Lista de verificación y consejos de marketing hotelero para el éxito previo a la apertura

“Opening a new hotel requires a strategic marketing plan to build brand awareness, attract the right audience, and drive bookings from day one. Early priorities should focus on market strategy and brand identity, ensuring a clear positioning, strong visuals, and a defined tone of voice.

As the opening nears, digital infrastructure – including a website with a booking engine, SEO, and social media – should be in place, alongside high-quality photography and video content to fuel PR and advertising. A pre-opening campaign across digital ads, social media, and press outreach will generate buzz, while partnerships and press visits help secure media coverage.

At launch, a 360° marketing campaign should drive direct bookings, supported by remarketing and performance tracking.

Post-launch, content marketing and A/B testing will sustain momentum. At The Orange Studio we actually prepared a detailed roadmap for new openings – you can refer to our Hotel Opening Checklist [https://www.theorangestudio.com/ebooks] for a full breakdown.”

“Start with building a strong brand identity, ideally 12 to 6 months before opening. A clear and compelling brand narrative, centered around what makes the hotel unique, sets the tone for all future marketing. A luxury resort might focus on exclusivity and wellness, while a city boutique hotel might highlight design and local culture. Developing a cohesive visual identity, from the logo to the tone of voice, ensures that the brand is instantly recognisable. An SEO-optimised website with structured data is essential so that search engines and AI-driven tools can easily discover and rank the property.

Six months before opening: it’s time to establish a digital presence outside of your new hotel website. Setting up and verifying your Google Business Profile, TripAdvisor, and metasearch listings helps increase visibility. Launching social media channels and sharing behind-the-scenes content builds early interest, while targeted ads drive awareness. Offering early sign-ups with exclusive perks creates a sense of anticipation.

Three months out: generating media buzz becomes the priority. A well-crafted press release, coupled with a soft opening or media event, can secure coverage in key travel publications. Inviting influencers and travel writers for a preview stay helps create authentic content and reviews.

About two months before opening: the focus shifts to driving early bookings. Offering exclusive pre-opening rates, complimentary upgrades, and other direct booking incentives encourages guests to book directly. Personalised email campaigns can convert early interest into confirmed reservations.

One month out: optimising for AI and voice search ensures long-term discoverability. Ensuring the website is structured with rich schema markup and FAQs helps AI-driven tools pull accurate information. AI-powered chatbots can handle booking inquiries and upselling opportunities, providing a frictionless booking experience.

The launch itself needs to be flawless. Training staff to deliver a consistent, branded experience helps create positive first impressions. Encouraging guests to leave reviews on Google and TripAdvisor builds credibility. Real-time monitoring of guest feedback allows for quick adjustments and reinforces early positive momentum.”

“1. Know Who You Are and What Makes You Special
Before diving into any marketing efforts, it’s essential for the hotel to have a clear understanding of its brand identity. What sets you apart from the competition? What are your unique selling points? Whether it’s luxury, sustainability, or a one-of-a-kind experience, defining what makes your hotel special is the foundation for every marketing campaign.

2. Get Into the Mindset of Your Ideal Customer
Once you understand your brand, it’s time to think about your ideal customer. Who are they, what are their interests, and what motivates them to choose your hotel? To create effective marketing, you must think like your customer; know what they eat, drink, read, and when they sleep. Understanding these details helps craft personalised and relatable content that resonates with your target audience. For example, if your ideal customer is a luxury traveller, highlight your bespoke services, wellness offerings, and exclusive experiences. If you’re catering to business travellers, focus on amenities like meeting spaces and productivity services.

3. Know Your Market and Innovate Around It
Understanding your market is essential. Research local competitors, identify market trends, and tailor your marketing to meet these needs. Innovation is key; what can you offer that others don’t? Maybe it’s a tech-savvy guest experience, a unique local culinary experience, or an emphasis on sustainability. Being innovative helps you stand out and meet the evolving demands of travellers.

4. Build Brand Awareness Early
Start building brand awareness months before the hotel opens. Create a strong social media presence, build partnerships with local influencers, and engage in PR campaigns that tell your story. Use teasers, behind-the-scenes content, and sneak peeks to generate buzz and anticipation. This early exposure can generate excitement and drive initial bookings.

5. Leverage Pre-Opening Offers & Promotions
Once the awareness is building, consider offering early-bird promotions or special packages for guests who book before the official opening. This can create urgency and encourage people to make bookings while generating valuable word-of-mouth marketing.”

“Marketing of a new hotel should start long before the actual opening ceremony.

• 18-12 months prior to opening:
  • Launch a pre-opening website and social media profiles, describing the property, amenities and services, and post regular updates on the construction.
• 12 months prior to opening:
  • Update the pre-opening website with descriptions and mockup visuals of your property’s future capabilities for (a) corporate meetings/groups, (b) social events and weddings, and (c) SMERF groups. Make it as descriptive as possible, including items such as floor plans, different configurations, audio-visual equipment, information on WiFi, etc.
  • Make your website content SEO and AIO (AI search)-friendly: Original, editorial-level content throughout the hotel website; on-page SEO, inbound/backlinks and citations from highly authoritative websites; technical SEO (for example, less than 2 second page download speeds).
  • Install RFP capability on the website with immediate information response capabilities.
  • Launch a meeting planners-focused sweepstakes with rewards to introduce the property and its amenities and generate buzz in this community. Collect participants data and create a robust opt-in email list.
  • Launch meeting planners-focused campaigns in the main feeder markets: search marketing campaigns around your meetings product. Meeting planners are searching for a number of keywords related to meetings, for example, “Conference hotel downtown Houston”, etc.
  • Únase a las iniciativas de marketing de Cvent.
• 6 months prior to opening:
  • Update the website with content for transient guests (corporate transient travellers) and the main leisure target audiences (family, couples, seniors, etc.).
  • Launch content marketing initiatives around your meetings, group and leisure travel product to engage potential group planners and guests.
  • Launch special offers, packages and promotions. For meeting planners – Complete Meeting Packages. For transients: pre-opening specials, limited-time offers, etc.
  • Launch a pre-opening sweepstakes for transient business and leisure travellers with grand prizes like VIP stays and a sufficient number of other prizes. Collect participants data and create a robust opt-in email list.”