), social videos (34%), blog articles (18%), content in PDF form (17%). Each of these
numbers is relevant to define a long-term marketing strategy, but the prevalence of video is particularly
noteworthy. Video can also be used as a reference for travel planning. SeeVoov is an industry-first –
transforming travel video into comprehensive, curated travel guides.
54%
46%
41%
34%
18%
17%
Content types
Video Email
Social images Social video
Blog posts PDF
YouTube
Facebook
Facebook
Live
Vimeo
Instagram
Hotel
website
Snapchat Twitter
The top most popular channels for
video marketing are:

14. Types of Video Marketing
The most popular types of video
content (relevant for hotels) according
to YouTube:
• How-to videos: 91% of
smartphone users watch how-to
videos. (How to plan your holiday
to…)
• Travel-related video content is
up 118% year over year (YoY)
• Travel vloggers (engaging with
one of these influencers can
boost sales and brand
reputation)
• Comedy and sketches
• Live video
• Memes
• Q&A videos
Globally, IP video
traffic will be 82
percent of all
consumer Internet
traffic by 2021 (Cisco)
Live Internet video
will account for 13
percent of Internet
video traffic by 2021
(Cisco)
Facebook generates
8 billion video views
on average per day
(Avi Arya)
60% of US internet
users selected
Facebook to watch
videos online in Dec.
2017. (SproutSocial)
100 million hours of
video are viewed
daily on Facebook.
(Facebook)
Snapchat users
watch 10 billion
videos per day (Avi
Arya)
Depending on your marketing needs there are several
types of videos you can create to promote your hotel –
some traditional, others trending since Facebook Live
was released for everyone in April 2016. The hottest
trend of 2018 for video marketers are bumper ads.
o Brand videos – showcasing your hotel in a
traditional advertisement or on your website.
o Event videos – highlighting e special event at your
hotel (conference, wedding, parties, etc.)
o Destination videos – introducing your hotel in the
context of its location.
o 360-degree videos of your hotel – ideal for hotel
websites, Google See inside on Google Maps,
Facebook cover, etc.
o Live videos – for example during a special event at
your hotel, or just to engage with your followers on
Facebook (most popular), Instagram, YouTube, and
Twitter. These are popular and highly effective.
They were trending last year and still going strong in
2018.

15. Here‘s Why Live Video Is Hot Right Now
Brandlive partnered with IBM to create the 2018 Live
Video Streaming Benchmark Report, which shows
marketers that live streaming is a lucrative marketing trend
right now. 200 businesses participated in the survey. 72%
of these companies are already using live streaming in
their marketing.
Most of them plan to increase their live video marketing
budgets (53%) or keep it the same as in 2017 (41%).
Brandlive and IBM also revealed the benefits of using live
video as a marketing strategy. Among them: 62.96% of the
survey participants saw a more engaged social media
audience as a huge ROI factor, as well as deeper
audience engagement (52%). Key takeaway from
Brandlive and IMB:
“Companies must prioritize live video as a key part of their digital
marketing to more fully engage brand ambassadors, and plan
ahead to ensure budget and resources are in place.” 78%
66%
57%
59%
47%
43%
43%
35%
28%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Achieve deeper interaction
with audiences
Make videos more accessible
Engage social audiences
Add human element to digital
marketing
Hear directly from product
experts
Increase overall viewing time
Capture emails via event
registration
Learn and adjust from real-
time feedback
Get higher eCommerce
conversion rates
Top Benefits of Live Video
Events

16. Bumper Ads: The „Little Haikus of Video Ads”
Bumper ads were introduced by YouTube and Google on
April 26, 2016. Based on their research, in the USA,
YouTube reaches more 18-49 year olds than any other
network.
• 50% of these people turn their mobile phones on first
to watch video.
• 74% watch brand channels on YouTube weekly.
• 63% have taken action because of a brand or creator
video on YouTube.
• 50% watch YouTube on a TV screen.
think with Google offers best practices advice for bumper
ads here. Bumper ads may be short, but they are long
enough to deliver your message before the YouTube user
clicks on the “Skip Ad” button.
Bumper ads are a short video ad format, of just 6 seconds or less,
designed to allow you to reach more customers and increase brand
awareness. You can use them to create video ad campaigns with Google
AdWords. In the example above, you see a bumper ad by Road Lodge.

17. Social Media Still Going Strong
In Q4 2017,
Facebook had
2.2 billion
monthly active
users
In March
2018, WeChat
announced 1
billion monthly
active users
In Q4 2017,
Instagram
counted 800
million
monthly active
users
In Q4 2017,
Twitter
averaged 330
million
monthly active
users
In Q4 2017,
Pinterest
announced
175 million
monthly active
users
The total
number of
active
member on
Google Plus
is 395 million

18. Statista estimates that in 2019 there will be around 2.77 billion
social network users around the globe. Facebook is already
claiming to have 2.2 billion active monthly users. If their numbers
are correct, Facebook is the most powerful social media platform
in the world, followed by Chinese-based WeChat, and
Instagram. These are the ones you should be focusing on when
you design social media marketing campaigns for your hotel.
Facebook, WeChat, and Instagram are also the most engaged
social media networks today.
From August 2016, YouTube attempted growth as a social
media platform too – with the launch of YouTube Community for
YouTube Creators (to allow them to interact with their audiences
in new, meaningful ways).
Traditional networks like Facebook, Twitter, and the likes are
easy to join and quick to master, but WeChat is more
challenging for businesses outside China. An international
WeChat official account is not enough, because Chinese users
don’t have access to it. To reach the Chinese market with
WeChat you need a Chinese Business License obtained by a
local company or WFOE (Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise) and
the Chinese ID of a Chinese National with a WeChat payment
account. However, keep an eye on this network, as they have
already announced plans to expand to Europe.
2200
1500
1300
1300
980
843
800
794
0 1000 2000 3000
Facebook
YouTube
WhatsApp
Messenger
WeChat
QQ
Instagram
Tumblr
World's Top Social Networks
(including social networking
apps and microblogging) in
millions

19. Types of Content for Social Media Marketing
As far as reaching consumers with a variety of content types, almost all social media
networks offer similar opportunities. The best networks to reach large audiences are
Facebook and Instagram, but all the major players can offer excellent value when used
right. Many businesses already use social media to boost ROI and brand awareness.
o Brand videos of all kinds: can be shared
with ease on all social media networks.
Facebook even allows you to use a brand
video as your cover.
o Sponsored video ads.
o Live video broadcast.
o Text updates: company news, quotes,
questions, polls, memes.
o Contests and giveaways.
o Sponsored image ads (terms and
conditions vary from network to network).
o Sponsored text updates (ads).

20. Chatbots Keep Trending
Hubspot recommends chatbots as the biggest (digital) AI opportunity for SMB. There are more than 100,000 chatbots on Facebook Messenger. ChatBottle – a
chatbots search engine powered by ranking algorithms and full-text search - finds thousands of bots depending on your query. You can even discover which
hotels are already engaging with guests using chatbots with a simple ChatBottle search. You can also search for brand bots with TopBots.
o The global chatbot market is expected to reach $1.23 billion
by 2025. (Grand View Research)
o In a survey by Drift, SurveyMonkey Audience, Salesforce,
and myclever, 33% of 1000+ respondents said they would
use a chatbot to make a reservation (hotel or restaurant).
o 34% of consumers predicted that they’d use chatbots as a
means for getting connected with a human. (Drift)
o Consumers prefer chatbots for their ability to deliver 24-
hour service (64%). (Drift)
o chatbot interaction is expected to increase from just 20% in
2017 to 93% in 2022. (NativeMsg)
o NativeMsg also expects more chatbots on websites in
2018.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
24 hour service
Getting an instant response
Answers to simple questions
Easy communication
Complaints resolved quickly
A good customer experience
Detailed / expert answers
Potential Benefits of Chatbots
(according to the 2018 State of
Chatbots Report)

21. Growth of Location-based Advertising
Location based advertising is constantly growing and it makes sense for marketers from all industries. On February 25, 2016,
Facebook introduced “Canvas,” a “post-click, full-screen, immersive mobile ad experience on Facebook that loads nearly
instantaneously.” According to Facebook, Canvas was “designed to help businesses tell stories and show products on mobile
devices in a beautiful way.”
In 2016, Carnival Cruise Lines was among the first
to test a Canvas ad.
o 53% of Canvas ad viewers see at least half of
the ad.
o The average view time is 31 seconds.
o The highest-performing Canvas ads have
boasted 70-second view time per user.
o Marketers can target users based on their
offline activities.

22. Location-based Stats You Need to Know
Canvas is powerful because it’s a Facebook tool, but
it’s not the only resource available for location-based
marketing. Sure, Google AdWords supports location
targeting too (they secured a patent in 2010).
Snapchat bets on location-based marketing too,
(SocialMediaToday) and most social networks follow
suite.
By default, location-based marketing is particularly
relevant to travel and hospitality businesses, but also
to shops and healthcare.
“Adoption of LBM will give your company actionable
insights now, as well as prepare you for future growth.
Marketers who currently optimize this trend will be at
the forefront of this competitive landscape,” says
Sitepoint, encouraging early adoption.
It is “a critical element of a brand’s marketing strategy,”
according to The Drum.
o Location-based advertising is most effective when the
geographic target range is somewhere between 500 meters
and 5 kilometers. (Advance Travel & Tourism)
o 70% of consumers find location-based ads and alerts to be
valuable. (Appleyard Agency)
o 80% of mobile users who conduct searches want search ads
customized to their location. (Appleyard Agency)
o By 2020, there will be 5.5 billion mobile users, representing
70% of the global population. (Cisco)
o 75% of marketers believe location-based marketing is
important for their business. (Location Based Marketing
Association)
o 76 % of web users “expect to see a personalized website
screen on just about every brand site they visit.”
(VentureBeat)

23. Hyper-Personalization Is In. Big Time.
Hotels should be focused on the individual at all
levels of their business. This statement makes even
more sense today when hyper-personalization is a
digital marketing trend of 2018.
“Personalization of the guest experience is the next
frontier,” Gretchen Hartley, senior director, global
design at Marriott International.
IBM’s “Hotel 2020: The personalization paradox”
study reveals:
o Commoditization, fragmentation, competition
and guest expectations – are among the
catalysts that will drive increased guest
personalization over the next decade.
o While implementing more personalized guest
service, hotels will also be pressured to adopt
standardized methods for managing hotel
operations.
o More than one in two consumers (56%) are more likely to shop at a
retailer in store or online that recognizes them by name. (accenture)
o Two in three (65%) are more likely to shop at a retailer in store or
online that knows their purchase history. (accenture)

24. Time for "Experience"
The "Experience" emerges as the biggest trend of
2018, with many powerful brands focusing on
delivering what travelers truly seek with every
journey.
o 72% of people would rather spend money on
experiences than things. (American Express)
o Online tours and attraction gross bookings are
likely to be $21 billion in 2020 (from $9 billion in
2015). (Phocuswright, 2017).
o Eco-friendly tours are in. Intrepid Travel offers
more than 1,000 group tours a year that are fully
carbon neutral. (NY Times, 2017)
o 36% of US travelers (over 1 in 3) would pay more
for more tailored information and experiences at a
hotel (Google/Phocuswright Travel Study 2017)
Airbnb Experiences: activities hosted by locals – like expert surfers,
seasoned chefs, and other local connoisseurs.

25. The quest for experiences led to the rise of the
experiential traveler. A survey by Peak +
Skift reveals that "With the boom in experiential
travel, hotels are more and more acting like
community portals by introducing guests to popular
local experiences."
With this, hotels should be focusing on experiences
in their marketing strategies too. Some experiences
take place outside the walls of the hotel, but many
experiences can be prepared in house: wine tastings
and pairings, themed activities, convert the lobby into
a peaceful library, deliver experiences for the
connected traveler, etc.
o Experiential purchases (money spent on doing)
tend to provide more enduring happiness than
material purchases (money spent on having).
(Waiting for Merlot, 2014)
o Experiences are a vital part of destination
marketing. (TrekkSoft Destination Report,
2017)
o Allows travelers to discover the best a destination has to offer, all
through a mobile device.
o Creates a convenient, personalized in-destination experience—all on
demand, with hassle-free payment and priority queueing.
o Pilot Booking Experiences available in Paris, London, Amsterdam,
Rome, and Dubai.
o Booking Experiences eliminates the need to book in advance or wait
in lines to buy tickets via a QR code that can be scanned and
automatically linked to the user's credit card of choice.
o With AI, Booking Experiences technology will eventually learn over
time to provide a traveler with increasingly personalized, relevant and
timely suggestions to personalize the in-destination experience.
Booking.com Experiences: first-of-its-kind, highly curated, mobile-led
experience that will eventually harness AI for recommendations at a
destination.

26. Social Proof Is a Must
Second largest
travel website
in the world
(Similarweb)
Largest travel
site in the world
(Similarweb)
2.2 billion users
– Facebook
reviews are
valuable too.
145 million
active users on
Yelp. 2.8 million
claimed local
businesses.
Google Hotel
Reviews
accounted for
70% of the net
review growth
across all sites
in 2017
TrustYou is the
world’s largest
feedback
platform.

27. Here‘s Why Reviews Matter for Marketing in 2018
o 83% SEOs say that reviews and reputation management
“absolutely” deliver good ROI.
o Onsite customer reviews can increase conversions by
74%. (TrustPilot)
o 88% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much
as personal recommendations. (think with Google)
o 77% of people take the time to read product reviews
before making a purchase.
o 76% of travelers are willing to pay more for a hotel with
higher review scores (TrustYou)
o 28.7% of business travelers considered ratings and
reviews most important when deciding between
properties. (Koddi)
o Reviews are a part of Google’s hotel SERP ranking
algorithm. (Confirmed by Google in 2017)
o TrustYou is the world’s most trusted guest feedback
software (Google is licensing its review summaries from
TrustYou).
o 52% of travelers say summarized review content is the
easiest way to consume travel reviews

28. Here‘s Why You Should Use the TrustYou Platform
o TrustYou is the world’s largest feedback platform,
collecting and analyzing over 3 million traveler
reviews, surveys, and social posts from all across
the web, every week, for 500,000 hotels.
o TrustYou powers Google hotel scores for search
and maps since 2016.
o 81% of travelers prefer using Google during their
travel/accommodation search process
o TrustYou is used by the world’s largest travel sites.
o 95% of customers make their booking decisions
based on online feedback
o TrustYou helps hotels leverage guest feedback to
impact the entire guest journey: search and
booking, onsite experience, post-stay feedback.

29. Metasearch Remains Relevant
Google Hotel Ads has
the most qualified traffic
of all metasearch
providers.
TripAdvisor remains
one of the best
performing platforms for
metasearch.
Hotels Combined is an
important metasearch
platform for Asia-
Pacific.
Trivago is very efficient
for inbound travelers
from Europe.
• Since 2016 Metasearch has grown to become the most important
advertising channel for hotels outpacing even AdWords (Fastbooking)
• Starting in Q4 2016, metasearch has surpassed AdWords and Bing
Ads (Fastbooking)
• Metasearch will continue to grow delivering 30%-40% of the traffic.
(Koddi)
• Mobile traffic from metasearch continues to grow too, representing
nearly 40% of all searches. (Koddi)
• All metasearch hotel websites use reviews to rank properties.
• Half of the traffic that feeds into metasearch is non brand. (80 DAYS
Digital)

30. AR and VR – Emerging Trends to Strongly Consider
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are not even close to be widely adopted by
businesses – simply because costs of production are very high. At best, we can
consider them the most likely to succeed emerging trends of 2018. They have
tremendous value for travel, hospitality, and hotels, in general.
o Airnbnb is already “testing the waters” to see how AR and VR can benefit
guests.
o 360° video tours of hotels and other hospitality businesses are particularly
popular now, beyond Google’s “step inside” feature on Google Maps. Many
hotels are already engaging guests with (mostly poor quality) VR video tours.
The trend will get stronger, but for now, VR requires expensive custom gear and
hardware.
o VR is already popular in the gaming industry, but its potential for travel uses is
limitless. “VR has clear cut ramifications for the gaming, leisure, and healthcare
industry.” (HubSpot)
o By 2020, 100 million consumers will shop in augmented reality. (Gartner)

31. Voice Search: the New SEO Paradigm
Voice Search goes beyond Google and is one of the
biggest trends that will shape SEO in the following
years, as users rely more on vocal commands and
personal digital assistants to handle their search
queries. (Forbes, 2018)
o 50% of searches will be voice-based by 2020
(ComScore)
o 30% of searches will be done without a screen by
2020 and voice interactions will eventually
overtake typing a search query. (Gartner, 2016).
o Eco-friendly tours are in. Intrepid Travel offers
more than 1,000 group tours a year that are fully
carbon neutral. (NY Times, 2017)
o 36% of US travelers (over 1 in 3) would pay more
for more tailored information and experiences at a
hotel (Google/Phocuswright Travel Study 2017)

33. Rise of the Tech Travel Startups
An ever-changing industry leads to innovation and ideas that shape the digital marketing trends of the future. The number of technology-based travel startups
launching every year is astounding – literally, there are too many startups to mention here – the Israeli travel tech ecosystem alone counts over 300.

34. Startup Spotlight: VDroom
Video is a strong digital marketing trend. Hoteliers can already benefit
from it in a variety of ways.
VDroom is a cost-effective solution for hoteliers who want to step
ahead of competitors by adding 360° virtual tours to their websites or by
creating functional VR sites that drive conversions. VDroom allows
hoteliers to:
• Easily create 3D landing pages for all your online marketing
channels
• Increase engagement and gain higher conversion rates
• Search engine optimized media URLs both in 360° and in VR,
each dynamically indexed separately in the search engines.
• Patented 'Look-To-Book’ technology tracks conversion rates and
prove ROI.
• Catch up with the trends: demonstrate your property quickly and
easily.
• Affordable solution, starting at €49 monthly, with 3D web hosting.
VDroom is a powerful 360° VR tour builder

35. Startup Spotlight: SeeVoov
SeeVoov uses video to generate travel plans
Another startup with a strong focus on video, SeeVoov
has a unique approach to travel-planning. It has a unique
machine learning system (Deep Learning) that
automatically tags videos based on image analysis.
What the startup offers is essentially a trip planning
experience based on videos watching. Users select their
destinations, refine the travel plans based on their
preferences (like with kids, gastronomy, shopping), add
videos to their trip, select travel dates, then SeeVoov
locates flights and hotels to book.

36. Startup Spotlight: Splitit
Splitit allows merchants to capture business regardless of
location.
Splitit enables installment payments for businesses of all
sizes and type.
• It allows consumers to charge any purchase on their
existing credit card and pay it back in monthly no-fee
interest free installments.
• It integrates with all major credit card processors and
gateways around the world, and is PCI DSS compliant.
• Businesses worldwide can offer Splitit installment plans
to consumers from any country.
• By offering customers affordable monthly payment
options that fit any budget, businesses instantly
increase their purchasing power.
• Integration with Splitit is made simple and can be done
directly via API or using a platform plugin.

37. Startup Spotlight: TxtrideR
Txtrider is an online review-based native advertising
platform.
Txtrider is an online review-based native advertising
platform. It allows Blogs and other online media to enrich
content with information their readers truly appreciate,
boosting ad revenue and time on site.
For brands, Txtrider applies the brand’s ratings and
reviews from select review indexes to content where the
brand is mentioned. It offers a link-builder widget for
Amazon associates, and an WordPress plugin for other
publishers.

38. Startup Spotlight: Travel Maker
Travel Maker allows travelers to find a travelmate.
Travel Maker is a mobile app that allows users to find travel
partners close to the places they want to visit or based on
common interests like s: hiking, yoga, shopping, gastronomy,
and much more.
The app allows users to chat, recommended equipment lists
for all kind of trips, buy and sell, find local events, and find
Facebook travelers nearby.
Travel Maker is suitable for all types of travelers and trips.

39. Startup Spotlight: Roomer
Roomer is the first peer-to-peer marketplace for
nonrefundable hotel reservations.
Roomer is an online marketplace where users can sell
pre-paid, nonrefundable hotel reservations to other
users who go to the same place at the same time.
Sellers can upload some details about their reservations,
then Roomer uploads pictures and details about the
hotels. When buyers purchase through Roomer, the
system contacts the hotel or booking agency and
transfers the name on the reservation. Buyers pay the
seller directly trough Roomer when they book a seller’s
reservation. The concept creates win-win for both buyers
and sellers, but also for hotels that are not left with an
empty hotel room.
Founded in 2012 by Gon Ben David and Ben Froumine,
both Zell alumni’s, currently employees 20 people with
offices in Tel Aviv and New York.

40. Startup Spotlight: RoutePerfect
RoutePerfect is a trip planning and booking site for multi-
destination trips.
RoutePerfect is a trip-planning tool that allows travelers
to create a customized itinerary based on their interests,
travel preferences, vacation type, transportation method
and budget. They serve over 55 countries and with more
than 50000 destinations worldwide.
Trips can then be priced and booked as a custom
package, saving up to 20% over booking the pieces
separately.

41. Startup Spotlight: Gooster
Gooster is a fully-branded concierge chatbot.
Gooster is a digital concierge service, helping hotels
increase engagement, revenue, and guest satisfaction.
The hotel guests access the service via Facebook
Messenger and get recommendations of what to see
and do in the city, as well as discounted and skip-the
line tickets for tours, attractions and events.
The chatbot has relevant information about the hotel too.

42. Startup Spotlight: HO[S]TELOFFER.ONLINE
HO[S]TELOFFER.ONLINE offers sales process software for
hotels and hostels.
HO[S]TELOFFER.ONLINE is an innovative hotel sales
proposal platform with a built-in CRM module.
Featuring PMS integrations for easier offers' generation
and reservations' processing. It features:
• PMS integrations for easier rates & availability
access.
• SaaS business model - no binding contracts.
• Full customization, following brand identity.
• Seamless integration with hotel’s website and
booking engine.
Is a cloud based solution offering users easy access
from anywhere at any time.
It also offers a white-label version for resellers.

43. Startup Spotlight: Arbitrip
Arbitrip is the right solution for business travelers.
Arbitrip is an online booking tool for business travelers of
all kinds. It offers tailored room recommendations,
savings and activity reports.
Arbitrip scans the market, learns the traveler’s
preferences and combines it with the organization’s
travel policy, resulting in a curated list of hotels for each
Trip.

44. Hotel Digital Marketing Trends: Best Practices Roundup
o Have visually stunning websites: travelers prefer to see what your hotel looks like
before they book. Images are fine (Leonardo research informs that visitors review at
least ten images before they book), video and virtual tours perform better.
o Add a wealth of photos to your TripAdvisor and metasearch listings. Travelers are
150% more engaged on listings with 20+ photos (TripAdvisor). Use high-quality
images; preferably horizontal (landscape), larger than 2048 pixels wide.
o Enrich your social media profiles and postings (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
LinkedIn, Google My Business, etc.) with quality images.
o Virtual or 360° tours allow the visitors to see what your hotel really looks like. They
also serve great for your Google Maps listing with the Google see inside feature.
o Video matters: 66% of consumers report watching video when planning travel and
43% when reserving accommodations. (Vizzly)
o Keep the videos short to avoid consumer boredom, but also because short videos
are more marketable, more straightforward, and less costly to produce.
o Captions for both images and video help improve the user experience by providing
concise and relevant information to travel shoppers.

45. o Have Focus on mobile-first and optimize your website to be findable by Google and other mobile search
engines. Mobile-first is an imperative – the most important digital marketing trend of 2018.
o Optimize page speed: 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load.
o Beware of interstitials: popups, standalone interstitials, etc. There is a Google intrusive mobile interstitial
penalty in effect since January 11, 2017. In 2017, Google penalized hotels (and not only) on the SERPS for
using popups! Use action bars instead.
o Encourage your guests to write post-stay reviews. See the benefits of offering social proof discussed in the
previous chapters.
o Add reviews to your website. Rather than displaying every review ever written about your hotel, offer TrustYou
meta reviews which are an aggregate of all verified reviews. Google uses TrustYou meta reviews too.
o Social media is a powerful marketing channel and Facebook is the most popular social network in the world
and it offers a wealth of tools for travelers, from a feature that allows them to ask for recommendations, to city
guides, and travel reviews. Instagram, Twitter, and others can be used for beautiful travel stories too.
o Have a metasearch strategy. Metasearch is now the best performing marketing channel for hotels.
o Keep in the look with AI and VR trends that will shape the future of marketing. Adopt and adapt. Cost-effective
solutions are already available. Consider chatbots for your marketing strategy too.
o Don’t ignore the power of hyper-personalization for highly-tailored marketing messages that speak to individual
consumers.

46. Thank You!
The research was conducted by: Mihaela Lica Butler
for Carmelon Digital Marketing
More articles and researches on Carmelon Digital
Marketing website:
http://www.carmelon-digital.com