Exploring Influencer Marketing Strategies for Hotels

Revenue generated by travel and tourism is expected to grow from $926 billion in 2024 to $990 billion in 2026, according to Statista. As more travelers take to the skies, plan road trips, or find ways to explore and work remotely, the amount of money spent on hotel stays will increase. With an eager pool of travelers ready to experience new locations, hotel brands have an opportunity. Now’s the time to launch influencer marketing campaigns that promote your hotel property and encourage people to book a stay. Here’s what you need to know about influencer marketing for hotels.

Examples of influencer marketing for hotels

Here’s a look at three common campaigns for hotel and hospitality brands. To help you gauge the best campaign for your brand, each campaign is ranked 1-5. A ranking of one means minimal budget and time investment, while a ranking of five means substantial budget and time investment.

Influencer trips

Budget and time investment: 5

One of the most common ways hotels leverage influencers is to invite them to their property. Essentially, your brand comps a trip for an influencer and asks them to share their experience with followers. 

Since coordinating an influencer trip is time-consuming, it’s beneficial to host several influencers simultaneously. To host influencers, you have to consider logistics. Consider these questions:

• What’s the best time to invite influencers to visit? 
  • Are there any construction projects that could alter the aesthetic?
• How will influencers get to the destination? By plane, car, or train?
• How many guests will influencers bring with them?
• How will influencers get from the airport to the hotel?
• Which rooms will influencers have? 
  • Are they available for the timetable you need?
• Do you plan to have a welcome gift in their room?
• What experiences do you want to offer? 
  • Group activities? Individual activities based on the influencer’s interests?
• How will you handle meals? 
• Will you host an influencer dinner and bring everyone together?
• How will influencers get back to the airport?
• Is there any follow-up you should plan?
• What deliverables will you expect in exchange for the stay?
• What guidelines will you provide the influencers?
• Do you have insurance and contracts in place?

Ideally, the influencer trip will result in many reviews, pictures, videos, and links to your hotels. To get the most out of the content, you can include usage rights in the contract, allowing you to repurpose it on your website or in ads.

While not sponsored by a hotel brand, the following post from a sponsored group trip is an example of the authentic content that can be generated.

To track the campaign’s success, you can use unique promo codes and Tracking Links to attribute sales or bookings to each creator. 

Giveaways

Budget and time investment: 3

The giveaway can take many forms. 

You could give away a three-night stay at your hotel and ask one or two influencers to promote the giveaway. Consider the participation rules, too. To maximize exposure, ask participants to like your social channel and tag three friends, for example. By asking influencers to share it, you’ll attract customers outside your regular audience. 

You could give away a three-night stay and a chance to meet a well-known travel influencer, or give away a hotel stay and tickets to a local event but segment your invitees to a small group of travel influencers. 

The giveaway should generate a buzz, and the influencer and contest winner’s content will further promote the brand. 

Here’s an example of a giveaway promoted by a travel influencer: 

Travel challenge

Budget and time investment: 1

Consider creating a special challenge that travelers can try. The challenge should align with your brand. For instance, a hotel committed to sustainability could launch a #SustainableTravelChallenge. Your brand could collaborate with sustainable travel influencers to promote the challenge and ask influencers to share sustainable travel tips like this:

You can also challenge creators to find the best local dining spots or the best amenities at a hotel. Here’s an example from a travel campaign promoting Tampa Bay.

You could combine this challenge with a giveaway, too. Ask influencers to share the challenge with their followers for a chance to win a weekend stay. 

Ideas for travel challenges could include: 

• Recreating childhood memories
• Travel on a budget, like a weekend trip under $500
• Create a postcard-sending campaign
• Travel tips for a specific group like families, couples, or the LGBTQ+ community
• Pick a destination by throwing a dart on a map
• Road trip challenges that hit specific destinations

You can design a travel challenge that fits your brand to generate some online buzz. 

Resources to find the right influencer

Finding the right influencer to collaborate with is essential. To help, check out these lists:

• Top Instagram Travel Influencers
• Travel Influencer You Can Work with Today
• 28 Luxury Travel Influencers
• Gen Z Travel Influencers
• TikTok Travel Influencers
• Family Travel Influencers

You can also use an influencer marketing platform like Marketplace to search for travel influencers, review profiles, and connect with creators of your choice. If you’d rather have influencers come to you, post a Casting Call that asks interested influencers to send you a pitch. 

Influencer collaborations provide authentic promotions for hotel brands. With a little coordination, you can launch a campaign that drives brand awareness and converts prospective customers into paying ones. 

Influencers:

Looking to partner with industry-leading brands? Create your free profile today. 

Marketers:

The world’s biggest brands trust IZEA. Find which of our influencer marketing software or managed service solutions are right for you.