Check-in, Post, Repeat: The new hotel marketing funnel

You’ve tried the glossy ads.
Perfectly lit lobby shots. Immaculate bed corners. That slow pan of champagne flutes clinking in your rooftop bar.

They looked amazing. They felt premium. They cost a small fortune.

But… bookings didn’t spike. Engagement didn’t soar. And your “awareness” campaign? Hard to tell if anyone actually remembers it.

Here’s the truth: the traditional hotel marketing funnel — awareness → consideration → booking — is being re-written. And the new version? It starts with influencers, not corporate campaigns.

From Polished to personal

Today’s travellers aren’t looking for polished perfection. They want real stories from real people:

• What it actually feels like to check in on a Friday night.

• The view from Room 305 at golden hour.

•  The first bite of that breakfast pastry (flaky, buttery, steam still rising).

An influencer can show that in 10 seconds and make thousands of followers feel like they’re right there.

It’s a different kind of influence — less “Here’s our offer” and more “Here’s my experience, and you need to try it.”

Why influencer marketing beats glossy ads (When done right)

Glossy ads are built for broadcasting. Influencer content is built for belonging.

But here’s where caution comes in: not all influencer campaigns deliver. Many hotels see little to no ROI because they chase vanity metrics such as high follower counts and slick media kits, instead of genuine engagement, action, and bookings.

The most successful hotels don’t ditch influencers. They refine their approach by working only with talent who are the right fit, aligning expectations early, reviewing recent proof of performance, and treating influencers like strategic partners rather than freebies on a wish list.

On Gifted, that review phase becomes simpler. You get vetted influencers coming to you, already matched to your brand and brief, so you can spend less time sorting through pitches and more time running campaigns that deliver results.

What tips the scales:

Credibility you can’t buy: People trust people more than ads. An influencer’s recommendation feels earned, not forced.

Hyper-relevant reach: You’re connecting with your audience: boutique-stay seekers, brunch lovers, spa-goers.

Content that keeps working: Ads vanish when the budget stops. Influencer content lives on in posts, reels, tags, and your reusable content library.

Avoid  common traps

If you want influencer marketing to drive bookings, not just likes, sidestep these pitfalls:

Vanity metric mirage: High follower counts mean nothing without retention, saves, and shares. With Gifted, every influencer you see has already been vetted for real engagement, so you’re not wasting time on inflated numbers.

Inbox overload: Treat pitches like business proposals and ask for proof of past results. On Gifted, that proof is already there, audience insights, past campaign performance, and examples of content are built into every profile.

The transactional trap: “Free stay for a post” often leads to shallow, off-brand content. Gifted connects you with influencers who match your brief, agree to your terms upfront, and know how to create content that converts.

One-off bursts:  Build consistent, layered storytelling instead of chasing one viral moment. With Gifted, you can keep a steady flow of new influencers and fresh content without starting from scratch every time.

Storytelling deficit:  Without human context, pretty visuals don’t stick. Our platform lets you brief influencers clearly so they tell the stories that matter — experiences that guests remember, share, and book.

The new hotel marketing funnel

Forget the neat “awareness → consideration → booking” diagram.
Today’s journey is anything but linear. It is a living loop that feeds on connection and curiosity. 

It begins with discovery, when someone stumbles across your hotel through the eyes of an influencer they already trust. That spark turns into desire as they picture themselves there, sipping coffee on the balcony, clinking glasses in your bar, and they can’t resist sharing it with their partner or friends. 

Then comes the decision: sometimes instant, sometimes weeks later when the post pops back into their feed and the thought becomes irresistible. 

Once they arrive, you deliver pure delight, every detail exactly as they imagined, maybe even better,  and they post their own story for the world to see. And with that, the cycle repeats, drawing in the next wave of guests who have already fallen for the experience before they have even checked in.

Showcasing the full experience

When Hotel Indigo Manchester embraced influencer marketing, they didn’t just boost bookings. They put their restaurant, Mamucium, on Manchester’s foodie map.

Influencers showcased the rooms, yes, but also the flavours, the atmosphere, the little touches that make a stay memorable.

The results? Engagement up. Direct bookings up. And a content library that kept delivering long after the campaign ended, all because they chose influencers who fit the audience, told authentic stories, and delivered measurable results. Read the full story here

Check-In to the new funnel

In hospitality, the most powerful story isn’t the one you tell. It’s the one guests tell for you.

That’s what influencer marketing does when you approach it with strategy, systems, and the right partners. Glossy ads can make people look. Influencer content, done right, makes them book.

See how Gifted can help your hotel turn check-ins into content, and content into bookings.